Religion and Its Effects on The Characters in The Novel Woman at Point Zero

In the novel "Woman at Point Zero" the topic of FGM also known as female genital mutilation was brought up several times. This was strange for me as I myself had never heard or known about this practice as I thought that circumcision was only performed on males, so to see Firdaus's perspective of this made me curious as to what it was, where it is performed and how it affects people.

In our discussion when we began speaking about the use of FGM and how it affects people it really touched me as I never knew how influential and dramatic this experience was for women: for instance, in the novel when I heard that Firdaus had gotten circumcised I didn't think it was that big of a deal as I had no prior knowledge, so I simply figured that this was like any other medical or surgical procedure and that the pain would eventually go away. However, as we continued to discuss this it became clear to me that FGM is not a minor thing and that in reality it is quite severe, leaving the women who had the procedure in constant pain; experiencing pain or difficulty during sex; repeated infections which could lead to infertility, bleeding, cysts, and abscesses; as well as problems during labor and child birth which could be life threatening for not only the mother but also for the baby as well. Another topic we discussed was the prison conditions. This topic intrigued me as although I knew that prisons in general were bad I didn’t think that prisons would be this bad. For example, I learnt that the prisons were rarely if ever inspected; prisoners were subjected to torture; prisons were old and outdated; and they were overcrowded with several instances where women were made to share cells with male inmates. This was very disheartening for me as although I feel that prison should not be a perfect place, this does not mean that the prisoners should have to live under such terrible conditions.

Overall, I feel that our discussion helped to thoroughly increase my understanding of the text. This is because with my new-found knowledge on these topics I was able to understand more not only as to what the characters themselves were talking about, but I was also able to empathize with Firdaus as I better understood the full extent of the pain that she endured.

Woman at Point Zero is a fictional story written by Nawal El Saadawi. The story follows the conflicted and oppressed life of the main protagonist, Firdaus, after Sadaawi's experience in prison after being arrested for protesting about the mistreatment of women. Firdaus encounters many obstacles during her life including sexual assault, FGM (female genital mutilation), domestic violence from her husband, homelessness, becoming a prostitute, murder and lastly, receiving the death penalty. Religion proves to be a massive (possibly even the largest) obstacle for Firdaus and almost all women in the novel. Some of the obstacles caused by religion include: oppression (education, pleasure); marriage; and male empowerment (as males can obtain higher education such as university, and also occupy all leading or more powerful roles in society). Each of these obstacles is discussed in detail below.

Firstly, in the novel we see that a woman's only role within her marriage is to stay obedient to her husband. Women are not considered important nor are they valued. Firdaus experiences this very early in life when she says "In summer, I would see her sitting at his feet with a tin mug in her hand as she washed his legs with cold water. When I grew a little older, my father put the mug in my hand and taught me how to wash his legs with water. I had now replaced my mother and did the things she used to do". This truly defines the role and significance a woman had during these times. The phrase "I had now replaced my mother" helps to further emphasize the cycle that would happen with these women during these times (live to serve, and when they die become replaced). This causes the reader to feel sympathy for these women as they are not truly loved in the household and their only role is to serve the man of the house. Furthermore, women were convinced and told that “a virtuous woman was not supposed to complain about her husband. Her duty was perfect obedience". The use of the diction "duty" suggests that women were obligated to serve and complete any demands that their husbands delegate, and if they didn't then they would be considered improper. The adjective "virtuous" also acts as an incentive for these women as if they are not up to this high standard then they will not be married and will live poor lives. Secondly, in conjunction with obedience, a predominant topic brought up multiple times throughout the novel is beatings. Men believe they can beat their wives whenever they want due to a misinterpretation of the Quran. An example of this can be seen when Firdaus says "on occasion he hit me all over with his shoe". The word "occasion" suggests that these beatings were quite frequent. Furthermore, the phrase "all over" also helps to emphasize just how brutal these beatings were as it shows that these beatings weren't just small incidents; however, they suggest that they were quite gruesome and horrific. Furthermore, when Firdaus states "I was married to a man who would beat me and kicked me every day", also helps to demonstrate just how cruel these men could be, while at the same time showing us their lack of control and restraint. The word "kicked" also suggests that these beatings were serious as a kick is far more aggressive, powerful and demeaning than a punch thus resulting in more severe wounds. Lastly, when Firdaus states that her uncle was "well versed in the teachings of religion… could not possibly be in the habit of beating his wife. She replied that it was precisely men well versed in their religion who beat their wives”. This suggests that men who beat their wives are doing right and following the rules of their religion, even though it is bringing the women so much pain. This causes the reader to feel sympathy for these women as even though these beatings bring them so much pain they too have also been convinced that this is just a part of life and that they must endure the beatings as the Quran has instructed them. Thirdly, as a child Firdaus also experiences and feels the effects of oppression due to the Islamic beliefs. Some examples being the denial of pleasure, expression and, lastly, a limited education. FGM is a classic example which is seen when Firdaus states that her mother "brought a woman who was carrying a small knife or maybe a razor blade. They cut off a piece of flesh from between my thighs".Or when she's speaking to Sharifa and asks “but I want to feel, Sharifa… Is there no pleasure to be had… Sharifa burst out laughing.”

The use of the statements "a woman" and "a small knife or razor blade" show that this person undertaking this procedure is not a known person (doctor, or someone with qualifications); furthermore "small knife or razor blade" indicates that this person was probably not equipped with the proper tools and equipment necessary to engage in this action (and the knife or razor blade was probably not sterile). When Sharifa "burst out laughing" at Firdaus's question about pleasure, this suggests that she thinks that Firdaus's question is so foolish or irrational to the point where she laughs, which shows us that this topic is either not discussed or that, as the procedure has been going on for so long, the women think that it is normal and agree with this blatant misuse of religious interpretation as determined by men. Clearly, as a result of this practice, women were not meant to derive physical pleasure from intercourse. Continuing, Firdaus is also faced with educational oppression as evidenced by the following response to her request for higher learning: “to the university? To a place where she will be sitting side by side with men?” The use of the rhetorical question helps to emphasize the inequality seen between men and women as it not only suggests that women are not good enough to be in the presence of men, but also reinforces the point that males are more preferred in this culture, because if the family had a son there would be no debate whether he would attend university. Finally, we see how Islam empowers men. This can be seen when Firdaus states “I discovered all these rulers were men”. The use of the word “all” suggests totality when it comes to rulers, which truly helps to emphasize just how androcentric this society truly is. Furthermore, the brevity in the word “rulers” also helps to emphasize this as it shows the full extent of male power, as it doesn’t matter what the leadership role may be, whether it be in government or religion, all spaces are occupied by males. Additionally, when Firdaus’s uncle “would laugh and explain that El Azhar was only for men.” The word “laugh” suggests that the thought of Firdaus coming to study with him is comedic and seen as a joke. Furthermore, the statement “only for men” also helps to reinforce the idea of male empowerment/ female oppression as women are limited to what activities they can and cannot partake in, where-as men are free to partake in any activity they would like.

To conclude, I feel religion plays a very large role in the lives of the characters in the novel, as it clearly shapes the behaviors and expectations of both men and women. Whilst men can pursue higher education and retain all positions of power and authority (both in society and in their homes), women are treated as property, as second-class citizens, for whom education is not a priority; sexual pleasure is considered unnecessary; subservience is expected within marriage; and beatings at the hand of their husbands or fathers is considered not only acceptable, but justifiable by the Quran.