Portrayal of Sexuality and Women’s Agency in Ismat Chughtai’s Lihaaf

Abstract

Ismat Chughati’s short story Lihaaf navigates the complexities of sexuality. It is an intriguing story that unfurls a lesbian relationship, portraying the unprocessed longing of the protagonist. Despite Begum’s wish for a harmonious married relationship with Nawab, his incapacitation and the conundrums of monotony within that one room led her to channel her emotions toward Rabbu. The overarching point of this study is how the author inextricably links sexuality with the experiences of these two women, portraying the impositions of societal norms. Sexuality and woman’s agency is contextualized within the narrative of Chughtai's Lihaaf. The quilt becomes an object of resistance to the heteropatriarchal structure, while zenana is that gendered space where she resists societal constraints. Consequently, she was embroiled in controversy, laden with unsubstantiated accusations of presenting an exaggerated perspective on sexuality. While Chughtai dealt with accusations, she refused to go by conventional classification systems. This paper attempts to discuss how Chughtai locates female desire within the subjugation of women and roles demarcated by heterosexuality. Her authorial intention was to challenge the established norms of a male-dominated society, and to highlight the conventional binary labels and prejudices that reinforce stereotypes regarding the lesbian experience. The researcher aims to delineate the subject of female sexuality and patriarchal conventions in Lihaaf.