Quratulan

M.Phil Scholar

Foundation University Islamabad

Deconstructive analysis of the text “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders”

PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY:

We analyzed the text ‘in other room other wonders ’according to the philosophy of
deconstructionism presented by Jacques Darrida.In our analysis we tried to find out that how an
ideology is built in the text on the basis of binary opposition. In binaries which term is given
privileged and which term is marginalized. We also showed that how positive connotations were
associated with center and negative connotations with margin in the text. Than we dismantled
binary opposition by showing that in text central term that is transcendental signifier also has
some negative connotations and marginal term has some positive connotations. At the end we
proved by textual evidences that there was no metaphysics of presence in the text. Binaries we
are not different but dependent on each other.

Patriarchal ideology is built in the text “in other rooms, other wonders”. This ideology is built on
the binary opposition of man and woman. Man is shown as center and woman as a margin in the
text. All positive attributes are given to man and all negative attributes are given to women. Man
is shown superior to woman and a source of life and happiness for woman. Woman is presented
inferior in the text and totally dependent on man for her survival. Man is powerful and rational
while woman is cunning and emotional. Man is given respect while woman is disrespected.
Woman sexually traps man to fulfill the needs of her life.

Man as the centre:

There are many textual evidences that are showing superiority and central position of man. First
of all K.K Harouni has a good status and economic power in society. He is not dependent on any
other person for his survival. He is a rich person and a landowner so people come towards him
for jobs. Husna also came here for job. K.K Harouni tells his old girlfriend Riffat that Husna has
come here for job when she visits him and has coffee with him.

“This is Husna,” K.K. said to the woman, who had taken a seat on the sofa beside the girl.
“Husna has recently graduated and is looking to find some useful work.”

K.K Harouni is also having good relations with government official that shows his status in
society. When people have any work from officials they come to him to act as a reference for
them.
“Husna sat down in one of the chairs placed on the veranda for the petitioners who came each
morning, asking the old man for letters to government officials or for work on his farms.”

K.K Harouni is shown a rational not an emotional person. Husna tries to trap him and he also has
desires for her but he does not express his desire. He does so because he wants to maintain his
superiority over Husna. He knows that for her needs one day Husna will present herself to him.
She tells him while weeping that her mistress attitude is not good with her so she does not want
to live with her. He offers her that she can live with him. By using that trick he gets close to
Husna without damaging his sense of superiority over Husna.

“Now, stop, he said.” “Why don’t you come stay here while the begum is on umrah? I’ll have
them fix up the rooms in the annex.”

Female as the margin:

There are also many textual evidences that are showing female inferiority in the text. Woman in
the story is shown dependent on man for her survival. She is greedy, deceitful, emotional and
irrational. She is also not having good status in society.

When K.K Harouni’s old friend Riffat come to meet him he tells her that Husna has come here
for job. Husna thinks that she cannot marry a young rich man so she decided that she will try to
trap K.K Harouni.

“Husna knew that she could never hope to attract or marry a young man from one of the rich
established families.”

She becomes greedy by thinking that if she will live with him she can fulfill her desires and
needs and she can also have respect from society.

“She sensed that all this might come to her through Harouni, if she were to become his
mistress.”

To trap K.K Harouni she acts deceitfully and cunningly. She wears tight shirts to get attention of
K.K Harouni because she is not beautiful.

“She had neither talent nor beauty. Only determination and cunning distinguished her, invisible
qualities.”

“She wore a tight kurta, showing the cleft of her breasts, which jutted out from her muscular
youthful torso. Their eyes met; they both saw the joke, and he allowed himself a tight-lipped
smile, his composed expression becoming avid and boyish.”
She acts emotionally not rationally without thinking the consequences of her action. It is her
irrational behavior that she faces difficulty at the death of K.K Harouni. She lost her job in
Mrs.K.K Harouni’s house and also her respect in the eyes of Mrs. K.K Harouni and her
daughters and servants. At the end she left house with empty hands.

“I came with nothing, I leave with nothing. I leave with the clothes on my back.”

After the death of Harouni, Husna returns back to her old ‘poor’ life which shows how a female
is dependent on male socially and economically. This is how female sexuality and bodies are
defined, controlled and exploited by men under the guise of socio-cultural and religious
traditions.

These textual analyses show us that man is shown superior to woman in text. All positive
connotations are attached with man .Thase element sets the patriarchal ideology in the text.

Reversal Of Hierarchy:

The difference that was stabilized on account of binary opposition is actually contingent,
arbitrary; a matter of chance and it’s not natural. Initially male is represented as being strong and
rational. However, is reality he is emotionally weak and irrational. Male is always considered to
be independent but in reality he is dependent on female.

Man is not the centre:

The text shows that Harouni was following his emotions blindly. Even his own daughter tried to
reason him that his relation with Husna is not suitable to his status. Harouni paid no heed to
whatever Sarwat said and maintained his relation with Husna.

“I can imagine keeping her around, but to sit and have lunch with her, that’s too much. You’ve
become eccentric, you really are”

Men are only keeping in view women sexuality and their desires when helping them. Woman’s
feelings or their individual being is of no use to them.

When Husna is walking with K.K.Harouni, he examines her from behind and tells her to jump
from the puddle, She hesitated for moment, refusing the jump, then leapt, landing just at the end
and splashing.”

It shows the lusty desires of males and how they look at women as sex objects. He was taking
pleasure from her discomfort and awkwardness. This shows his irrational behavior.

Whenever they came to a puddle he would step aside and allow her to go first, so that she had to
hurry awkwardly in front of him.
“Those shoes aren’t good for walking,” he said, looking at her from behind as she skirted a
puddle.

When they came to the next puddle, he stopped, amused.

“And now that you’re barefoot let’s see you jump over the puddle.”

Another thing is that males are independent, but the text proves that K.K Harouni is dependent
on Husna. Thus the ideology is deconstructed here.

“And I’m lonely, Sarwat……..She keeps me company.

“At my age, what I need is companionship, and Husna can give that to me. Riffat can only come
for tea or for a few hours, but Husna is here whenever I need her.

Thus it makes clear that there are certain negative connotations associated with the centre. Centre
is not distinct from the margin as it is explained. Rather it depends upon the margin for its
survival.

Woman is not the margin:

On the other hand women who are considered emotional and irrational are actually rational and
determined. The text shows that husna was determined.

“Only determination and cunning distinguished her, invisible qualities.”

She knew her position in the society. Husna knew that she could never marry a rich man so the
best possible way to fulfill her desires was to trap Harouni. She used the resources at her disposal
rationally for her prosperity.

“Husna knew that she could never hope to attract or marry a young man from one of the rich
established families.”

“She sensed that all this might come to her through Harouni, if she were to become his
mistress.”

She used her beauty as a tool to attract Harouni. This shows her cleverism.

“she wore too much makeup and clothes too bright”

Later on she uses Harouni for material gains. Here she is controlling harouni and is superior over
him.
“She would come to k.k with special request, wanting to buy something ans he would ultimately
agree”

“She wanted to keep her part of the bargain and had only herself to give”

Thus man is not essentially the centre and woman as the margin. Man who is considered independent is
actually dependent on women for his carnal desires. He is emotionally weak and irrational. While who
was considered as irrational and emotional is actually rational and clever. This dismantles the binary
opposition between man and women. Thus the differences that were stabilized in term of the binary
opposition are actually not stable. The differences are unstable and arbitrary. There are no clear
cut distinction between the centre and the margin. They blend into each other removing all
distinctions.

Collapsing of the identity through Characters And descriptions:

Female suppressed by other females:

In patriarchal set up it is shown that only male suppresses female. While in reality female also
suppresses each other. This is shown in the treatment of Husna by Sarwat.

Sarwat looked at her in amazement, as if the furniture had spoken.

“yes, yes, I know, Sarwat said maliciously, looking not at Husna’s face but at her body.”

It indicated how low Sarwat thinks of Husna, for her she is nothing more than a poor slut and she
don’t even treat her like a human. Husna was deeply hurt by Sarwat’s behaviour as she
complained to Harouni.

“She’s mean and rude. She treated me like dirt”

This shows that how female’s humiliate one other. This deconstruct the notion of centre and
margin.

Female suppressing male:

K.K Harouni the main patriarchal figure was considered powerful and independent. He was not
able to exert his power in the presence of his daughter. On the other hand his daughter used to
give him instructions regarding the important of life. He was not able to say anything to Sarwat,
when she insulted Husna.

“she made me feel like dirt and you didn’t said anything to her”
This shows that the centre is not that powerful. It does have certain negative connotations
associated with it.

Similarly, when Hassan swore at Husna, she used her power to dominate him. This shows that
female is also dominant to male at times.

K.K’s whole property belonged to his wife. This shows that the power that is associated with
males is just a show. Females have more power than males. At the end of the story Haro,uni the
male patriarchal figure dies and the whole power comes in the hand of his daughters.

Conclusion:

The analysis of the story “in other room other wonders” shows that the difference that was
stabilized on account of binary opposition is actually not stable. Patriarchal ideology is turned
topsy-turvy by the present analysis. Man is not essentially the centre and woman the margin.
They both collapse and blend into each other. Man has no individual existence; his existence is
dependent on woman. Both male and female have equal capacity to rule one another. Male and
female both have certain positive as well as certain negative connotations associated with them.