Date of Award
5-31-2026
Document Type
Campus Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Architecture (MArch)/Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English/Creative Writing
First Advisor
John Fulton
Second Advisor
Askold Melnyczuk
Third Advisor
Shuba Sunder
Abstract
The three stories in my thesis aim to serve the reader as a guide into contemporary Pakistani Society. They provide an insider’s perspective on the struggles, tensions, and despair experienced by the common people. Across urban and rural settings, and through themes of desire, morality, and class division these narratives show how the characters are up against a regulating system that dictates their behaviors and prospects.
Gulab Jamun is the story of Kaleem, an unmarried, middle-aged, skilled, and impoverished mechanic. Kaleem is hired by a recently-divorced apartment owner, Mrs. Malik, to repair the air conditioner in her unit. Through their brief encounter, the story reveals a rigid system of class boundaries that restricts what the characters can desire, and ultimately shows how these walls are too rigid to provide any possibility of a connection, fulfillment of desires, or upward mobility. The story uses the motif of gulab jamun, beloved confection in the South Asian countries, to show how class differences constrict access not only to material resources, but also intimacy, and fulfillment of desires.
The Men Of This Town presents an image of a town where religious hypocrisy, customs, and prejudice feeds the oppressive power structure. Through the experiences of Dildar, an unhappily married arcade owner, and the young boy Hamdan, the story reveals how abuse is normalized and sustained by the collective silence of those who have the power to bring change. This story highlights how masculinity is both an oppressive tool of dominance and control, and a construct that is so fragile that fear and complicity is needed to hold it together.
Zulekha tells the story of societal constraints and expectations placed on women, but it also illuminates the individual struggles of a woman who wants to be chosen, to be prioritized. Zulekha loves deeply, and gives generously, but when it’s her turn to receive and be loved, she finds disappointment. This unreciprocated love and care is the driving force behind Zulekha becoming a woman deeply suspicious and mistrusting of men. The bitterness of her lonely end shows how denial of mutual recognition, respect, and love can turn a person into a hollow being.
My thesis illuminates how it’s not only the visible power structure, class disparity, or morality that affects the characters in these stories, but also the imbalance in individual love, care, and respect.
Recommended Citation
Murad, Faisal, "The Men of This Town & Other Stories" (2026). Graduate Masters Theses. 961.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/961
Comments
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