منٹو کے افسانوں میں پِسے ہوئے انسان کا بیانیہ: معاشی، جنسی اور نفسیاتی جبر کی مثلث

The Narrative of the Oppressed Human Being in Manto’s Short Stories: The Triangle of Economic, Sexual, and Psychological Oppression

Abstract

Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories present a powerful narrative of the oppressed human being, shaped by intertwined forms of economic, sexual, and psychological oppression. This study examines how Manto portrays marginalized individuals such as laborers, prostitutes, impoverished men, women, and victims of social and political upheaval as central figures in his fiction. Rather than treating economic deprivation, sexuality, or psychological conflict as isolated themes, Manto constructs a triangular framework in which these forces operate simultaneously to dehumanize the individual. Through realistic characterization, stark situations, and intense psychological insight, Manto exposes the hypocrisy of social morality, class hierarchies, and institutional power. His depiction of sexuality emerges not as sensationalism, but as a consequence of economic exploitation and emotional deprivation, while psychological trauma appears as an inevitable outcome of sustained social pressure.