AN ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTENTIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WOMAN IN NAJEEBA ARIF’S SHORT STORY “PICHHLI RAAT KA JADOO"

نجیبہ عارف کے افسانہ "پچھلی رات کا جادو "میں عورت کے وجود کی معنویت کا تجزیہ

Abstract

Najeeba Arif, an eminent Urdu writer, critic, and academic, is widely known for addressing existential and gender-based concerns in her creative and critical works. This paper offers a critical reading of her short story “Pichhli Raat ka Jadoo”, with particular focus on the suppressed desires and existential condition of its female protagonist. Unlike conventional portrayals of women suffering from material deprivation, this story depicts a character whose economic needs are met but whose emotional and conjugal aspirations are systematically denied by her husband. This persistent negation gradually compels her to silence her own longings, leading to a slow existential suffocation and eventual symbolic death. Employing Martha C. Nussbaum’s Objectification Theory, the study examines how patriarchal dynamics strip the woman of subjectivity and reduce her to an object. At the same time, the analysis foregrounds the writer’s subtle critique of this reduction, highlighting her reassertion of female agency and existential significance. By situating the narrative within the broader framework of contemporary Urdu fiction and feminist literary discourse, this research underscores the writer’s vital contribution to reshaping representations of women in literature.