VOICES OF VOICELESS IN THE BRIDE BY BAPSI SIDHWA AND THE WANDERING FALCON BY JAMIL AHMAD

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates the representation of tribal women as subalterns in The Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa and The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad. It explores how patriarchal customs, tribal traditions, and socio-cultural practices relegate women to a voiceless, oppressed status within Kohistani and Balochi societies.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Employing a qualitative approach, this research utilizes textual and content analysis of the two primary literary texts through the lens of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s Subaltern Theory. The analysis focuses on how tribal norms particularly bride price (Walwar), honour (Ghairat/Nang), and property denial (Miratah) affect women's agency and resistance.

Findings/Results: The findings reveal that patriarchal authority and tribal customs render women voiceless and subordinate, denying them fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, autonomy in marriage, and inheritance. Yet, women like Zaitoon and Shah Zarina resist male dominance through acts of defiance such as elopement or escape, although their voices remain overshadowed by patriarchal decision-makers. The study also highlights the irony wherein women's resistance is absorbed back into patriarchal systems through male figures who continue to control their destinies.

Research Limitations/Implications: This study is limited to two literary texts and specific tribal contexts in Pakistan. Broader generalizations require further comparative studies across diverse tribal and cultural settings. However, the research offers critical insight into the intersection of gender, culture, and power in literary representations of tribal life.

Originality/Value: The paper fills a notable gap in the existing literature by connecting tribal women's subaltern status with literary depictions of silence, resistance, and patriarchal control. It provides a nuanced, theory-driven analysis that deepens understanding of how literature can serve as a medium for voicing the otherwise voiceless.