Analysis Of Woman At Point Zero

The book Woman at Point Zero, written by Nawal El Saadawi is a tragic one. Based upon a true story, it focuses on the woman named Firdaus and her life story. Taking place in Egypt during the mid ‘70s, Firdaus’ life is filled with dread and despair from beginning to end. Being a woman is the only thing stopping Firdaus from being the dominant, independant person we learn that she is. Yet the harsh reality is that all women in egypt at this time are treated like objects, used only for sex and slave-like tasks. It is very clear in Saadawi’s book that women are stepped on and treated like lesser beings. In this analysis we will be learning why and how a women are marginalized, excluded, and silenced within the text.

Firdaus lives her entire life

That is the only thing in the story that we as the reader see that men want from women. Sex, sex, sex is all that the men think about. We may get this perspective due to the fact that Firdaus is a high class prostitute, but even then the men just treat Firdaus as a sex toy, rather than a person. In the story, Firdaus meets a woman named Sharifa Salah el Dine that ultimately sends Firdaus down the path of being a prostitute. Sharifa tells Firdaus that she is fine looking, and the fact that “Neither Bayoumi, nor any of his cronies realized your worth, because you failed to value yourself highly enough”(55). Sharifa basically tells Firdaus that she is worth quite a bit, and even goes on to say: “You are beautiful and have culture”(55). This goes to show that even other women in the story look at each other as objects that can have price tags on them, rather than coming off as human beings when they first meet. Although Sharifa does tell Firdaus that she has culture, all the men care about is the physical. As physical appearance and sexual appeal go up, as does the price. This directly connects to the men that want a women, but it doesn’t mean that a women will gain any sort of respect from