Comparative Analysis of Bapsi Sidhwa and Mumtaz Shahnawaz

Bapsi sidhwa and mumtaz shahnawaz both are pakistani writers who did a tremendous work in the field
of literature. Both of the authors were proficient in English and Urdu and are the pride of pakistan for
their novels and short stories portaying an exception picture of society. There are some similaries and
differences between them on the basis of background, work, writing style and some key concepts.

Biographical Details and Works:-

Bapsi sidhwa has been known as the Pakistan's leading English-Language novelist. She was born on 11th
of August 1938 in karachi. She migrated shortly thereafter to Lahore. Beside getting basic education at
home she was an extensive reader, not letting her polio disease halting in her literary prowess. After
giving birth to the first of her three children, she befriended her pen with the paper. Her first two
novels, “The Crow Eater”and “The Bride”faced some rejections but for her later novels like Cracking
india and American brat, she got high appreciation and honorable awards.

On the other hand, Mumtaz Shahnawaz was born on 14th of October, 1912 in a political family of
Lahore. She was grown in a high class society with much of political environmemt. Initially she was a
supporter of All india Congress but after the Lahore Resolution, she joined Muslim League. Her
residence was guest house for political gatherings. She starting writing her experience of partition at the
age of 36 which was published later on (after her death in an aircraft crash) as The Heard Divided.

Style of Writing:- Writing style of bapsi sidhwa matches and differs simultaneously in many ways.
 Form and Vocabulary:- Bapsi sidhwa has used a very linear form in her writings. The flow of
scenes and events is sustained in unform way. She has used a mild-complex vocabulary,
explaining the terms in more than one manner which was needed for western readers.

While we see a very simple vocabulary in Mumtaz Shanawaz writings and the form is sometimes
splitted with the scenes in transition.

 Use Of Native Words:- Both bapsi sidhwa and Mumtaz Shahnawaz has used native language
words in their writings. We see words like"tonga, chorpoi, naswar, hookah etc" in Ice candy
man. Similarly in Heard divided we see "Purdah, doppatta, basant, sehra etc"
 Describtion of native words:- Bapsi sidhwa used direct translation, sometimes description
and explanation for the native words and phrases according to the need. For example she
described charpoi in a proper way, a tonga in its full sensible meanings. And for the phrases like
"hassee to phassee" she added the translation as" Laughed and get laid" while we see no such
details from Mumtaz shahnawaz in use of native words. She somestimes used direct translation
of the phrases such as"keep on living" for "jeety raho"
 Use of adjectives :- Both bapsi sidhwa and mumtaz shahnawaz has used the adjectives in bulk
to describe the names, objects, places, behavior in a definite way. This crucial use of adjective
for providing the abstract details makes the scenes of novel concrete to the readers.
Title:- Title of both the novels Ice Candy Man and “The Heard Divided” presents similar
meanings. Bapsi Sidhwa named her novel as “Ice Candy Man” while after confusion of
drugs”ice” she changed it to “Cracking India”

Narration:- Both the “Ice Candy Man” and “The Heard divided” are written in present tense. Both the
novels are narrated from the perspective of the child as a first person narration. In Ice candy man the
child protagonist is 15 years old polio victom, Ayah, and in heart divided, a young girl of 16, named
asZohra.

Change in perspective:- We see a change in narration from bapsi sidhwa according to the events. For
example in Ice candy man, she didn’t present the violent events of Gurdaspur or brutalities and women
humiliation from the perspective of child(Lenny). She switched the narrator. While no such change in
narrators are seen in mumtaz shahnawaz novel considering the events and age breakup.

Themes and settings:- Both the novels are based on similar themes like partition, women rights,
peace, conflicts, domestic violence etc. Similarly the settings of Ice candy man and Heard divided is
same. In both the novels local places of lahore are mention such as Waris Road, Mall road, jail road etc.

Subject of writing:- Both the novels are written on partition of pakistan. The difference we see is that
Bapsi sidhwa in her novel Ice candy man showed that how partition took place, what were the hardships
we suffered, how human was not counted as human. While on the other side Mumtaz shahnawaz
showed in Cracking India that why partition happened, what were the causes of partition and what
made it necessary to take place.

Mutual love:- In both the novels the mutual love between hindus and muslims is shown on optimistic
note. Ayah Shanta, a Hindu girl fell in love with a Muslim guy Messeur in Ice candy Man. Similarly Mohini
a Hindu girl fell in love with a Muslim guy Habib. Both the novels support human-human love relation
irrespective of the political and religious beliefs.

Feminist Approach:-Bapsi Sidhwa and mumtaz shahnawaz have highlited the aspects of feminist in
their novels. Both of them have shown that women is considered just an object of sex in male dominant
society.

Sidhwa in her novels portayed the struggles of women in society. How their need of standing firm
against all the odds is important. Lenny, a small girl was told that her main goal of life was to get
married. “Instead of school i go to Mrs. Pen’s”, or “I can’t remember a time ever when i played with
dolls”. These lines of Lenny shows that a girl is neither let to get education, nor to have play games. It is
highlighted through a male persective that if a women is beautiful and she gets married, what else she
wants.
In mumtaz shahnawaz novel, Zohra is firstly presented as androgenous( male and women equality).
Zohra supported the conservative male dominant culture in the first half of the novel but later on she
realized the fact that women need to stand up against all the odds.

Both the writers have put their great effort to portray a road to women empowerment in a patriarchal
society.