Marital Authority and Women’s Voicelessness in Choice: A Postcolonial Feminist Critique of Humayun’s Short Story A Text Divorce

Abstract

This study examines Sofia Humayun’s A Text Divorce taken from Shattered Echoes (2024) through the lens of postcolonial feminism, highlighting how patriarchal and colonial legacies intersect to restrict women's agency within marriage and divorce. The aim is to study the emotional, legal, and cultural dimension of unilateral divorce via text message and how it effects female autonomy. Based on qualitative methodology, the study draws upon close textual analysis with insights from Postcolonial feminism theory, using the work of Mohanty (1984), Spivak (1988), and Kandiyoti (1988). The story shows how technology in modern times is not empowering women but acts as a device of control for men in Patriarchal structures. It depicts Saira’s muted suffering and inner resistance as expressions of quite rebellion against cultural norms. The story examines conventional gender roles and exposes the hypocrisy of autonomy typically according to women after divorce. The study finds that such stories are important in revealing the precise nature of oppression in postcolonial settings. The study concludes by persuading legal and social reforms that center on women's voices and autonomy regarding marriage and divorce.