The Stranger

thank you, leenah and zhohaq! i appreciate your feedback.

zhohaq, i noticed you just became a member of chowk today. do i know you?

parthaab, your theory about the media spinning feminism to suit the feminists might have some substance. after all, we all know the media can spin circles around us any day, whether it's making us believe that the war on terror is really a war on terror and not a US policy to impose control over poorer countries, or that all these long marches in Pakistan are just creating havoc rather than influencing change. BUT that doesn't mean that women's right to equal treatment isn't violated every day, and that certain women (like the protagonist in this story) are brought up to feel like real validation is only that which comes from a man (be it her father, husband, or son). the latter is actually much more common than you think.

Re: # 10
nb...
In ancient age, women used to be treated more than equal to men....the proportion of greek godesses and Indian goddesses prove this....the situation worsened during medieval period...

I like it Nida! It is a sensuous story that seems to capture in all the necessary intricate details one would need to 'feel' what the protagonist went through.
Very nice.

nb, education complicates the biological imperative, in my opinion.

An easy and interesting read.
the protagonist is a prototypical angst ridden women, the one Ibsen made a living writing about. The aspect of depression(The man in Grey) is also prototypical e.g the bell jar etc. This makes the short story a bit formalistic and the fact nothing really happens leaves the reader underwhelmed. The themes of the protagonist being caged by societal norms and the insttuition of marraige and her descent into self destruction should have been further pursued.
But the writing is top notch soo a great effort.

Re: # 15

Not altogether incorrect, Bhai. And everyone of us has got examples to share and wail about. But we should have an entirely new discussion on this one, no?. I dont suppose the Article, as the author has also pointed out, was really about that.

Don't go away..what was Quixote ever without his Sancho Panza? Who are the donkeys is what is currently on my mind.

hmmm .... there definitely is some 'chemistry' at work here ... make myself scarce

Parthaaaaab! I was just wondering how long you'd be. How have you been? Are you campaigning for the DMK?

Parthaab bhai!! welcome back sir

the Pakis feminists are brandishing around a video of some 17 year old female being flogged .... gosh ... honestly!

what these feminists won't do for their evil propaganda eh!

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#11 What's not with education?

Re: # 5

thank you for your comments, dawa-i-dil. however, i just wanted to clarify. the story is about a woman so depressed, she decides to cut her own legs. i didn't feel like i could avoid talking about her physical world. although sensationalism and vulgarity were by no means my intent. some stories, i feel, require a more elaborate description of, not only the emotional, but also the physical worlds of the characters. otherwise, you, as a reader, can't quite relate.

on another note, although the story was not about men controlling women, it's interesting to see that's what some people picked up on. love the debate!

testing

Re: # 10

not with education...did biology account for that? ;)

#6 Because for centuries, they have controlled almost every aspect of our lives (the weather controlled the other aspects). Being good at pleasing men is probably an evolutionary advantage, since men had no reason to keep you alive if you didn't please them, so why would they pay to feed and clothe you?
This has only not been the case for less than fifty years in most parts of the world, and is still the case in some. It can't just go away.