Poststructuralist (Deconstructive) approach to Tariq Rahmans short story Bingo Jawairia Munir UMT, Lahore

Abstract The aim of this research study is to apply the three stage model of Poststructuralist / deconstructive process, as proposed by Barry (2002), on a literary text, i.e. short story. For this purpose Tariq Rahmans Bingo has been selected and analysed using this model of literary stylistics theory. Firstly, at the verbal stage contradictory words are selected and analysed in isolation and their subconscious meanings are identified. Secondly at the textual stage those statements and utterances are analysed that reflect diversion of ideas on the part of the writer. At this stage conflicting theme and ideas are focused instead of words in isolation. And finally at the linguistic stage the surface meaning of the whole short story is called into question and is found as contradictory to the hidden and unconscious meaning. The deconstructive analysis shows that various words and phrases in Bingo show the slippery and fluid nature of language for example; the title Bingo itself does not adhere to the text. Furthermore, there are other contradictory statements as I think this is a race of slaves, --- They were not slaves it seemed, he took his paw in his big hand, etc. At the surface level the narrator shows his disliking for the Bingos but at deeper level he creates a sort of affection and respect for them in the readers hearts. So the story is found to say things that are unsaid and sometimes it does not say anything but everything is said instead. Keywords: Post-structuralist; deconstruction; deconstructive analysis; verbal stage; textual stage; linguistic stage; bingo.

Introduction This research study is an application of three stage model of Poststructuralist / deconstructive process proposed by Barry (2002) on Tariq Rahmans Bingo. Different literary critics define deconstruction differently but most of them believe that it started as a reaction against structuralism in early nineties (Mills, 2003). It is closely tied with Derridas deconstruction (Werlock, 2009). Derrida coined this term and he is the major and most significant representative of this philosophical movement (Edgar & Sedgwick, 2007 that challenges and contradicts all the past beliefs and ideologies. Deconstruction is one of the most important features of post-structuralism that applies different tools to analyse the literary texts (Lashari & Awan, 2012). The theory of deconstruction was initiated by Barthes (1968) with The death of the author and later on became fully popular with the literary works of Derrida (1966) who, in his lecture on Structure, Sign and the Play in the Discourse of human sciences, claims that there are no absolute or fixed points in the universe; it is decentred and relativistic (Dean, 2005) and man does a sort of free play in it, which Derrida remarks as liberating (Barry, 2002) following Barthes analogy who in The death of the author announces freedom from all textual restraints (Kafeer, 1995). Deconstruction is, in fact, based on the philosophy of Nietzsches famous remark There are no facts, only interpretations (Barry, 2002; Deleuze, 2006). Words are containers of meanings and meanings can be put into or retrieved from words (Sin, 2002). Words can elicit many different interpretations. In that deconstruction contradicts the fixity of meaning in structuralism. The major focus of deconstruction is to criticize Logocentrism and to refute the origin and presence of metaphysics (Culler, 1983). There is no textual centre or fixity. The words are

pluralistic and multiple in their meanings, referring not only to whatever is present in the text, but also to what they refer to outside the text (McGuire & Jorgensen, 2010). Deconstruction finds out the unfixed meanings; finds untruths behind the truths; ambiguities behind the expressions (Lashari & Awan, 2007). It claims that this is a decentred universe and all reality is a lie; The truth is not truth in reality but only propagated as truth; It preaches multiple realities, multiple truths and multiple identities and is against one centre and one consumer culture. It accepts no past theory of knowledge. All the accepted and established beliefs and ideologies of the past are challenged as well as rejected. Its proponents claim that deconstruction is the only construction (Bauman, 1992). According to the theory of deconstruction culture is relativised. Morality is privatised. What is right for one may not be right for others. Religion is also considered a private matter (Ven & Ziebertz, 2012) people have very little association with their fellow beings. Standards of moralities have become different. Identities are conflicting. It demystifies natural origins and physical essences (Epstein, 1999) and this process has no limit. Barry (2002) describes the theory of deconstruction as applied post-structuralism. Deconstruction and post structuralism are often used synonymously in the literary criticism (Cicora, 2000). Literary critics do not agree on one definition of deconstruction. Derrida (1978) himself describes that deconstructive reading has a sort of relationship between what the writer commands and what he does not command, though this relationship is unperceived by the writer. However, Hannack & Taylor (2001) define deconstruction as a methodological strategy which seeks to uncover layers of hidden meaning in a text which have been denied or suppressed. Text is a cultural product resulted as a social interaction and its true meaning is

suppressed inside the layers with the analogy of Freudian concept of dreams as the expression of the unconscious or suppressed desires (Freud, 1900). Deconstruction is the process in which the literary critics deconstruct the literary and linguistic texts. Johnson (1980) opines that Derridas deconstruction is much closer to the word analysis, which etymologically means to undo, and this deconstruction of a text does not proceed by random doubt or arbitrary subversion, but by the careful teasing out of warring forces of signification within the test. The text is at war with itself and multiple meanings may be inferred after a close textual analysis (Barry, 2002). Moreover Cuddon (1991) asserts that in deconstruction a text says something quite different from what it appears to be saying. He further says that literary text may look apparently as giving single stable meanings but in reality they carry plurality of meanings which can be different and contradictory to one another. According to Barry (2002) Signs float free of what they designate, meanings are fluid and subject to a constant slippage and spillage. He further says that meanings are not pure and are always contaminated by their opposites. Deconstruction talks about binary oppositions in language like day/night, light/dark, male/female, good/bad, in which meaning of one cannot be determined without the reference of the other. But in deconstruction the polarity of these common binary oppositions is reversed, in which the second term is more desirable and more privileged (Edgar & Sedgwick, 2007). The theory of deconstruction became highly popular (Carroll, 1990) in the literary circles and many post structuralist literary critics were engaged in the task of deconstructing the texts, reading against the grain or reading the text against itself the purpose of which is knowing the text as it cannot know itself (Eagleton in Barry, 2002). So, the text is at war against itself and it uncovers the underlying unconscious dimension of the author (Derrida, (1978).

Derrida's well known phrase There is nothing outside the text is widely quoted and interpreted by the literary critics. So with Derrida this term came into vogue and many critics began to deconstruct the texts afterwards following his footsteps. Barry (2002) proposes these three stages --- verbal, textual and the linguistic to deconstruct the texts. In the verbal stage the words are studied in isolation, with the concept that they do not contain pure or fixed meanings, but rather, they represent contradictions and paradoxes in a text. It reveals binary oppositions and slipperiness of the language being used. In the textual stage overall meaning of the text is identified. It also analyses shifting meanings, textual contradictions and the continuity of the texts. The linguistic stage calls into question the trustworthiness and reliability of language being used in a literary text. It represents in language what it does not intend to present. It calls into question the adequacy of language itself as a medium of communication. Barry (2002 applies this three stage model on a poem by Dylan Thomas 'A refusal to mourn the death, by fire, of a child in London'. He identifies the binaries, contradictions and paradoxes used in this poem revealing major time shifts and changes in viewpoint, and that there is no smooth chronological progression (Barry, 2002). There are also many omissions in the poem that do not tell things we expect to be told. For example the poet does not tell us why he refuses to mourn the death of that child but at the same time we find him mourning although he claims not to mourn. Barry further says that the poet identifies the language trap, and then falls into it. Lashari & Awan, (2012) have applied this three stage model as proposed by Barry (2002) on The cow by Firdous Haider (1994). After a comprehensive three stage analysis they conclude that the text of this story fails to dig out and convey single meaning from the sign, signifier and

signified. The language conveys various unstable messages and meanings, so it can be called chaotic rather than trustworthy. In the deconstruction of this short story Bingo the text will be deconstructed into bits and pieces and then analysed using three stages of deconstructive process as proposed by Barry (2002). Tariq Rahman is a well known Professor of Sociolinguistics at the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. He is a highly published scholar and has been a guest professor in Denmark and Spain. He is the author of three collections of short stories. His short stories are brief which mirror Pakistani society as being prone to social inequality and brutality. The writer develops the short stories craftily from everyday events reflecting back the foibles and contradictions of human beings. Bingo, which is set in East Pakistan---now Bangladesh, is the most pathetic and impressive story from these collections. All his short stories are written in English. Discussion Tariq Rahmans Bingo is an impressive and pathetic story with the background theme of 1971 war between Pakistan and India. It mirrors contempt and hatred of West Pakistanis against the East Pakistanis now Bangladesh. The story revolves around two military cadets Safeer and Tajassur who are under training to become commissioned officers in the army and later on posted in the East Pakistan during the war of 1971. The narrator is Safeer who is obtuse, diplomatic, jealous of his fellow cadet Tajassur, and contemptible of all Bengalis. While Tajassur (a Bengali) is a good-natured and kind hearted person who always suffers due to his lively nature. To make fun of his Bengali companion Safeer calls him Bingo. Safeer is against Bengalis and kills several Bengalis and dishonours their girls when in East Pakistan. But one day he is taken prisoner and a Bangladeshi army officer passes the sentence of death on him. He

undergoes a psychological crisis and understands that the Bengalis too were fighting for what they considered worth preserving. At this juncture hes taken out of the prison and taken home by Tajassur, who is now an officer in the Bangladesh army. At Tajassurs home Safeer understands the essential humanity of the Bengalis, fall in love with Tajassurs sister, and become more understanding. A captain of special services group breaks into the house and kills Tajassurs sister and Tajassur. Safeer kills Tajassurs mother to end her agony at her son and daughters deaths. They go back but by this time Bangladesh is free and the Pakistan Army has surrendered. Whole the story reflects Safeers psychological conflict in liking and disliking of Tajassur. At the end Safeer shows his deep love for Bingos but at the expense of their death. In the application of the first stage of verbal analysis, the words are studied in isolation from other linguistic items and their subconscious or hidden meanings are identified. This analysis reveals various contradictions and fluidity of meanings in the text under discussion. For example in BINGO Safeer and Tajassur Safeer and Tajassur represent two entirely different entities. Although they are two individual characters, they represent two different worldviews. Safeer is egoist, callous and suffers superiority complex while his fellow cadet Tajassur is humble, lively and helpful person who is always ready to please others. Each of the characters can be studied under the shadow of the other. In the text the character of Tajassur is more desirable honoured and privileged than that of Safeer. Through these characters the writer represents two conflicting parts of Pakistan (West Pakistan and East Pakistan). Both these characters portray the actual feelings of their respective regions and peoples during the war of 1971 between Pakistan and India as a result of which East Pakistan became Bangla Desh.

upto our neck in the soup The above utterance is unclear although seems to be an idiomatic expression. How can a man get into the soup upto his neck? But instead he can get into trouble. May be the writer has coined this idiomatic phrase translating the Urdu idiom (gerdan tk dhans jana) in English under the influence of his native Pakistani culture. May be the writer is using the soup in place of trouble with the analogy of helpless chickens that can be found in the soup. This utterance portrays helplessness of the cadets during training when they could do nothing in response of the punishments that were inflicted upon them by their seniors. the whole army spat on its hands and got down to the onerous task of making a soldier out of him. Again we find an unclear statement. How can the whole army spit on its hands. When army is used as a collective noun (given to a group of specific people) it can not possess hands. Individuals in the army have hands so this statement might be true if it was written as the whole army spat on their hands. Secondly this phrase spat on its hands is ambiguous that invites multiple meaning. It can mean taking an oath, preparation to do something as the players spit on their hands when they are ready to do something important in the game. It may mean determination on the part of army to make Tajassur a good soldier. This phrase shows the floating nature of language in both spillage and slippage of the meanings in the text. He was a Bingo The word Bingo in the above phrase is ambiguous. Bingo is the name of the game which is played by cards. It is the game of chance, a type of lottery. It is used as the simplest form of gambling in some areas of the world. In the above utterance how can a man be a bingo --- a game? He is a human not a game. He is called Bingo perhaps because seniors and army officers

used to play with and make fun of Tajassur. They used to beat and him out of enjoyment and sometimes out of embarrassment. the colonel was as serious as church as he took his paw in his big hand In the above utterance his paw is ambiguous. Paw is supposed to be of a dog or any other primate, but here it refers to the hand of Tajassur. This word refers to all the humiliation and disgust of the narrator of the story for his Bengali counterpart. We better roast your Bingo friends alive Roast is ambiguous. Roast is the word used with reference of food not with that of humans. It has nothing to do with firing. Roast is to bake, fry or grill food especially meat but how can humans be roasted alive. Even the animals are not roasted alive. First they are cut into pieces and then roasted. Furthermore this roast can be taken as the literal translation of an Urdu word /bhu:nna/ that can be used as the synonymous of fire at someone or something. The word has been deliberately used to produce the desired effects and impressions. But where is your conscience? In the above statement Tajassur invites the conscience of Safeer who hates and humiliates Bingos and disgraces their girls without any reason. This can be the conscience of Pakistani people who held themselves superiors to Bengalis. This conscience may refer that both these characters are at the trial of their consciousness. Both think they are right in whatever they are doing. Here conscience can be referred to the political consciousness of West Pakistan that was causing havoc in Bengal. There is another pattern of meaning in this utterance. East Pakistan and West Pakistan both got independence under one banner. Both are fighting for the same cause to gain control over the whole country. Whatever each of them thinks right for herself, thinks wrong for the other. So it is a touching dilemma.

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Cant you see that this lovely lush-green land is under hobnailed boots. Under the hobnailed boots in the above expression is ambiguous that symbolises different meanings. It is unbelievable to have a whole valley under hobnailed boots. Firstly there cannot be a boot so large that can take a whole valley under it. That must be of some giant. Secondly hobnailed boots are usually worn by army men. It refers to the fact that Bengal was trespassed by the army against the wishes of her people. It also symbolises the oppression that was enforced by the military officials of West Pakistan in the East Pakistan. I got my first girl too one day The phrase my first girl elicits that there were many other girls that followed the first. Bangla Desh was free and the Pakistan Army had surrendered. This last line of the story elicits many meanings. Tajassur represents Bangladesh in the story. He bears all the pains and trials inflicted upon him by Pakistani army and at the end dies at their hands. His death shows freedom from humility, disgrace and pains that he suffers during his short life. Similarly Bangladesh was free after suffering so much humiliation and disgrace from Pakistani army and people. The surrender of Pakistani army at the end portrays the defeat and surrender of Safeer at the end of story. Safeer does not like Bingos. Throughout the story he shows his contempt and hatred and disgrace against them but at the end he surrenders before the love and kindness of Tajassur. He begins loving Bingos but at the expense of their death. The above discussion shows that language does not reflect whatever is there in the world. Rather it creates its own world. It is the first step of going against the grain to identify the difference and deference in the text as proposed by Derrida (1978). In the second textual stage overall meaning of Bingo is identified by analysing shifting meanings, textual contradictions, the tension of ideas, breaks, and the discontinuity of the texts.

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The title of the story is surprising as Bingo actually denotes a game but in the whole story there is no mention of this game. Here Bingo refers to a person belonging to Bangladesh. This person has again nothing to do with the game Bingo. So the title does not belong to the story as it does not refer to any bingo game but the writer is putting his own meaning to it --- that is a man who belongs to Bengal. The writer shifts the meaning of the word Bengali to the word Bingo and assigns it a new meaning. So the word Bingo acts as a container in which any meaning can be put by the author. There are certain expressions which are contradictory to one another. In one paragraph Safeer says about Tajassur that He was a sub-human creature but in the next paragraph he says if one talked to him he smiled and spoke nicely even afterwards he says he was so lively and softspoken. All the above utterances reveal contradictory notions of the narrator about Tajassur. It also shows that the text is fluid, floating and is at war against itself. Any meaning can be retrieved from the text or any other meaning can be given to it. It also shows that text can reveal contradictory notions about different characters within it. At another place in the story the writer calls Bengal a Marshland as I went a step further and called him a Marshland minion. ---- and since all his land was marshland so __ the title while at another place he says this lovely lush green land is under the hobnailed boots. So the writers view about Bengal is contradictory. Again we find contradictory statement about the Bengali people. Safeer and other Pakistani Army officials treated the East Pakistan as their colony. As Safeer says I think this is a race of slaves. And later on we find a Bengali Major blaming Safeer to treat them as slaves when he was caught a prisoner in the following way: You are colonists like French in Algeria and the

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Belgians in Congo. But later in the story we find a contradictory statement from Safeer as They were not slaves it seemed. In the other paragraph there are again contradictory statements. At one place Safeer says I hated these Bengali bastards. I hated them all --- and later on when he finds his Bengali companion Tajassur standing before him he states I put my arms around his neck and almost stifled him --- I kissed him on the cheek. All the above examples show how the text contradicts itself and how the writers attitude shifts from one idea to the other. It also reveals the disunity of the text in the guise of unity. The linguistic stage calls into question the trustworthiness and reliability of language being used in a literary text. It represents in language what it does not intend to present. It calls into question the adequacy of language itself as a medium of communication (Barry, 2002). The storys title Bingo was given to a Bengali to show the contempt and humiliation of West Pakistanis against Bengali people but after reading the story Bingo incites our love and affection towards them. The reader can declare in praise --- What a Bingo he is! It compels the readers to sympathise with the people of Bengal at their suffering during the war of 1971. In the story the narrator Safeer relates all the incidents according to his own point of view. He exhibits all his hatred and contempt against his Bengali friend but inwardly he impresses the readers by describing his good qualities. He is employing the rhetorical strategies in his narration. Bingo is full of lines that reveal Pakistani armys hatred, disdain and rather sarcasm towards Bengalis. They made fun of Bengalis. They called them Bingos out of mockery and contempt. We find Safeer repeatedly saying: Bingos were dirty ---- stubborn Bingos----or-----bloody Bingos

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He does not even consider them humans and calls them Apes, inhuman, animals---- or----dogs They looked like animals--- their animal faces scared me --- whimpered like dogs--- stupid wretch cried out in fear--- chickens with the heads cut off--- an expert in bringing in Bingos as a net brings in fish --- but actually in spite of all this hatred and inhuman attitude against Bingos the story compels its readers to think that Bengalis are also very much humans. They are not animals and should not be treated like that. They are lovable and very kind hearted people. They are also worthy of respect as any other nation and are inferior to none. The story reveals the writers stance that Bengali people should not be blamed at their demand of independence. In fact their demands were not dealt with suitably that led them to declare Bangla Desh as an independent state. In this way he took a different position on this issue from other Pakistani writers. In one of his interviews Rehman suggests to read the hamood Rehman Commission report regarding this issue. He says that reading this report we can see why bones were crushed for raising slogans. He further states we cannot mend those bones but we should confront the ghosts of our past to learn a lesson. Bingo portrays misery and disgrace of the people of Bengal at the hands of Pakistani army. The whole story describes the miserable events. The degree of misery increases as the story proceeds further and heightens at the end with the cutting deaths of Bengalis and Tajassur himself along with his whole family. But the ending line of the story shows the end of miseries and suffering of Bengali people which reads --- Bangla Desh was free---. Bingo is written in the form of dialogues and in the English that is typically spoken and written in Pakistan. Therefore it is full of expressions such as Staff and seniors are allowed to nab him by the neck, He was quite a kid and kids cant get serious about politics and such like grown up things

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Thats a fat-headed thing to say We had better roast your Bingo friends alive. Major Ali Ahmad was an expert in bringing in Bingos as a net brings in fish I was given a blow on the head which made everything go dark in front of me. The language inevitably shows the stamp of Pakistani culture and local, indigenous habits of speech both in form and use. He has used military jargon that runs throughout the story. It adds flavour to the textual language. It also adds to the authenticity and effectiveness of linguistic impressions. Conclusion Deconstructive analysis of Tariq Rahmans Bingo shows that the meaning of language is not fixed but rather it is fluid. It conveys multiple meanings which can be quite opposite of one another. De Saussures idea that word cannot give meaning in isolation is questioned as the data analysis shows that words can give meanings in isolation and that can be multiple meanings. From that it shows that language is pluralistic in nature. Deconstruction rejects De Saussures theory of signification that sign, signifier and signified contain single fixed meaning. It propagates that one signifier can represent many signified concepts. So the application of three stage deconstructive model proposed by Barry (2002) on Bingo reveals this pluralistic nature of language. These three stages of textual analysis are verbal, textual and linguistic. The application of these three stages on Bingo reveals that language is not fixed nor it contains a single stable message. Rather it pluralistic in nature. It contains several meanings that make it ambiguous. Its fluid nature makes it flexible and its meanings can go on and on till infinity. Thus, in that context, The verbal level shows the slippery and fluid nature of language. The ideas are floating and the words do not represent what they are meant to represent. The textual stage also shows

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that there are various utterances that are contradictory to one another. Whatever the writer says in one statement is contradictory what he says in the other statement. Then there are concepts that do not adhere to the text and its meaning like the concept of Bingo. Then there are contradictory and ambiguous statements as I think this is a race of slaves, They were not slaves it seemed, he took his paw in his big hand, upto our neck in the soup, etc. All this analysis shows the unfixed nature of language. Finally the linguistic stage reveals the things unsaid in the literary text. At a surface level the narrator shows his disliking for the Bingos but at the deeper level the story creates a sort of affection and respect for them in the hearts of the reader. So the story is found to say things that are unsaid and sometimes it does not say anything but everything is said instead (Lashari & Awan, 2012).

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