ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ‘WOMAN’S ZERO’
The work "Women in Punto Zero" was written by the Egyptian activist Nawal al Saadawi, published in the year of 1975 and set in Egypt. It is a story narrated in the first person by the main character, Fídaus who dreamed of justice and freedom. In the course of the work, the situations that concern the women of Egypt in the twentieth century are evidenced in the twentieth century. Fídous’s eyes reveal the journey of a rather complex life, surrounded by violence and influenced by aspects of society that limit and attempt against women ‘I was wandering the streets with swollen eyes, but nobody noticed me”. It transmits to the reader various repressed feelings before fulfilling his sentence for killing a pimp. In later he realizes that his life has been very limited and decides to reveal himself to it, and thus demonstrate that women have the same rights as men. It is necessary to mention that in Egypt certain statistics are still evidenced that victimize the woman. "In a UN study (…) it is found that 99 % of women (…) have suffered sexual harassment, while 37 % declared that they had suffered some form of violence in the family.". From the statement and with the intention of demonstrating the reality that is reflected in the plot of the work I will focus on. To what extent it can be considered that the work “woman in point zero" portrays the reality of the Egyptian female world?
It is important to know the historical and cultural roots of a society to try to understand how this affects the female population in sociocultural aspects within a country. Therefore, the direct impact of each of the Egyptian women makes it a need to challenge and overcome all forces that snatch human beings the right to live, love and be authentically free.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Egypt was a limited society, because it was notorious to observe the oppression suffered by the woman at that time. The Egyptians were marginalized leaving them at the mercy of the daily activities of the home and subject to the male authority. The female Egyptian population, of that century, suffered from literacy 90% in lack of writing and reading knowledge, because at the beginning of that time the woman was prohibited from entering a school. “Illiteracy was a constant, and its dedication, like the previous ones, was exclusively the care of the house, the husband and the offspring.”In 1950, education could be accessible for free, where a high number of degrees was by Egyptian women, however, they could not exercise their profession due to the discrimination suffered.
Nawal El Saadawi, shows in his plot the various experiences that the woman spends in Egypt, victimized by her own culture. “Then he came to a woman who had a navajita or perhaps a razor leaf. They cut a piece of meat from the crotch ". Thus evidencing one of the Egyptian cultural traditions, where they violate the rights of both adult and girls women. In the novel "Women in Punto Zero", it is evidenced as Firdaus was victimized by what is known as the MGF (female genital mutilation), a habit that is usually carried out in order not to be able to feel any sexual pleasureIn the future, without thinking about possible psychological damage. In Egypt, this practice was very common in the twentieth century, because in 1955, a religious dignity announced that this practice was a way where they honor women, however, feminists have fought so much to eradicate this practice such a practicepainful, which is now only done in a few communities;However, many religious leaders hire with this struggle, given that it is part of their religion, Islam. Likewise, the female population was a victim of constant humiliations by men, "psychological and bodily repression with social, political, economic, cultural, religious and moral repression," Fídaus, the protagonist of this work, who Nawal lesIt gives life, suffers from this type of aggressions that are somehow the faithful portrait of experiences of many Egyptian women
In marriages in Egypt, in general, these practices are fixed by families, so it was common for men to commit to minors, so it was not strange to see Egyptians with girls between 8 to 12 years ofage. Similarly, marriage, both in the work and in Egyptian culture itself, the wife becomes the property of the husband;Therefore, the woman is self-conscious of all her freedom. In the work, Firaus is forced to marry at an early age with Sheikh Mahmud, who was greater than her with a big age difference. We must emphasize that marriages in the country, the woman became an easy target for physical abuse, despite this, the Egyptian could not complain because it was everyday that men hit their wives. "A virtuous life should not complain about her husband, her duty was to show her perfect obedience". Compared to other women in Egypt, the protagonist, fled the house where she was living with her husband, thus opening to a new life.
In the social and in particular in the Egyptian female cultural status, it is notorious to see gender inequality “how are you able to think that you can become part of the masters?”, And not only in the story these actions are evidenced, but also reflected in the daily life of various Egyptian women. In the Qur’an, in one of the sections it is professed: “Men are the suppliers and protectors of women, because Allah has made one of them overcome the other, and because they spend their property to keep women.’Noticeing total discrepancy in the rights of men and women.
In conclusion, through the role that these mentioned factors play, in the life of Fídaus, the author develops a criticism that perhaps reflect the social and cultural reality of Egypt of that time, so that "a zero woman" was rejected in thecountry and therefore could not be published for using such delicate issues that surround not only the Egyptian woman, but also violated religion, culture and traditions. Both in the work and in real life, woman is a symbol of weakness, to the perspective of men. In turn, in these are events that have happened in previous times in Egypt, referring to women as a living being made to make children and for the entertainment of man, without thinking about their opinions and ideals, because they are prohibitedof expressing what they think about the culture itself or in any other aspect. However, the role that Fredus plays for the understanding of this work is important, given that this character highlights the experiences and traumas that a woman spent in Egypt in the twentieth century.
But not only occurred in the past, but also lasts today, where women from different parts of the world have been mistreated, judged and unjustly slaughtered, a case can be evidenced. However, in the 21st century, various women have been conspiring against the oppressive ideological struggle and has been fortified in the voice of justice, since the world is surrounded by men who try to damage women, for trying to underestimate thewoman. For this reason, Fídaus, through their leading role, wanted to verify that women are not only procreators and submissive to the various practices conditioned by man;Women are in fact showing reality but in freedom, justice and equity. Therefore, the work "Woman in Punto Zero", is constituted in the voices of those women who cannot lift it, is the fight of those who, like Nawal, cling to their rights, given to the remarkable co -hibition of freedom.
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