The Quilt

The Quilt Literary Elements

Genre

Short story; realistic fiction.

Setting and Context

Set in early-1900s India before its formal independence from Britain, the story takes place in the household of a nawab (high-ranking Muslim akin to a viceroy).

Narrator and Point of View

The story is narrated in the first-person perspective by an unnamed narrator who is recalling her experience as a girl.

Tone and Mood

The tone is contemplative and naive; the mood is one of confusion and fear.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist is the narrator; the antagonist is Begum Jaan.

Major Conflict

The major conflict is that the narrator finds herself as the object of Begum Jaan's sexual desire when Begum Jaan's masseuse is away. The narrator does not know how to articulate her fear or escape Begum Jaan's predatory attention.

Climax

The story reaches its climax when the narrator turns on the light in the night and catches a glimpse of Begum Jaan and her masseuse having sex under a quilt.

Foreshadowing

Understatement

Allusions

Chughtai makes an allusion to the Hajj, which is a holy Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

Imagery

Paradox

Parallelism

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Personification

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