Exploring Domestic Violence and Maltreatment of Bangladeshi Women in Syed Manzoorul Islam’s Selected Stories

Abstract

Syed Manzoorul Islam’s The Merman’s Prayer and Other Stories (2013) is an anthology portraying the vulnerability of Bangladeshi women. Many of the stories of the book expose the traumatic experiences and physical assaults faced by native women. In Bangladeshi society, the patriarchal mindset elevates men to supreme positions within the family, often absolving them of accountability for their misdeeds. This practice scapegoats women on behalf of their husbands. The existing social construction insinuates a belief among women that they are fated to be tolerant of the ill-treatments. In Islam’s book, a reader can witness many women characters who are putting up with the tortures of husbands and in-laws just to save the marriage. In a patriarchal society, a woman’s primary role is to bear a male heir for the family.  Lois Tyson outlines how women are made unimportant in both family and society to support male dominance. Critical concepts like Traditional Gender Roles and Social Constructionism open a threshold for fresher interpretation of Syed Manzoorul Islam’s selected stories. This paper is organized into three major sections: the first section introduces ideas of traditional gender roles and feminist consciousness, the second showcases domestic violence and child expectancy in rural Bangladesh, and the third demonstrates maltreatment and existential crisis of women in the educated society of Bangladesh.