I once read some work of this sociologist- Goffman- called 'The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life'. His central thesis was that human beings are constantly involved in this theatrical performance, where they are presenting a certain aspect of themselves to the world. But one of the concise tenets of his philosophy was that it is the preparation that goes on behind the scenes- the props used- the "rehearsals" that go on before you engage in a social setting; it is this background activity that is most important in how you present yourself. And I feel this is a theme that really resonates in both Hatak and Sahib-e-Karamat. Both have central characters that engage in this performance ritual (Saughandi in Hatak, Maulvi Sahab in Sahib-e)- but the contrast between the two performances I feel really highlights the patriarchal reality of the world Manto's trying to give us. Maulvi Sahab has his costume, and his put-on piety and he ultimately under that garb of false religiosity gets his way with Geenan. Saughandi, on the other hand, has to undergo that process of getting herself ready for a man, and her approach to preparing herself is so vastly different that the reader I feel really gets a sense of what a woman in her position undergoes, every single day. I was moved.