Defiance to Phallogocentricism in Soniah Kamal’s Unmarriaegable

Abstract

This paper highlights the phallogocentric orientation of post-partition Pakistani society and culture that has perpetually tried to create the illusion of priority and superiority of masculinity over femininity to sustain continued dominance. The phallogocentric gender binarism in Soniah Kamal’s Unmarriageable is explored and dismantled with the help of various female characters of the novel like Alys Binnat and Qitty Binnat who are seen making their mark in emerging world by working as a teacher and bloggers or columnist deviating from the long held gender codes of behavior. By using the framework of “Phallogocentricism” a neologism in deconstruction theory coined by Jacques Derrida to criticize binary thinking imposed by patriarchal culture, this paper tends to show the defiance on the part of modern women of Pakistan paving their ways from male influential society through the force of education. Education no longer makes them vulnerable to men, the protagonist Alys Binnat being a teacher urges the younger generations to realize that education is more important than seeking a suitable suitor and that they might have a life beyond marriage and children.

Keywords: Phallogocentricism, Deconstruction, Unmarriageable, Patriarchal Society