In Woman at Point Zero, Nawal El Saadawi explores the struggles women face in societies. The protagonist, Firdaus, faces years of discrimination from men throughout the text. The dominance assumed by men manifests itself in their oppressive behavior and the perceived servility of women manifests itself in their lack of power. The text follows Firdaus' journey to break all the stereotypes fixed on women and escape the hypocritical and patriarchal society. Saadawi uses strict gender roles to highlight how discrimination fuels passion and anger. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original EssayThe tyrannical role men play in society demonstrates their ability to manipulate women. When Firdaus was younger, she played with a little boy in the fields. He made her lie down and touched her and when he did, “from a part of her body, where she did not know exactly where, came a sensation of acute pleasure”. She speaks in an ambiguous tone, revealing her inability to understand what is happening to her. She remains passive and allows him to touch “a part” of her body where she “doesn’t know” without hesitation. This demonstrates the prescribed notion that men are allowed to do whatever they want with women and their bodies. She describes this feeling as “vivid pleasure”. The juxtaposition of the word "vivid" with "pleasure" demonstrates how unwanted and painful the sensation of this boy's touch is, but Firdaus convinces himself that she enjoys it because she was taught to let men have it. use at its disposal. The oppressive societal role of men is continually established in Firdaus' life. After fleeing her abusive husband, she sought advice from her aunt. Her aunt told her that “it was precisely the men who knew their religion well who beat their wives. The precepts of religion permitted such punishment.” The irony of this statement, as those who are faithful to their religion avoid sinful acts, demonstrates the extreme corruption of men. Even men who dedicate their lives to promoting the Islamic faith use their power in society to manipulate women. They modified the principles of religion for their own benefit. Because women are sensitive to male power, they believe that what men say about religion is true. This reinforces the control that men impose on women in this society. During her career as a prostitute, Firdaus meets a man who questions the respectability of her work. These words have an immediate impact on Firdaus' mental state. She described the noises in her head as "the sound of an angry sea... for everything was now a series of thumps that followed one another like night and day, as if her heartbeat slammed into her like a hammer. head". The metaphor referring to the sea and the "gales" of wind demonstrates his lack of control. The words this man spoke to him invaded his mind like a storm, resulting from the incessant power and manipulation that men impose on women However, her harsh reaction to this statement led her to a state of passion and anger The “veil from her eyes was torn away” and she began to see “her life in a new way. The metaphor, linking the removal of an object that obstructs a clear view to his new state of mind, clearly highlights Firdaus's change in perspective on his position in society. faced throughout her life led her to a place of passion and anger,to ultimately seek change. The helpless role that women play in society demonstrates their inability to establish power over men. Firdaus formed a relationship with Bayoumi in which she felt confident and strong. When she told him she was going to get a job for herself because that wasn't the case, everything changed. He slapped her hard, then "a cold shiver, like the shiver of death, ran through her body and her hands fell." instinctively towards the lid the part on which her gaze was fixed, but her large strong hands were moving quickly to keep them away. The simile, comparing the sensation in his body to the feeling of death, reveals his instinctive fear of men and his lack of power. The prescribed role for women in society leads them to believe that they cannot defend themselves against men, as shown by Firdaus' reaction to Bayoumi's strength. The helpless tone she uses to describe Bayoumi's actions highlights her vulnerability. Its descriptors, such as "big", "strong", "fast", and "shaking", describe the helpless position in which Firdaus finds himself. To Firdaus, he is bigger, stronger and faster than her, leaving her no choice but to succumb. his power. To further exert his domination, Bayoumi decided to lock Firdaus in his apartment. She describes feeling like "a corpse without any life, like a piece of wood, an empty sock or a shoe." The metaphor compares Firdaus to a variety of lifeless objects, all of which have no ability to choose or defend themselves. Before Bayoumi went from kindness to abuse, Firdaus felt powerful. Bayoumi, like all the other men in the text, could not stand the idea of ​​female power and took it mercilessly. Firdaus' inability to establish her own power makes her feel like a "corpse" or a "piece of wood" or anything else lacking jurisdiction over herself. Once again, Firdaus meets a man who makes her feel powerful and confident. But once again, he manipulates and abuses her. In the midst of her distress, she describes seeing a “low wall, the size of an average man, built of bare bricks, without any plaster”. The image she gives of this “low” wall, compared to the height of an “average man” and built of “bare bricks” without plaster, conveys Firdau’s discredit on masculine power. All her life she allowed men to use and abuse her, but suddenly she began to realize that men only have power because no one tries to take it away from them, like a wall of standing bricks without any plaster. Her years of oppression led her to a place of frustration and resentment and left her with a yearning for change. Firdaus's failed efforts to establish power drive her to seek change. Firdaus' encounter with the pimp marks the transition from his passive to an active lifestyle, determined to escape the role imposed on him in society. After leaving the pimp dead, she is pursued by a prince. When he tried to pay her for her time, she "ripped the money, tore away the veil, the last veil that remained before her eyes, to reveal all the enigma that had always intrigued her, the true enigma of her life ". ". The veil symbolizes modesty and obedience. The metaphor, comparing the snatching of money to the removal of the veil, shows the aggressiveness with which she renounces the obedience she formerly granted to men. Before her change of mind, she would have eagerly accepted the money offered to her. Now she exercises her power by eliminating male domination in her life. While recounting the murder she committed, she remembers.