Ismat Chughtai was one of the most prominent and debated Indian writers of Urdu
Literature.In her works she explored the Indian Muslim female’s space and sexuality within male chauvinist world view. She created bold female protagonists from her varied personal experiences and tried to portray their particular resistance against male counterparts.She was both a successful and controversial writer writing in a milieu that could never allow female sexuality and female stance to find space in the then conservative society.
Taking this further, this paper will focus on the lives of such wives, delineated by Ismat
Chughtai in her work ‘The Rock’. The present paper highlights the different forms of female resistance women choose for creating an identity in a male modulated society. The story depicts the life of young brides who are warmly welcomed into their husband’s house leaving behind their maternal comfort. One sees transformation happening in the lives of the brides as they lose their independence, identity and respect. Chughtai’s works focus on these transformations happening in the hands of their rude husbands. Unlike her contemporaries, she chose to portray themes and ideas that were never experimented before. She handled themes that befitted the unfortunate women who were either wives or mothers. The selected story is such example that shows Chughtai’s awareness of the unequal status of women. But her protagonists do not become complacent with the situation and revolt