“The Pose” is a short story by Anwar Khan (“Anwer”, in the anthologies I’ve seen), an Indian writer who wrote in Urdu. Fortunately, some of his stories have been translated into English. This story is about a young college woman, confident and urbane, who is seized by a sudden impulse while walking on a busy street. Without understanding why, she takes the place of a show window mannequin and poses. Here’s a summary of “The Pose”.
“The Pose” Summary
A young college student impulsively enters the Shandar Cloth Store, removes the mannequin from the storefront window and takes its place, copying its pose. In the bustle of the street, no one notices what she’s done. She’s smart and sophisticated; the boys at college find her somewhat intimidating.
The young woman is comfortable and feels more a part of the marketplace than she ever has. Her body relaxes and she smiles. She looks very attractive in her sari and she likes posing. Before she can ease the pressure on her knees, a peasant approaches the window, clearly impressed with the craftsmanship of this mannequin. He looks with lust and would have touched her if not for the glass. The judgmental looks from the passerby force him to move on.
The young woman shakes her feet out a bit and feels thirsty. She again feels the sense of being a part of the bustling market. Two college girls stop to look at her admiringly, and she happily receives their appreciation.
She ignores the soreness building in her feet. A cop stares at her from the crowd. He comes right up to the glass and stares at her. She maintains her composure, but trembles a little. The cop’s not sure if his eyes are deceiving him. He stares a long time and she’s getting uncomfortable, but she feels safe behind the window.
Finally, he leaves. The young woman relaxes and massages her back a bit. The crowd has thinned out. She has to get out of the window soon, but doesn’t want to give up the comfort of it yet.
She springs back into her pose when she spots a friend, Sheyama, on the sidewalk. Sheyama is distracted and doesn’t notice her. The young woman is relieved, not having considered that someone she knows would see her. Her brother, who has a heart condition, could come by and drop dead, seeing her on display, shaming the family like this.
Two boys put their faces right against the glass. One of them thinks she’s real but his friend disagrees. The first one winks at her and the other waves as they leave. When they’re out of sight, the young woman laughs but then gets nervous.
A young man looks at her and they smile at each other. She tries to look like an employee and reinstalls the dummy in its place. He stares at the dummy and then at her. She exits the show window and walks out unnoticed by the attendants or doorman.
She walks away confidently and happily, feeling that a great weight has been lifted from her. Looking back, she sees the young man still staring at her. She quickly turns down another street.
I hope this summary of “The Pose” by Anwar Khan was helpful.