The first time I found Woman at Zero Point was when I deliberately read a tweet from a literacy base, I followed the last few days. Starting from the The first time I found Woman at Zero Point was when I deliberately read a tweet from a literacy base, I followed the last few days. Starting from the amount of spam that featured the cover and its review in the reply column. So many say that this book is excellent. It's small but contains something powerful that is valuable for many people to know, a tragic truth. Honestly, I am not a person who quickly consumed other people's reviews. But seeing the number of spam menfess was scattered that day made me decide to buy one in a few days.
It didn't take more than two days to complete this book. For every part of this book, Nawal has successfully surprised and shuddered me terribly in what was experienced by Firdaus, the central character of this book. Sorrowful, miserable, and pathetic, that was only I got from this book.
I was wondering why did Nawal el-Saadawi be so intent on pursuing Firdaus to tell her story? Why would a doctor be willing to write a book about a whore waiting for her death day?
It turned out to be true. If I were Nawal, I would do so and maybe more than that. Because what did Firdaus pass literally illustrates how many women out there are living injustice by an ingrained patriarchal system. But what the final choice of Firdaus is, that is, it is different for each woman.
***
Firdaus, a woman who chose her own life to become a whore.
"I know that my profession has been created by men and that men control two of our worlds, those on this earth and those in the afterlife. That men force women to sell their bodies at a certain price."
A work that was indirectly formed by all the men she knew during her life. Since childhood, she often got violent. Every new person she met in her life always brought her afflictions. They did at least 3 things; cheating, harassment, and abuse. Her father was a selfish, awful temperament person who only thought of his own stomach and never gives any attention to his kids. Firdaus, her mother, and her siblings were like slaves who must serve his father in any condition. Her siblings, one by one, died cause of starving.
"If one of his daughters dies, Father will eat his dinner, Mother will wash his feet, and then he will go to sleep, as he does every night. If a boy, he would hit Mother, then eat dinner and lay down to sleep. Dad won't go to sleep without eating dinner first, no matter what. Sometimes if there is no food at home, we will all go to sleep empty stomachs. But he will always get food."
Since she was a kid, Firdaus has received immoral acts from her male friend, Muhammadain. Not only stop there, her uncle even so, ironic, because she also loved her uncle more than her parents. After that, her uncle married her to a calculated ancient man who always committed violence against her. Then, she met with Bayoumi, a man she met at the Café when she was looking for jobs using her school diploma. Bayoumi kept her away for a while until he raped her and locked her up, even Firdaus was also raped by Bayoumi's friends. And there are many more that every man she met only invite her to sleep together.
Without warning it, the situation has allowed her body to be enjoyed by many men. Until finally, she realized that her body can make money. She chose to be an honorable whore with the consent of both parties with high pay, she could even choose whoever men she wanted to sleep with. She thought it was far more honorable than having sex as a forced husband and wife. By becoming a whore, she is free of her life, of her own body.
But apparently, Firdaus was wrong; there was still a pimp, "men are always good at kissing people's money," whom she was forced to marry him, Marzouk. Firdaus was fed up and finally stabbed the pimp, which caused her to be sentenced to death. Firdaus proudly welcomed it with a victory like "welcome the truth."
"I have won both life and death, because I have no desire to live, nor do I feel afraid of death."
*** Nawal wrote this book in an adorable, poetic, and descriptive way, tho... the translation style isn't quite enjoyable to read. It's too confusing, and too many repetitive sentences make me repeat several paragraphs to understand it. Such the depiction of a pair of eyes that seem complicated and rambling "two rings that are very white around two dark circles."
I give it five stars tho, for successful Nawal, who makes me realize the importance of caring for other women as a woman, not precisely as a human being. Probably, Firdaus wouldn't be like this if she got love from people she knew during her life. The power of love is so meaningful to all living things. We knew in Interstellar book that Cooper is safe because of his love for his daughter, Murph. At this moment, whoever you are, man or woman must read this book, and you will care more about your friends, maybe we can help another Firdaus who is trapped at the lowest point in her life, at zero point.
A small book with a lot of value, what a precious little thing I like the most about how to dare fighting harassment, about how to love yourself. Firdaus now becomes my new real favorite character of a nonfictional book for the first time. Now, I just knew why Nawal took pains to meet Firdaus because we are nothing compared to her, who has a lot of courage throughout her life.
"And I realize that Firdaus has more courage than I have."...more
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