A Critical Study of Zaitoon Bano’s Novel Dhol in the Perspective of Social Realism

Abstract

Zaitoon Bano has portrayed the internal structure of Pashtun society, its traditional values, social inequalities, and human behavior in a realistic manner in this novel. The narrative addresses issues such as the violation of women's rights, injustice in inheritance, deprivation of girls' education, early marriages, child engagements, sexual exploitation, class disparity, selfishness, judicial injustice, the negative consequences of consanguineous marriages, moral decline, and social deterioration. Through an analysis of various characters, events, and dialogues, this study attempts to demonstrate that Zaitoon Bano is not merely a storyteller but also a sensitive social thinker and a realist writer who reflects the problems of her age. The issues depicted in the novel are not confined to a single family or social class; rather, they represent the collective psychology, cultural values, and social contradictions of Pashtun society as a whole. The author has explored the conflict between tradition and modernity, the deprivation of women, the importance of education, the complexity of human relationships, and the absence of social justice with artistic consciousness and intellectual depth. From a research and critical perspective, this study reveals that Dhol is a socially realistic novel that serves not only as a source of entertainment but also as an intellectual, cultural, and reformative document. Alongside vivid depictions of Pashtun culture and traditions, hospitality, the Jirga system, purdah, and rural life, the novel also highlights those social evils that adversely affect human life. In this way, Zaitoon Bano, through the harmonious blend of art and thought, has not only reflected the social issues of her time but has also emphasized the need for the development of a more balanced and enlightened social consciousness. These qualities make Dhol a significant and distinguished example of social realism in Urdu literature