Power and Resilience: A Textual Study of Bulha by Shahid Nadeem

Abstract

This research paper aims to examine the concept of power and resistance in the play Bhula (2004) by Shahid Nadeem. Through the theoretical lens of power and resilience, the analysis demonstrates Bhula's transcendence from voicelessness to empowerment through the interplay of individual trials and community imposition. It involves analyzing the psychological and sociocultural factors that contribute to Bhula's metamorphosis. Upon close reading of the text, the study explores Bhula’s progression within the overarching power dynamics of the narrative as well as the implications of the depiction of resilience-building processes, represented in an increasingly symbolic realm. The understanding of power and resilience applied in this study builds on insights from multiple arenas. While his work on power is expansive, Foucault's text Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1977) provides specific analyses of power at work in society, particularly in relation to disciplinary systems that point to how power operates and individual and collective agency. Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche (1883-1891) focuses on the concept of resilience and strength through the will to power and becoming who you are meant to be, as well as overcoming struggles to create a better society. This research therefore, employs these theoretical frameworks to be applied to the analysis of Bhula to elucidate the protagonist's transformative journey while also underscoring the broader implications of power and resilience in contemporary narratives and societal contexts.