UNPACKING A PATRIARCHAL SOCIAL GOOD:A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF MUEENUDDIN’S “NAWABDIN ELECTRICIAN” EMPLOYING GEE’S TOOLKIT

Abstract

This study unpacks a patriarchal social good by applying Gee’s (2011) Toolkit of Discourse Analysis to the linguistic manoeuvres in Mueenuddin’s short story “Nawabdin Electrician”, from his debut collection In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (2010). The analysis reveals how ideologically charged language is employed to implicitly establish the significance of sons as patriarchal social goods an idea that sustains and reinforces patriarchal structures.  Literary language rarely presents meanings explicitly, so these implications are embedded within the text’s linguistic strategies. A close reading of the selected passage highlights that a mother’s fertility is treated as a liability when she bears more daughters than sons, and that blame for the birth of daughters is placed solely on the mother, excluding the father from any responsibility. Framing the preference for sons within the broader social fabric of Pakistan demonstrates how gender expectations transform social life. Sons are expected to uphold the family name, inherit property and business, provide financial support, protect the family in difficult times and care for aging parents. These expectations, in turn, render women weak, dependent, and marginalised.