The Culture of Silence and Secrets: Repressions and Psychological Disorders among Pakistani Housewives in Fiction

Abstract

Pakistani housewives suffer emotional and psychological repression in their daily lives, which result in the mental instability and psychological disorders. Through the analysis of two short stories by Pakistani feminist writers Shaila Abdullah and Rukhsana Ahmad, this paper studies the repressions of Pakistani housewives, and their emotional sufferings, to identify the long-lasting effects of emotional abuse among Pakistani women. Using the Freudian theory of unconscious as theoretical basis, this paper analyzed the unconscious of both female protagonists, the stereotypical Pakistani housewives. Through narrative analysis of both short stories, it is concluded that due to the Pakistani culture of silence and secrets unconscious of women becomes their cage, a cage that restrains all their unexpressed emotions, fears and memories. This paper suggests consciousness raising among Pakistani women regarding the significance of their psychological health, which can destroy their lives without them knowing about it