Symbolism In Woman At Point Zero By Nawal El Saadawi

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In her novel Woman at Point Zero, Nawal El Saadawi recounts the story of Firdaus, a young woman growing up in Egyptian society. After several years of repression under male figures such as her father, uncle, and husband, Firdaus seeks independence and becomes a prostitute. However, both before and after she becomes independent, Firdaus’ worth is determined by money, which is a commodity primarily held by men in Egyptian society. Through her exploration of the symbol of money, Nawal El Saadawi provides commentary on the superficial aspects of Egyptian society.
One way in which El Saadawi explores the symbol of money in order to provide commentary on Egyptian society is through Firdaus’ arranged marriage. After the death of her parents, Firdaus …show more content…

In her discussion with Sharifa, Firdaus continues to question her value by calling into question her own education and lack thereof. However, Sharifa tells Firdaus that she is, “younger than I am and more cultured, and nobody should be able to come near you without paying twice as much as what is paid to me” disposing of this uncertainty. (58) By illustrating this contrast between the values of Sharifa and Firdaus, El Saadawi further indicates that, in Egyptian society, the worth of women is attributed to superficial characteristics such as their age. This interaction is significant because El Saadawi conveys that a woman’s self-worth has limited to no value in Egyptian society, and are instead relegated to being monetarily valuable according to superficial traits such as their …show more content…

Through her employment of Firdaus’ perspective, while she and other characters discuss her value, El Saadawi conveys that women in Egyptian society are restricted in their value. El Saadawi communicates that women in Egyptian society are not valued according to intellect or self-worth, but instead are valuable monetarily by men based on superficial characteristics such as age and physical beauty. This commentary, which El Saadawi provides, play a crucial role in understanding Woman at Point Zero because it contextualizes Firdaus’ interactions with men, as well as the negative portrayal of the men in Firdaus’ life throughout the

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