THE COLLAPSE OF MASCULINITY: ANALYZING ADDICTION AS SELF-DESTRUCTION IN MOHSIN HAMID’S MOTH SMOKE

Abstract

The current research is an in-depth analysis of Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke to show the collapse of masculinity through addiction and social insecurity. The paper incorporates R. W. Connell's idea of hegemonic masculinity and argues that Darashikoh "Daru" Shezad's tragic demise is the result of not just worst economic situations but also of his failure to perform the dominant masculine roles in the class-based unequal society. His drug addiction, unemployment, and jealousy of his rich friend Ozi are, certainly, signs of a gender crisis rather than an individual one. Using thematic-textual analysis and close reading, this paper analyze three important passages revolving around addiction, class rivalry, and sexual transgression. The findings of the study reveal that Daru's heroin addiction is a dramatized, though extreme, portrayal of his inability to be masculine, a manifestation of cultural pressures, patriarchal norms, and postcolonial class inequality. This study contributes to the research on masculinity in South Asia by linking hegemonic norms with addiction as a form of masculine self-destruction which is a theme that has been hardly touched in Pakistani Anglophone literature. The paper concludes with the thought that Daru's fall from grace is the outcome of a male utopian ideal that could not be fulfilled in a capitalist Pakistan of the late 20th century, where the worth of a man is measured by the amount of money, status, and sexual privilege he ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌has.