Woman At Point Zero Themes

As Oscar Wilde once stated, “Literature must rest always on a principle, and temporal considerations are no principle at all. For, to the poet, all times and places are one; the stuff he deals with is eternal and eternally the same; no theme is inept, no past or present preferable.” In literature, a theme or motif is the central topic educated throughout a text. In the book, Woman at Point Zero, Nawal El Saadawi exploits the consistent themes of power and choice through character development by building different relationships between the characters. When people think of power, they often visualize a leader or a person who holds a strong role in society. Power can be defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. When one thinks of choice, the ability to select between two or more possibilities may come to mind. With Firdaus, choice is a matter of her power and independence. There are many symbols represented in the book that helps convey power and choice; the symbols are money
Throughout the book, Firdaus strives for power, acceptance, and the ability to make her own decisions. She struggles to find a sense of freedom and independence in the world, therefore, ending the story on a tragic note. “I rammed my foot down on the accelerator as thought in a hurry to run over the world, to stamp it all out. But the next moment I quickly lifted my foot and braked hard, and the car came to a halt. And at that moment, I realized that Firdaus had more courage than I” (114). Firdaus concluded escaping the jurisdiction from others would be resolved by death alone. The narrator clarifies that Firdaus’ demise resembles real power and strength that the narrator herself could not be strong enough to