Women’s Struggles for Freedom in Woman at Point Zero

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SURNAME 1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Due Date Women’s Struggles for Freedom in Woman at Point Zero Throughout history, women have fought tirelessly for their rights and freedoms. They are subjected to patriarchal standards that trap them in a master-subordinate dynamic system. In Woman at Point Zero , Nawal El Saadawi crafts a gripping narrative that offers a haunting glimpse into the brutal realities of women’s struggles for freedom. Set against the backdrop of a male-dominated society in Egypt, the novel tells the story of Firdaus, a woman who endures a lifetime of abuse, exploitation, and oppression. Patriarchal practice is a major contributing factor to women’s oppression. The United Nations describes patriarchal practices as assumptions or generalizations about gender roles or features that may restrict opportunity and maintain inequity (OHCHR). The novel offers a glimpse into the complexities of women’s struggles for freedom in Egypt and serves as a poignant reminder of the need for continued activism and social change. Women have risen to the occasion to fight for their liberation. “Women’s Liberation: What’s in It for Men?” claims that the liberation movement seeks to undermine patriarchal systems and advance women’s empowerment and autonomy (Doepke and Tertilt). Society undermines women’s rights; however, this has not deterred them from seeking freedom. Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero uses the characterization of male characters to portray their authority over women, evident by their struggles in Egypt during the 1970s. Through the first-person narrative of Firdaus, a woman who tells her story of oppression, abuse, and struggle for freedom through her own perspective, Saadawi highlights how the patriarchal practices in Egypt hinder the advancement of women. Firdaus states, “It is

SURNAME 2 impossible to change one’s fate. We are all penned up in one narrow circle from which there is no escape” (Saadawi 25). Saadawi depicts her male characters as complicit in the oppressive practices that make it difficult for women to escape their impoverished state; this enables the readers to understand the different traits of men in society. For example, Firdaus’s father openly condones the practice of female genital mutilation, which severely limits Firdaus’s ability to experience sexual pleasure. Similarly, Firdaus’s husband forces her to work in a brothel and is unconcerned with her mistreatment by her employer. By presenting these male characters as oppressors, Saadawi illustrates how the patriarchy in Egypt works to keep women in a state of subjugation and denies them the freedom they seek . Firdaus says, “I am not a prostitute. But right from my early days my father, my uncle, my husband, all of them, taught me to grow up as a prostitute” ( Saadawi 108). This depicts the character of men towards women in the society; it enables the learner to understand the kind things women were compelled to do with no regard to humanity. In conclusion, through the attributes given to the male characters in Woman at Point Zero , Saadawi highlights how the oppressive patriarchal practices in Egypt hinder the advancement of women and ultimately deny them the freedom they seek. Men are perceived to be superior in society, making them exert authority over their inferior women. Saadawi depicts Firdaus’ relationships in a master-subordinate dynamic throughout the novel, portraying how patriarchal standards. Women are compelled women to adhere to a domineering male-dominated world where they are subjected to oppression and subjugation. She gives an example of this in a dialogue in which Firdaus begs her uncle for protection from the abuse she faces in her marriage to Sheikh Mahmoud, both physically and verbally. He said, “all men beat their spouses,” and a “virgin lady had no right to complain about her husband.” This sentence shocks the reader and makes them aware of the sexist treatment of male characters. Ironically, her uncle criticizes her character rather than her

SURNAME 3 husband, illustrating how males may persuade women to think domestic violence is normal in relationships. When Firdaus returns home from her uncle’s place, her husband gives her another brutal beating. She claims he “leaped on me like a crazed dog” (Saadawi 47). The analogy emphasizes the disparity in power between her and her attacker; it depicts the character of men towards women to the readers. It suggests that the male is in charge and uses his influence over the lady to subjugate and control her. Firdaus’s inability to repel her violent spouse further highlights this power disparity. She “surrendered my face to his face and my body to his, without a struggle, as if life had been drained out of it, like a piece of dead wood,” according to Firdaus. She utilizes metaphor to express how helpless she felt at the time, comparing her submission to her husband to being “like a piece of dead wood,” implying that she had lost all life and vitality. Saadawi informs her readers about the utter helplessness felt by many women who are subject to their husband’s control because of their inferior positions in society; they feel compelled to succumb to the power of males and endure their oppressive and violent treatment. In conclusion, men in society are dominant, and they have control over women by determining what they do and how they should conduct themselves. In Woman at Point Zero , Saadawi portrays women’s willingness to take risks and free themselves from male chauvinism dominance. For instance, Firdaus was willing to become a prostitute to leave her repressive household and achieve freedom and tranquility. She declares, “I would rather be a free prostitute than an enslaved wife” (Saadawi 91). She uses antithesis to highlight how desperate she is for independence and freedom, even if it means using her body as a method of exchange; this enables the readers to picture the determination women have to free themselves. She chooses a life of prostitution to regain some control over her life due to her lack of autonomy. Not only is Firdaus unable to make her own choices, but she is also unable to take charge of her future. She must obey the choices made by men and

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SURNAME 4 bear the consequences of those decisions. Firdaus also takes the risk of rejecting societal expectations. People in Egypt expect women to conform to certain roles, such as wife, mother, and homemaker. Firdaus refuses to accept these roles and chooses to live her life on her terms. She risks being ostracized by society by refusing to conform to these expectations and choosing to remain independent. Firdaus’s most significant risk is sharing her story with Nawal El Saadawi, the novel’s author. By sharing her story, she exposes the injustices that she has experienced and sheds light on the plight of women in Egypt. This act of courage and vulnerability is a powerful way of challenging the patriarchal system that has oppressed her and countless other women. In conclusion, women are asserting their agency and refusing to be a victim any longer; they are challenging the patriarchal system that enables men to exploit and mistreat them. Despite being denied education, forced into marriage, and abused by her husband, Firdaus eventually enters a world of crime with the ultimate punishment of imprisonment. She has become aggressive and is determined to get vengeance on those who have harmed her due to oppression. She states, “They know that as long as I am alive, they will not be safe, that I shall kill them” (Saadawi 110). Firdaus’s agony ultimately sends her to death row; this draws the readers’ attention to what women are willing to engage in to be away from men. Her experiences with injustice and helplessness have driven her to live illegally and finally get the worst jail punishment. The result of pervasive gender inequity has led to many women using violence as a last option. She states, “When I killed, I did it with truth, not with a knife” (Saadawi 102). The “truth” symbolizes the oppression she experienced throughout her life, which fueled her rage and eventually led her to commit inhumane acts and becomes devoid of emotion to reclaim her power and strength. Firdaus reflects on her powerlessness in the face of her oppressors; she states, “I had no power to resist, no power to escape. I was a prisoner, and I had no choice but to accept my fate.” By using the words “power,” “escape,”

SURNAME 5 “prisoner,” and “choice” in the same sentence structure, the speaker conveys a feeling of helplessness and acceptance that she is trapped and unable to escape her circumstances. Firdaus’ journey highlights gender systemic disparities and the measures women are forced to take to overcome the cycle of subjugation, oppression, and discrimination, which leads to devastating consequences like Firdaus. In conclusion, women are willing to take risks in their quest for autonomy and freedom from male chauvinism. In conclusion, at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi portrays the harsh realities of women’s struggles for freedom in Egypt, highlighting the oppression and subjugation women endure at the hands of patriarchal practices. Through the characterization of male characters, Saadawi illustrates how patriarchal practices hinder the advancement of women, ultimately denying them the freedom they seek. Despite the odds, women like Firdaus in the novel are willing to take risks to free themselves from male dominance, even if it means selling their bodies. The novel serves as a poignant reminder of the need for continued activism and social change as women have risen to fight for their liberation. The fight for women’s rights and freedoms is ongoing, and breaking free from the shackles of patriarchal structures is necessary to achieve gender equality.

SURNAME 6 Work Cited Doepke, Matthias, and Michèle Tertilt. “Women’s Liberation: What’s in It for Men?” Quarterly Journal of Economics , vol. 124, no. 4, Nov. 2009, pp. 1541–91, https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2009.124.4.1541. Accessed 17 June 2020. Nawal El Saadawi. Woman at Point Zero . Zed, 2010. OHCHR. “OHCHR | Gender Stereotyping.” OHCHR , 2022, www.ohchr.org/en/women/gender-stereotyping.

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