Before we look at Bismillah’s character, it’s important to look at Manto’s choice of words for his other prostitutes in Hatak and Kaali Shalwaar. In the first case Manto writes, “Saugandhi itni chalaak nahi thi” and then “yeh ehsaas tha....k woh bohat achi thi”. Similarly in the second story we get words “Sultana ki pareshaani aur zyadha barh gayi”. While both these stories are written in the third person, they are very close to Saugandhi and Sultana’s point of view. We are constantly aware of their state of mind, their emotions, their actions and even the underlying meaning behind them. Manto has invested a lot in these women to ensure that the reader gets a clear picture of their character.
In comparison,
Bismillah is very unique in her characterization. Even though this story is a
third person narration, it is not close to the woman’s point of view but we are
in fact spectators like Saeed who watch her actions within the confined space
of the house. She has minimal dialogues that do not really help in our
understanding of her. Manto only gives us her physical descriptions which are
obvious to any person who is seeing her and therefore objectifies her. Her
aspirations of becoming an actress (if there are any), her relationship with
Zaheer, her profession as a prostitute, the rationale behind all these is
unknown to us as we are never given a glimpse into her thoughts. The only word
Manto uses that may be a lens into her mental and emotional condition is udaas which is used to describe her
eyes. It is this single adjective which intrigues the reader and makes us
curious about her. We want to know whether Saeed’s observation is correct and
whether her personal narrative will corroborate it.
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