Social And Class Oppression Of Women In Pakistan: A Marxist Feminist Interpretation Of Daniyal Mueenuddin's Selected Short Stories

Abstract

This research paper attempts to analyze the short story collection In other rooms, other wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin from a Marxist-feminist perspective. The study adopts a qualitative research design using Fredrick Engels’ (2021) viewpoint as a theoretical lens. Marxist Feminism offers a potent framework for analyzing the stories; it emphasizes how capitalism exploits both the labor of women and the patriarchal norms that shape their roles in society. It focuses on how women suffer exploitation and oppression in a new emerging capitalist society of Pakistan. The female protagonists of the short stories suffer victimization at the hands of the capitalist mindset; their financial support for their family goes ignored and unappreciated in a patriarchal setup that appreciates only male chauvinism. In this context, Marxist feminism seems apt and helpful in understanding women's oppression in capitalist society. The lower or working-class women have endured suffering, not solely due to the oppression of feudal lords but also as a result of the hardships imposed by women from the upper class. This study is an in-depth analysis of all key characters in the light of theory of Marxist Feminism chiefly based on Engels’ views about gender discrimination in capitalist society. The study concludes that women in the capitalist societies suffer physically, mentally and financially. Furthermore, it highlights the problems faced by the female characters and implies that despite their conscious struggle to attain social and economic stability, the tragic end can be attributed to a complex interplay of structural inequalities, economic exploitation, and patriarchal norms that reflect societal realities.