The Quilt Essay Questions

How does "The Quilt" explore the place of women in 1900s India?

Chughtai explores the place of women largely through Begum Jaan's arranged marriage to Nawab Sahib. In the northern Indian society of which Chughtai writes, Begum Jaan's marriage to a nawab—a Muslim nobleman—means she is subjugated to her husband's will. Once married, Begum Jaan discovers that her husband carries out secret sexual liaisons with the young male students he invites to live with him. But Begum Jaan is powerless to do anything other than obey her husband's command to stay in the house, sequestered to her own section of it. The narrator describes Begum Jaan as being installed in the home, as if she were a piece of furniture. The comparison highlights how wives like Begum Jaan are treated like property rather than their own person. However, Begum Jaan finds a compromised sense of freedom by transgressing sexually with her servant. Replicating the same subjugation she experiences with her husband, Begum Jaan wields her power as an employer and noblewoman over her masseuse, Rabbu. In this way, the patriarchal oppression Begum Jaan endures precipitates Begum Jaan's class-based oppression of Rabbu, who finds herself disadvantaged by both her gender and her poverty.

Does Chughtai present Begum Jaan as an admirable character?

The character of Begum Jaan has generated contradictory responses from readers, scholars, and critics of "The Quilt." For many, Begum Jaan is a feminist figure who transgresses the patriarchal limits placed on her selfhood by pursuing a lesbian relationship with Rabbu. Begum Jaan's desire for sexual satisfaction leads her to seek a kind of equality with her husband: while he entertains young men in his portion of the house, Begum Jaan's female masseuse brings her to orgasm. However, a purely feminist reading of Begum Jaan's empowerment risks overlooking her abusiveness. In seeking sexual gratification with a servant, Begum Jaan exploits an imbalanced power relationship; it is difficult to say how much Rabbu, whose livelihood depends on being in Begum Jaan's good favor, can give informed consent to the sex acts they engage in. Similarly, Begum Jaan sees the narrator as a replacement sexual object when Rabbu is away. Despite the narrator's clear discomfort and attempts to wriggle away, Begum Jaan grows aroused as she touches the narrator's body. Ultimately, the realities of Begum Jaan's molestation of the narrator and exploitative relationship with a servant make it difficult to argue that Begum Jaan is an admirable character. Rather, she is a character who only cares about herself and her needs. As Chughtai writes: "Her existence was centred on herself and her itch."

What role does the practice of purdah play in "The Quilt"?

Purdah plays a significant and ironic role in "The Quilt." A religious and social practice whereby women are separated and secluded from men, purdah is commonly practiced by Muslim and Hindu women in South Asia. Purdah usually takes two forms, either physical seclusion in the home, whereby women have their own quarters, or the covering of the female face and body with veils. In "The Quilt," Begum Jaan practices purdah, and is restricted to her own female quarters in the home, where men are not allowed to visit. Although it is often seen as an oppressive space enforced by men upon women, Begum Jaan turns the private quarters into a space of transgression. In the absence of men, Begum Jaan wields her authority as a noblewoman, satisfying her sexual needs with the assistance of Rabbu, her masseuse. The irony of Begum Jaan's purdah is revealed when the narrator finds herself in danger of molestation. Although the narrator's mother sent her daughter to live with Begum Jaan for the week so that the narrator would be segregated from her brothers and their friends, the narrator is much greater danger around Begum Jaan, who sees the narrator as a replacement sex object when Rabbu goes away. While her mother is well aware of the sexual risks of allowing her daughter to spend time with males, she does not expect the risk of same-sex abuse in Begum Jaan's home.