Assignment no 1

Pakistani literature in English

Nimra Sagheer

17511502-010

Shawal Raza

17511502-014

Shukraan Bin Umer

17511502-028

Amna Munir

17811502-006
 Topic

Comparison of short stories by Pakistani English writers

Shaharzad’s Golden Leopard

(Muneeza Shamsie)

&

My son the Fanatic

(Hanif Kureshi)
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to compare two short stories by different Pakistani English writers
and to shed light on the issues that are described either specifically or subtly in the two short
stories under examination; Shahrazad’s Golden Leopard and My son the Fanatic. This study
focuses on the different ways that post-colonial literature was written and the themes which are
the focus of post-colonial literature. This study will explore such themes and the characteristics
of post-colonial literature in the aforementioned short stories.

My Son the Fanatic is a story about Pervaiz and his family. It is similar to Shahrazad’s golden
leopard in the aspect that highlights the relationship between the colonizers and the colonized.
The issues about class, self-identity and race are also presented.

In this story, there is also a conflict present between father and son but this conflict is due to
slightly different reasons. They are living in England after migration and Pervaiz is a taxi driver
who has emulated the lifestyle of western people and even has relationship with a prostitute. He
ignores the moral values and beliefs that are part of his religion and culture. The story deals with
the crack in the relationship of father and son and the outcome of the clash between western
dream life and ideal Muslim life which Ali manifests in his life.

Comparison
As both the short stories are post-colonial literature so they share many commonalities such as
the theme of Identity, Hybridity, cultural divergence, religious influence and divergence from the
religious ways in the case of the residents of the Indo-Pak region. There is also a subtle hint to
the role of females in our societies, the status conscious mentality. The most important aspect of
both these stories could said to be the Parent-Child relationship. It is also the main focus of the
story.

Identity

In both stories, the main characters, Shahrazad and Ali suffer from an identity crisis. They no
longer know what and who they are and in what category they fit in. They are more like a
mixture of both Western and Eastern culture and values.

“My people have taken enough. If the persecution doesn't stop there will be jihad. I, and millions
of others, will gladly give our lives for the cause.” (kureishi, 2019)

“The Western materialists hate us,” Ali said. (kureishi, 2019)

We can see that here, Ali, differentiates himself from the western populace despite being a part
of the community there.

Ali, however, makes amends and changes his way of life but this is not the case for Shahrazad as
she is too young to make such changes. She can only silently listen and obey her parents.
Shahrazad’s identity crisis manifests itself in the form of an infatuation to the Golden leopard.
She attaches great importance to it and it is her way of escaping the cruel reality. It is mentioned
in the story that she imagines herself as a princess who is guarded by the Golden leopard while
living in a high castle/tower. This is her, wanting to create an identity, which she can feel content
on.

“She imagined herself as pretty blue eyed and blonde princess, who lived in a crystal castle, high
up on a snowy clad mountain, guarded by her leopard. He could read her thoughts. He
understood her every word. He had the power to take away her pain.”

Unusualness

In both the stories, this is a factor that is introduced earlier on. Both the characters, Shahrazad
and Ali are perceived as being unusual or different from the norm. In the case of Shahrazad, her
uncle Bunny even thinks that she might be mentally retarded. Following lines are taken from the
story where her uncle expresses his views about her.

“She’s not just ungainly, but she doesn’t seem quite normal.”

“You must consider the possibility that she’s mentally…Retarded.”

And in the case of Ali, according to Bettina’s speculation; he was abusing drugs and the like
which, later, turned out to be nothing but a false theory. Even Ali’s act of growing a beard was
unusual in the eyes of his father.

Paranoia

Paranoia can be a manifestation of fear or extreme fear. It is a distrust in the system or distrust in
one’s self.

In the case of Shahrazad, it manifests in her dreams which later even turn out to be true due to
the specific turn of events that led to her retaliating against Malcolm.

“Shahrazad had a terrible dream that night. She searched and searched and searched for her
Leopard but couldn’t find him anywhere. And then, deep in the jungle, she met Malcolm mocking
her, sneering at her. He set the leopard on her. She ran and ran and ran, but couldn’t run fast
enough. She knew that he was going to eat her up, while Shah Rukh stood by and watched,
chanting “Fatty-Ma Fatty-Ma.”
In My Son the Fanatic,

“Pervez burped; he thought that he was going to choke.” (kureishi, 2019)

“The Western materialists hate us, Ali said. ‘Papa, how can you love something which hates
you?” (kureishi, 2019)

In the above lines, it clearly shows how insecure Ali felt about the western culture and he
expressed his fears to his father.

Irony

One of the most used technique in the post-colonial works is the use of irony and it is well
situated in the context of the story to fit seamlessly in the narrative and doesn’t come off as
something extra or forced. It comes naturally and the reader can easily grasp the extent of this
irony.

For Shahrazad, it was when she was called a Murderer…..

“Everyone says you are a murderer.”

The irony is strongest in this line as it was her identity and her hope and dreams as well as her
sole escape mechanism that was snatched away and Murdered but in the end she was called the
murderer.

In My son the Fanatic;

“Who’s the fanatic now?” (kureishi, 2019)

This line is very well fitting and ironic in the sense that Ali’s father and Bettina, both thought
that Ali was becoming more and more of a fanatical Muslim that stood at the edge and just an
inch away from extremism. But in the end, it was Pervaiz, who started beating Ali mercilessly
when he couldn’t control himself any longer after Ali offended Bettina and she left hurriedly
even when the car was moving.

Reflection of the Society

The stories, each to their own, provide us with a unique account of the reflection of the society
after colonization and its effects on the people that had migrated to Britain in the hopes of a
better life, which was the case for the family of Pervaiz.

“But I love England.” (kureishi, 2019)

“They let you do almost anything here.” (kureishi, 2019)

Even though he belonged to a previously colonized country, he was impressed with the western
culture and the western lifestyle, even adopting their ways of drinking Alcohol and eating Pork.

While Shahrazad’s mother was impressed with the English ways and wanted to meet new and
important people to enhance her social status and was very status conscious. She always wanted
to have contact with important people and even did so at the expense of the happiness of her own
children.

“She (Shahrazad) doesn’t understand the meaning of giving.”(Mehru)

“His (Malcom’s) parents are very important people. His mother recommended you to Mrs.
Forrester’s school. His father is taking over as the new Chairman. Your father’s promotion
depends on him.”

The role of Women

The two stories give to us an important insight into the roles of women in the life of men and the
role of women in the society.

Shahrazad’s mother didn’t pay any attention to her and even ignored her or chided her whenever
she tried to grab attention or did something that did not please her mother and her modern
English ways. She was the most responsible one for the way Shahrazad and Malcolm ended up.
Instead of supporting her daughter and looking out for her, she pushed her deeper into the pit.

“She is such a stupid child.” (Mehru)

“Who (referring to Shahrazad) likes to wander around looking like a sweeper woman?”(Mehru)

But for Bettina, even if she was not a good woman due to her choice of profession, she tried to
be as much supporting and helpful as possible to both Pervaiz and Ali. Her intentions for helping
Pervaiz and Ali were the most genuine without any hint of hypocrisy or hatred.

But in the same story, the writer criticizes the Western culture for their so called “broad
thinking”. It can be seen in the line;

“A ride in exchange for a ride.” (kureishi, 2019)

This is the negative depiction as it proves the attitude of western people and their sexual
preferences and open-ness. In the west, women are considered nothing but an object used to vent
out sexual urges. It objectifies women, though providing them with some rights, takes away their
pride and purity.
References

1. kureishi, H. (2019). Retrieved 18 October 2019, from

https://mseisinger.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/my-son-the-fanatic-by-hanif-kureishi.pdf