Symbolism In Nawal El Saadawis's Woman At Point Zero

Woman at Point Zero Through Symbolism

The main point of clarification and interpretation in the story Woman at Point Zero is symbolism. More specifically, symbolism in the story represents a reference, emotion or an object that provides a meaning that goes up and beyond the written meaning. From the contemporary feminist perspective, the author Nawal El Saadawis uses the narrative speech and symbolism to express and demonstrate the fight and the struggle of women under marginalization and alienation. Furthermore, the reflection in the defiance and the complexities that override the behavior of the protagonists has found its way in the modern world. Similarly, the reflection in the story Woman at Point Zero provides a clear reference to the global

She states that the ground under her feet was cold, but the cold could not touch her (Saadawi 7). Consequently, the author views cold weather as a negative subject of contention. Similarly, the middle-eastern communities signify the cold weather to danger and fright as well as stagnation. When the narrator met Firdaus for the first time, she used the symbol of cold to represent the fear, the danger, and the insecurity. The cold in the prison floor was a major concern for the author, but the sense of insecurity and fear disappeared when she sat adjacent to Firdaus. On the other hand, in the contemporary African and Asian culture water symbolizes peace, relief and escape from the predicaments of the society. On the contrary, water in the novel illustrates a feeling of death and a new beginning. To demonstrate this, the narrator of the novel orates the circumstance when she carries a heavy jar of water on her head and the effects of the jar on her neck (Saadawi 9). As the jar moves to the left, the water represents death alienation and coldness, embodying the flexibility of death and life in the