Woman At Point Zero

In Woman at Point Zero, Nawal El Saadawi depicts Firdaus, an Egyptian woman, who was born poor and evolved beyond the purview of her societal gender norms. Constantly, this woman experiences the sexual advances of her unequal male counterparts. She consistently repels the offers, however the reaction of the man varies based upon her perceived power. It is through a career as a prostitute that she gains control of herself and these men, defying traditional feminine roles in her society. Saadawi utilizes conflict through the motif of constant refusals of sex in order to establish Firdaus as a dynamic character as she eventually overcomes her original inferiority to men.

Saadawi utilizes vulnerable diction in reference to Firdaus or a man to signify

She ineffectively refuses his offer and states, “I tried to shake free of him but he held on to my arm, and started to walk me away from where we were standing.” (Saadawi 67) Here, Firdaus implements the diction of the word “tried” (Saadawi 67) in reference to her own refusal. The diction of the word implies that her efforts were to no avail, and signifies her forced submission through its connotation of helplessness. The connotation of “tried” (Saadawi 67) signifies that Firdaus’s refusal was merely an attempt that was meet with no success, displaying the police officers possession of power over her which leads to her rape. Later, while talking to her friend, Di’aa, Firdaus is disrespected by being told that she is not respectable for her profession as a prostitute. Afterwards, she states, “He [Di’aa] tried to take me by force, but I repelled his advances, then went to the door and opened it, and he immediately left” (Saadawi 77). The diction of “tried” (Saadawi 77) is used again, however this is in reference to Di’aa’s actions and not her own. Similar as before, the diction of “tried” (Saadawi 77) has a connotation that implies

While reflecting upon her career, Firdaus realizes that she, unlike a typical prostitute, refuses men sometimes. She states, “A man cannot stand being rejected by a woman, because deep down inside he feels a rejection of himself. And so every time I said no, the man would insist.” (Saadawi 97). Firdaus establishes that a man’s constant assertions for sex after being refused are motivated by the fact that “deep down inside he feels a rejection of himself” (Saadawi 97). Their motive for this displays an internal conflict that men experience when she rejects them, as they feel a deeper conflicting refusal of themselves. Firdaus’s rejection causes this internal conflict where the man cannot fathom his own insecurities, and, thus, must insist further. Later, a man in a luxurious car drives beside her on the street and requests her sex from her. However, Firdaus refuses multiple times, only to have him increase the price each time saying, “’Believe me, I will pay you anything you want. I can pay any price. I’m an Arab prince. I’ll pay a thousand. Two thousand, then’” (Saadawi 106). Here, the price that the man must pay acts as a symbol for Firdaus’s own value. Thus, by frequently refusing, Firdaus is able increase the man’s offer and, through the symbol, increase the value of her own body. The Arab prince’s constant