Sex and Sexuality in Woman at Point Zero by Brooklyn, Natalie, Alana, Jaydon, and Bella

Firdaus’s Progression Mohammadian - First encounter of pleasure. FGM - Ability to experience physical pleasure is taken away from her Uncle - First encounter of sex after FGM - no pleasure is felt Husband - Sexual encounter that shows weakness and submissiveness Bayoumi - Abusive sexual encounter, sense of attachment to him is lost Prostitution/Sharifa - Idea of using sex to her advantage is first introduced Ibrahim - Became protective of herself (emotionally and sexually) after his betrayal. However, she allowed herself to be vulnerable again Prostitution/Marzouk - Uses sex to gain more power and confidence The Prince - Physically aware, but emotionally detached; grew tired of being used as an object for pleasure

Mohammadian Firdaus’ encounters with Mohammadian as a child establishes a starting point for her understanding of sexual pleasure. “From some part of my body… sharp pleasure” pg. 17 Although Firdaus does not have a full/complete understanding of what sexual pleasure is, she is exposed to it a very young age and is therefore able to notice differences later on in life. Her first encounter is described only as a pleasurable experience (there is no mention of pain)

FGM/ Uncle After undergoing FGM, Firdaus’s explanation/description of sex/pleasure is much different than her experience with Mohammadian “ She brought a woman who was carrying a small knife.. They cut off a piece of flesh from between my thighs” pg.16 There is no mention of pain yet, but her understanding of herself and the previous experiences she had are no longer there. She feels a strong disconnect between her inner self and her body, and this drastic change can be directly linked to her experience with female genital mutilation. “ I no longer felt the strong sensation of pleasure” pg 18 Not only is Firdaus altered physically by the FGM process, but part of herself that she had just begun to identify has now been taken away. “ Part of me, of my being, was gone and would never return” pg.18

Husband Firdaus’ husband is the first significant man we see in the story who take advantage of her sexually Through the theme of sex and sexuality we see how in this encounter Firdaus is being portrayed as the victim of a patriarchal society “ I surrender my face to his face, and my body to his body, passively, without any resistance” pg. 60 The highlighted words gives an image of Firdaus being attacked and too weak to fight back

Bayoumi When Firdaus stayed with Bayoumi she “felt the touch of him, like a dream remembered from the distant past” pg. 64 The word “dream” portrays sex as a fantasy, but the word “remembered” brings hope that Firdaus will break free from the oppression of sex and sexuality in her society This hope is broken when later Bayoumi beats and rapes Firdaus Sex is no longer described as a “dream” but returns to describing as a “weight” that makes her feel “empty of all desire, or pleasure, or even pain” (66-67). Firdaus has been stripped of emotions and once again sex is being used as a tool to oppress her Firdaus felt “nothing” and like she was a “dead body with no life in it at all” (67)

Sharifa Firdaus’ mentality and control over her body changes as she meets Sharifa “A man does not know a woman’s value, Firdaus. She is the only one who determines her value” pg. 73 She learns and understand that she can take advantage of men through the use of sex She uses this control she has to gain money and a better living This ties the theme of sex and sexuality to the theme of beauty and money Firdaus realizes that her body is hers to have ownership and control She now uses her body to get what she wants, she becoming aware and slowly fighting against her oppression

Marzouk Through her encounters with Marzouk, Firdaus reaches the highest point in her empowerment, by ultimately killing him. Firdaus has realized that, as a woman in Egyptian society, her body and sex is what gives her power over men, and she is able to take matters into her own hands with Marzouk once she acknowledges the power she has over him. This is the tipping point for Firdaus, as she has been hurt and taken advantage of her entire life, but is finally able to stand up for herself and use her power to protect her livelihood.

Summary of Progression In the beginning, Firdaus is able to experience pleasure through her sexual encounters at a very young age. However, once FGM is performed on her, almost every other sexual experience that she has later on results in her feeling sharp senses of pain. Throughout her later experiences, she finds that she wants to be able to feel pleasure again. As she is introduced to prostitution, she finds that she can use sex to her advantage and become a more confident and powerful woman over other men who try to belittle her.

Significance to the Overall Purpose The theme of sex and sexuality is significant because it illustrates the progression of Firdaus as a character. As Firdaus’s view of sex shifts and becomes less about pleasure, and more about power, she is able to take control of her life for the first time and use what she has discovered to fight the circumstances that have dictated her life for so long. Firdaus’s sense of empowerment develops alongside her changing views of sex and sexuality.

Author’s Argument In her depiction of Firdaus, El Saadawi argues that sex and sexuality, for women in Egyptian society, is a tool for women to use in their lives. As a result of the astounding oppression felt by women in society, women are forced to use what men want (their bodies) to obtain some sort of power. El Saadawi does not criticize this decision, but instead fully explains the choices made by Firdaus. (using it to condemn the ways of men and government, and the objectification of women in Egyptian society).