Similes in Manto: A Literary Reading and Index

تشبیہاتِ منٹو:جمالیاتی قرات اور اشاریہ

Abstract

This paper analyzes the interpretative and aesthetic dimensions of similes in Saadat Hasan Manto’s fiction. In Manto’s writing, a simile is not merely a decorative linguistic device but a psychological and symbolic tool that unveils human consciousness, emotions, and social contradictions. He transforms ordinary objects of daily life—such as a brick, a lemon, the sky, a bottle, or a square—into vivid images that reflect inner anguish, fear, and confusion. His physical and emotional similes move beyond external description to reveal the inner turmoil, loneliness, and existential unrest of his characters. In Manto’s art, realism, irony, and psychological insight merge seamlessly; each simile becomes a visual and intellectual scene that stirs the reader’s emotions. Thus, Manto elevates the simile in Urdu literature from a mere expression of beauty to a profound means of exploring the depths of human existence and consciousness.