Highlighting the Undemocratic Hegemony of Totalitarian Regime: An Analysis of Bisma’s The Queue

Abstract

The study highlights elements of totalitarian regime in the light of the pattern given by Hanna Arendt in her book Origin of Totalitarianism. The authorities of such regimes prove to be despotic, centralized, horrible, and non-democratic. They use different techniques such as tyrannical exertions, oppression by the state, fright and trepidation, constant war on purpose, censorship of media and demand of unquestionable obedience from the masses. The research article has taken into consideration The Queue by Bisma Abdul Aziz. There is a consistent approach on the part of the ruler to set up and sustain the absolute government. It projects the desperate struggle of the regime to impose authority on the masses and signifies that any possible revolt is stricken hard as it may prove to be a threat to the regime. The study contextualizes the current political upheaval across the globe since on the one hand, there are frequent efforts to develop the democratic norms across the world while on another hand, there are countries which smash these norms just for the sake of attaining the power. The article works on the basic question that how the selected text of fiction portrays the tyrannical exertions by the omnipotent authority for the accomplishment of its ends? The aims of the study are to highlight these horrendous efforts of the authority in the selected text and to highlight its undemocratic practices.