The Research Dialogue

Abstarct:

Throughout history the patriarchal ideology has influenced women’s social, emotional, and psychological experiences, as it provided reinforcement to unequal gender roles and limited women’s autonomy. The Crooked Line (Tedhi Lakeer) by Ismat Chughtai is a significant novel in the Urdu literature which critically analyzes how patriarchy works and its impact on women’s identity and mental health. The writer applies the feminist approach of literary criticism to examine the limitations and psychology of the main character, Shamman, in the context of patriarchy. The study used a qualitative research design adopting a textual and thematic analysis approach to examine the role of institutions, including family, education, marriage, and cultural beliefs, and practices, in perpetuating gender discrimination and psychological distress. The analysis is situated within the feminist theories of Simone de Beauvoir, Kate Millett and Elaine Showalter which can be used to examine the formation of female identity and the nature of the patriarchy’s power. The results indicate that women’s educational, social and personal opportunities are restricted in patriarchal structures, which also result in emotionally repressive, lonely, insecure and conflicting identities. At the same time, the novel illustrates the significance of education, self-awareness and critical consciousness as active forms of resistance and empowerment. The study concludes that The Crooked Line is still a major feminist work of literature that reveals how patriarchy and psychological oppression are interrelated and is a call for women to be autonomous, self-respecting and free thinkers. Themes remain significant in modern feminist literary studies and gender discussions.

Keywords: Patriarchy, Psychological Impact, Feminist Literary Criticism, Women’s Identity, Urdu Literature, Gender Inequality

Cite this Article: 

Ajmeria, Neha., Singh, Dr. Alka (2026). Study of Patriarchal Constraints and Psychological Impacts of Ismat Chaghtai’s “The Crooked Line”.  The Research Dialogue, Open Access Peer-reviewed & Refereed Journal, Pp.699–713, Volume-04, Issue-04, January-2026, https://theresearchdialogue.com/