Sanderson holds a master of fine arts degree in fiction writing and is an independent writer. In this essay, Sanderson examines Saadat Hasan Manto 's use of contrasts and similarities to highlight the absurdities of war and national conflict in his short story.

Much of Saadat Hasan Manto's work reflects the pain, anguish, and brutality resulting from the 1947 creation of Pakistan out of parts of India, a division made on religious grounds. Pakistan became a Muslim state and India became a secular country controlled by Hindus but accepting Sikhs. Violence quickly ensued; many Muslims in India were attacked, as were Hindus who remained in what is now Pakistan. Manto often wrote about the result of the 1947 partition of the two countries, focusing on the absurdity of the situation as well as on the plight of those caught in the middle of a decision not of their making...