WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY: A FEMINIST STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF NADIA HASHMI’S “A HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS

Abstract

The present study focuses on women's human rights status in the male-dominated Afghan society as reflected in A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashmi. The core objective of this research is to discover how Nadia Hashmi has given voice to the women who lack basic human rights in an extremely dominating patriarchal society. For this purpose, Sara Mills’s (1995) “Dominance Approach” from the theory of feministic stylistics has been used as a theoretical framework to analyze the text in detail. Moreover, the researchers bring to the limelight the disasters that are inflicted upon families where men exercise their power over women ruthlessly. In addition, the study also investigates the issues women have been facing due to the deprivation of their social and cultural rights. The current research employs textual analysis and is qualitative. The research suggests that women should be provided with their complete rights to live freely and contribute to society's prosperity.