Setting

Physical and time setting

The short story “The Dutiful Daughter” by Saadat Hasan Manto is set right after the partition of former British India. The partition took place in 1947, when the country was divided into two independent countries, India and Pakistan. The outer story presents the difficult conditions in refugee camps (p. 278, ll. 3-8). and volunteers’ efforts in both countries in 1948 p. 278, l. 9)

The events of the inner story take place in India, in the different cities where the liaison officer helps volunteers find missing Pakistani women and children. The first time the liaison officer meets the old woman, they are “in the suburbs of Jullandar” (p. 279, ll. 42-43). The second time, the woman is at a bus stop in Saharanpur (p. 280, l. 8). The last encounter between the two takes place in Amritsar (p. 281, l. 8). These cities are far apart, at hundreds of kilometers between them, which highlight the effort and dedication of the Pakistani woman to find her daughter. 

Social setting

The short story’s social setti...