Construction of Power Relations in Sidhwa’s The Pakistani Bride and Ahmad’s The Wondering Falcon: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

This research paper will discuss the discursive creation of power relations in The Pakistani Bride (1983) by Bapsi Sidhwa and The Wandering Falcon (2011) by Jamil Ahmad using the critical discourse analysis framework by Norman Fairclough. The paper explores how the two novels reflect the workings of patriarchal power in tribal societies of the northwestern frontier of Pakistan, where power is exercised not by the state institutions but by informal codes of honor. The comparative dimension sheds light on how various positions of the author yield varying images of power. The domestic horror of the patriarchal oppression in the consciousness of women is revealed through the psychological realism of Sidhwa, the power as a depersonalized force which is rooted in the very fabric of tribal social organization, is revealed through the detached, episodic form of Ahmad. However, despite these differences, both novels uncover that power is achieved to its fullest extent when the victim accepts the reasoning of her domination. The analysis of the research adds to postcolonial feminist critique by applying CDA to situations where power is exercised through kinship networks and not state machineries. The research shows how discourse is the main mode through which patriarchal power is created, reproduced and sometimes challenged.

Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, Power relations, Fairclough, The Pakistani Bride, The Wandering Falcon.