Structure

The short story “The Return” by Saadat Hasan Manto has a mostly chronological structure, with a few flashbacks interrupting the flow of the main narrative. The text focuses on events that take place over a few days in a refugee camp.

The beginning of the story presents the setting and introduces readers to the political context:

The special train left Amritsar at two in the afternoon, arriving at Mughalpura, Lahore, eight hours later. Many had been killed on the way, a lot more injured and count-less lost. It was at 10 o’clock the next morning that Sirajuddin regained consciousness. He was lying on bare ground, surrounded by screaming men, women and children. It did not make sense.

The reference to t...