Nawal El Saadawi Sparknotes

Nawal El Saadawi tells the story of a woman where men tear apart her existence and she faces brutality on a daily basis. Applying the motifs of knives and blood, El Saadawi portrays the discrimination of gender and the misconception that women are less than men in modern Egyptian society.
Firdaus has always been enveloped in hatred and misery, such as being forced to endure the procedure of FGM. She does not remember much more than “a woman carrying a small knife or maybe a razor blade cut off a piece of flesh from between [her] thighs” (14). As if the operation was not enough, Firdaus “no longer felt the strong sensation of pleasure” that she feels before the procedure (18). Despite the majority of the Middle East neglecting this religious method, the act has become less popular and demoralized as many
Di’aa had even said that she “‘[was] not respectable,’ the words like the sharp tip of a plunging dagger” (95, 96). She believes “the time had come for [her] to shed the last grain of virtue, the last sanctity in [her] blood” and her dreams of becoming a women of power in her country are too much to ask (117). She made the decision to return to poverty, fighting misogyny in the streets to keep herself sane. The idea of gender inequality is not so much of an abstract concept, but instead a cruel and uncaring reality. Illustrating this point further, CNN reveals that “in qualitative discussions, men noted women’s legislative changes that promoted women’s rights opened doors for women to be ‘selfish’ and put ‘work and rights ahead of husband and family.’” El Saadawi’s book makes it seem almost fictional, and Firdaus’ story almost seeming too dark to be true. In actuality, however, women face dangers like this