Abstract

This research aims to interpret Pakistani women and focuses on exploring Dia’s character in Uzma Aslam Khan’s masterpiece Trespassing (2003). The research highlights the fact that Uzma Aslam Khan encourages her female characters to establish an identity of their own and Khan supports feminine consciousness in Pakistani society. The critical study will substantiate that Uzma Aslam Khan allows her female characters to regain their status as individuals having free-will, having a right to question, and to develop an identity of their own by never giving up and by fighting down their problems. Through transitivity analysis, presented by Sara Mills in Feminist Stylistics (1995), this research will trace the representation of Dia’s character. Specifically, the research employs material and mental process from Feminist Stylistics. Through the textual analysis, it is shown that Dia’s character presented in the novel holds material process dominance. Analysis of Dia’s character highlights that women with dominant mental process have been replaced with a new woman who is more active through her actions. Furthermore, she is independent, strong and vivid in vision, but still trying to present her voice to opposite and same gender. The significance of this critical study is that women have always been portrayed as weak and submissive but this research highlights women as having a strong and fierce character. Also, the research addresses a fundamental social issue of Pakistan and gives an insight into Pakistani society. Future studies can extend this research by increasing the sample excerpts from the novel or by comparing female characters with male characters.

Key words: female characters, representation, new woman, voice, transitivity