1) The novel Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid tells the story of Darashikoh Shezad, a banker in Lahore, Pakistan who loses his job, falls for his best friend's wife, and spirals into a life of drugs and crime. 2) Some of the major themes explored in the novel include the desires for power, greed, lust and temptation, as well as class divisions in Pakistani society and the decadence and corruption of the elite class in Lahore. 3) Daru's downward spiral is portrayed as a metaphor for being seduced by temptation, like a moth drawn to the flame that will destroy it, representing how social norms in Pakistan pull the individual towards their

1. Assignment Novel ( Group 2 )
Group leader Umm-e-Rooman Yaqoob – Roll no. 3
Group Members Zara Gul khan – Roll no. 15
Samia Shabbir - Roll no. 24
Rabia Ashiq – Roll no. 28
Anza Naeem – Roll no. 31
Mehak Rasool – Roll no. 43
Topic Themes of Moth Smoke
Moth Smoke:
Moth Smoke is a novel written by Mohsin Hamid, published in 2000. It tells the story of
Darashikoh Shezad, a banker in Lahore, Pakistan, who loses his job, falls in love with his best
friend's wife, and plunges into a life of drugs and crime. It uses the historical trial of the liberal
Mughal prince Darashikoh by his brother Aurangzeb as an allegory for the state of Pakistan at
the time of the 1998 nuclear tests.
Themes of Moth Smoke:
Following are some of the themes that are most prominent in the novel Moth Smoke.
• Desire
The novel Moth Smoke, set in Lahore revolves around three main characters. The story
is heart and soul capturing. We find a desire for power, greed, lust and temptations or
pleasure in the characters. In the achievement of these desires there is an essence of
unfaithfulness found in the characters. Unfaithfulness to the different facets of life
about which the average Lahori is not unfamiliar with. The most interesting and
appealing thing about the novel is probably the fact that each character plays a central
role. The novel is like a big jigsaw puzzle with each piece an integral part of the whole.
On a deeper level, this novel is neither of realistic motivation nor a photograph of
Pakistan's decadent society .It's central metaphor is borrowed from Urdu poetry, is of
the moth's love and desire for the flame which will consume it. Towards the end, Hamid
deftly replaces this stagnant image with a gruesome depiction of a lizard dinning on a
moth the candle has spared. It's a crisp summary of his concern with the workings of
obsession ,and the lust for power.

2. • Class division in a society
Mohsin Hamid has made class divisions on the basis of his own imaginative powers. The
first group which is also referred to as the masses are put in to the category of large and
sweaty. The second group is much smaller but its member practice a great control over
the environment and is coned as the term elite. In the novel, the distinction is made on
the basis of control of an important resources "air conditioner". The elites have
managed to recreate for themselves the living standards of life. Their residence is in an
artificially cooled world. There are no working class heroes in moth smoke .Although
Daru's boy servant, Manucci , comes close to being a more likable model than his
employer.
• Desire, Decadence and death in Lahore
The selection of "Lahore" in the novel is a realistic touch. The reason for selection of
Lahore is to reveal a very close to reality account of the lives of the contemporary elite
class. The opinions of the masses and elite in regards to issues like poverty, joblessness ,
crime , foreign relation and their nuclear issue have all been highlighted.
Moth smoke begins with a story from Mughal India presenting the encounter of the
Emperor Shah Jahan with a Sufi saint who predicts the war of succession that will make
a ruler out of one of his sons and death of the other one. Darashikohshikoh Shikoh and
Aurangzeb are the friends separated by capital and class in contemporary Pakistan.
Mumtaz, lover of one and wife of the other is the novel's catalyst.
• Power, Greed and Lust
Moth smoke is set in Lahore and revolves around three main characters. It captures the
heart and soul of the second generation of an independent Pakistan. It's a story about
power, greed, lust and infidelity. The main thrust of the novel, for all its social desire is
towards timeless tragedy: a drama of crime, punishment and redemption. Daru , the
little man and Aurangzeb's childhood friend falls in a passionate affair with Mumtaz. He
is undone when society, through scheme of corrupt wealthy Aurangzeb accuses him of
the hit and run killing of a child. Though he insists Aurangzeb himself is responsible.
Mumtaz steps in at the climax with a new revenge and twist.
Mumtaz is wife of one of Lahore's wealthy man, Aurangzeb. She is also a journalist. She
acts as a pseudonym of Zulfikar Manto and portrayed the urban low life of Pakistan.
Mumtaz is given translations of collection of Manto's stories by Aurangzeb. This is an
irony on elite class who feels pride on their ignorance of Urdu .Mumtaz shah in Moth
smoke represents the most liveliest and progressive face of the otherwise decaying

3. Pakistani middle class. Hamid's Mumtaz appears in a definite light. She protests against
what she and many other women experience as a denial.
• Jealousy
Jealousy factor is seen in Daru`s character throughout the novel. Daru is jealous of his
best friend , Ozi, because of his money, fame and his wife. He is status conscious and
thinks only rich people can live happily. He belongs to middle class while Ozi belongs to
the elite class. Ozi enjoy all the luxuries of life and fulfill all his desires. But Daru depends
on Ozi’s father for financial help and even to get a job. He cannot even afford to pay his
electricity bills. This makes Daru jealous of Ozi at the very beginning of the novel and he
wants to have everything Ozi has even his wife.
• Unemployment:
One of the major themes of the novel is unemployment which is the main root of all the
other happenings in the novel. Mohsin Hamid has shown the problem of unemployment
in Pakistani society and its reasons and effects very vividly. Daru is an educated person
but he needs to give bribe or an important person like Uncle Khurram’s reference to get
a job. He loses his job and becomes unemployed just because of a small mistake. This
unemployment and need of money makes Daru a drug dealer and robber. Murad
Badshah, who is an M.A, also has to become a rickshaw deriver because he cannot get a
job. The diverse effects which unemployment can have on one’s life are realistically
shown in this novel.
• Moth smoke :
The title of the book Moth smoke is one of the major themes.it refers to what remains
when moth is seduced by the candle flame. It is also used as a metaphor for Daru
moving towards his own destruction and fall, pulled by the temptation of sex, drugs and
easy money.
The young protagonist of novel, Daru loses his job at a multi-national bank in which he
works. He loses his self-esteem . Eventually the ethics leave him and he falls in love with
his best friend Ozi's wife, Mumtaz who come back from the United States. Daru presents
himself as the moth whose wings get singed in love. Hence the title of the novel.The
moth smoke depicts the social norms of Pakistan’s elite class which is the richest and
the most respected but the most corrupt and inhumane. The sad thing about the book is
that it is a doomsday book.it holds out no hope and like the moths dancing around the
flame that will eventually kill.