Analyzing Ayah’s Fulfillment of Psychological Needs: A Glasserian Approach to Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy-Man

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the character of Ayah in the pre-partition setting of Ice Candy-Man (1988) by Bapsi Sidhwa through the lens of Glasser's (1998) Choice Theory, which pinpoints five core psychological needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. The current study tends to use qualitative research and utilizes close reading technique of textual analysis. This paper tends to examine how, within the culturally diverse and relatively peaceful atmosphere of pre-partition Lahore, Ayah-a beautiful and socially aware Hindu woman-actively fulfills each of these needs by using various tactics despite being a member of a patriarchal society. The paper highlights how Ayah’s life, while constrained by class and gender, is marked by emotional richness, subtle agency, and psychological resilience in a multicultural environment. Analyzing Ayah’s choices and interactions before the chaos of Partition allows a deeper understanding of how self-directed and autonomous she is and how ordinary individuals strive to meet their intrinsic psychological needs within the limits of their social worlds.

Key Words:  Agency, Ayah, Choice Theory, Freedom, Fun, Gender, Love, Power, Pre- Partition, Sidhwa, William Glasser