Abstract:
This research aims to increase public awareness of the unequal treatment of women worldwide. The book is a testament to El Saadawi's unwavering commitment to gender equality and the elimination of women's repression. The effort is to create fundamental concepts of feminism as well as to shed attention on the numerous types of oppression that plague Egyptian women. This study demonstrates how El Saadawi's story exposes and even challenges the male-centric, patriarchal system that sustains female subjugation. This study also examines the novel in light of the Cairo Revolution's historical context. The novel, which is revolutionary in and of itself, also documents female opposition to patriarchal expectations. Additionally, it seeks to take into account numerous issues like gender inequality, gender violence, reproductive rights, how families treat women, and the inclusion of women in politics and the economy.
Keywords:
Feminism, gender discrimination, patriarchy, society, culture.
Introduction:
Feminism is a collection of theories and convictions that contrast how the world is for men with how it is for women just because of their gender. Feminism has historically progressed from being a critical study of gender inequity to a more nuanced analysis of the social and performative constructions of gender and sexuality. In this study, an effort has been made to discuss the contribution of a writer, Dr. Nawal El-Saadawi, on the writer or depression of women's rights in society as the writer portrayed it in the novel Ziena. Feminism seeks and fights for women's rights or is the struggle and potential solution for women's rights in society from writers, journalists, and other governmental and non-governmental associations.
Dr. Nawal El-Saadawi, a prolific Egyptian feminist writer is a psychiatrist by profession. She is known for her controversy, especially in whatever relates to women. To Nawal El Saadawi, fighting for women's rights is a must for her. She leads so many associations in Cairo for that purpose and she opposes how husbands treat their wives in their matrimonial homes. In this research, one of Nawal's novels, Ziena is selected for critical study about the image of women in the novel and their role in society.
El Saadawi incorporates her ideas into the plot of her most recent book, Zeina, which tells the tale of two women named Bodour and Zeina who are forced to deal with the patriarchal oppression of society in various ways. Although this is a good goal, the story typically suffers when novels are so closely tied to a certain belief. This is the case with El Saadawi’s novel.
The novel examines the social constraints brought forth by gender, power, and religion. In the book Zeina, a patriarchal society dominated by men is shown. Compared to women who live in the same culture, they are practically completely unrestricted and have far greater freedom. The novel illustrates one of the many aspects of Arab society which is double standards for honor and morals, with women being punished for crimes that males commit voluntarily. In the book, religion also serves as a source of restrictions. El Saadawi founded her independent secular feminism and portrays the women in her stories as objects of the revolution who oppose Islamic patriarchal legislation.
Bodour is a well-known literary critic who is stuck in an unhappy marriage. But before becoming engaged, while she was an undergraduate, she fell in love with Nessim, a political activist. Following a night of illicit liaisons, Nessim is hauled into custody as a political prisoner. Later, Bodour learns that Nessim is pregnant; she bears the child before giving it up for adoption. Zeina Bint Zeinat, the child, is condemned to live on the streets. Bodour marries the aspirational journalist Zakariak al-Khartiti. In addition to having a daughter named Mageeda, Zakariah and Bodour go on to have prosperous careers. By chance, Zeina and Mageeda wind up attending the same school and becoming close friends.
Literature Review:
Monica Carter alludes in her review, that El Saadawi is an incredibly important figure Who is not just a writer, but also a psychiatrist and activist. She’s been jailed for her views and fled to the U.S. at one point to avoid harassment and political prosecution. She’s taught at Duke University and the University of Washington in Seattle and is probably most well-known among English readers for her novel Woman at Point Zero. Monica’s not completely sold on this new novel, and it sounds like it runs into some of the trappings that come with writing an explicitly political novel. Here’s the opening of her review:
In terms of contemporary Egyptian history, there is no doubt of Nawal El Saadawi’s positive impact on the rights of women in Egyptian society as well as her impact on the human rights movement in general. She has been imprisoned for her beliefs and forced to flee her country due to threats from Islamists. As an accomplished medical doctor and a high-profile political figure in Egypt, not only has she cast a light on the various forms of oppression plaguing Egyptian women, but also her reach can be felt worldwide in terms of establishing the basic tenets of feminism. Throughout the years, she has written works ranging from stories to memoirs with significant success.
In her latest work, Zeina, El Saadawi weaves her beliefs into a story of two women, Bodour and Zeina, who are forced to confront the patriarchal oppression of society in different ways. Though this is a noble aim, the danger with writing novels that are tethered so strongly to a belief is that the story usually suffers. This is the case with El Saadawi’s novel.
Bodour is a prominent literary critic imprisoned in an unhappy marriage. But before her marriage, during her university years, she fell in love with a political activist, Nessim. After a night of illicit passion, Nessim is taken away as a political prisoner and later Bodour discovers that she is pregnant; she has the baby and abandons it. The child, named Zeina Bint Zeinat, is destined to live life on the streets. Bodour marries Zakariak al-Khartiti, an ambitious journalist. Zakariah and Bodour establish successful careers and they give birth to a daughter, Mageeda. As life would have it, Zeina and Mageeda attend the same school and become best friends. Mageeda grows up to be a literary critic like her mother and Zeina grows up to be a famous singer and entertainer. Meanwhile, Bodour continues working on her novel, The Stolen Novel, which is her attempt at self-understanding. The novel, strangely enough, is stolen. This novel comes to a close when Zeina ultimately becomes a symbol for the people during the revolution in Cairo and Bodour attempts to live the life she truly wants to live. More appreciations of Nawal El Saadawi’s literary contributions are published as:
“More than any other woman, Nawal El Saadawi has come to embody the trials of Arab feminism.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
“The leading spokeswoman on the status of women in the Arab World.” (Guardian)
“Saadawi writes with directness and passion.” (The New York Times)
There are several plots where the image of feminism is reflected in this novel. It was shown that women were being deprived of their rights in different ways and from different characters. The first is Bodour, since after marrying Zakariah el-Khartiti. Despite el-Khartiti (Bodour's husband) seducing other women outside, he sees women as great liars, and to him, his wife is the greatest liar of all women. This is what el-Khartiti said about his wife:
"As for my wife, is the great liar in women. She pretends to be pious, while she is not" (Ziena, 54)
During all the misunderstanding between Bodour and her husband el-Khartiti she did not attempt once to take revenge on him, until the day he gave her a belt to beat him, but she could not because it was against her religion and culture, the husband had the right to do whatever he likes to her, the novelist explained:
"She was caught with something she doesn’t know. How a woman could raise an eyebrow at her husband? However, the husband has the right to beat his wife just like the master to his slave. But women do not have such rights. Those with religion and those without religion don't have that right."(Ziena, 64)
This is how society has suppressed the mentality of women. Whenever Bodour is not at home, her husband brings out what he hides which is the letters and pictures of his girlfriends. In the novel, it is shown how husbands betray their wives. We have seen how el-Khartiti tried to rape Ziena, his daughter's fire, and how she escaped from his evil doing.
Another image is that of hatred from a woman. That is how women i.e. society would not accept someone's love, but because he is somebody in the eyes of the people, he can force a woman he likes to love him. This is what happened to Ziena with Ahmed al-Damhiri. Al-Damhiri loves Ziena to the extent he feels he cannot survive without her. However, Ziena on her part does not love him, he does all he can but she rejects him, which makes him include her name in the death list, for the simple reason she doesn’t love him.
Analysis:
Bodour, a distinguished literary critic and university professor, carries with her a dark secret. As a young university student, she fell in love with a political activist and gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Zeina, whom she abandoned on the streets of Cairo. Zeina grows up to become one of Egypt’s most beloved entertainers, despite being deprived of a name and a home. In contrast, Bodour remains trapped in a loveless marriage, pining for her daughter. In an attempt to find solace, she turns to literature, writing a fictionalized account of her life. But then the novel goes missing. Bodour is forced on a journey of self-discovery, reliving and reshaping her past and her future. The plot sounds quite interesting and intriguing because of the social and cultural issues that affect the characters in this book.
Bodour is quite likable as a character, particularly when she is young and in love. It felt contrite to see her abandoning her daughter on the streets, unable to acknowledge her because she is illegitimate and has no father. Bodour is constantly haunted by the event of abandoning her child, and in her dreams, she searches for the lost child. Her waking life revolves around writing and her loveless marriage. She secretly writes a novel about her life and her lost daughter, and her fictional self seems to be a stronger and more confident character than she. At times throughout the book, it gets confusing who is talking, Bodour or Badreya, her protagonist. It is a shock for Bodour when her novel is stolen, the one thing that is keeping her sane in her unhappy life.
Bodour has another daughter, from her marriage: Mageeda. Mageeda has grown up with her parents fighting in private and has grown up through school alongside her mother’s lost daughter, although she is unaware of this fact. She follows in her parents’ footsteps and becomes a writer herself, although she secretly hates writing. She represents the next generation and is a contrast to her half-sister, Zeina: Mageeda is short, plump, and from an affluent background, with a talent for writing from her parents, despite her dislike of it.
Zeina is the abandoned daughter, brought up on the streets by a woman she called her mother – Nanny Zeinat, a servant of Bodour and her family. Zeina is described as having her father’s blue-black eyes, which have haunted her mother Bodour ever since she was born. She is more like her father than Bodour, and one seems to associate her with her real mother. Zeina is a musically gifted child and grows into a beautiful woman, untouchable by any man, yet touches the hearts of all who hear her sing and play music.
Zakariah al-Khartiti is Bodour’s husband, and he is an unpleasant character in the novel. It is clear to see why Bodour is repulsed by him in the way he is described physically and by his behavior. He cheats on her constantly, and finds sex in many places, from prostitutes to even raping young boys and girls. He writes a column in a newspaper and has an egotistical pride in his writing.
The book gets confusing, switching from one character to the next every couple of paragraphs, from the points of view of the characters described above to other characters such as the psychiatrist, Bodour’s best friend, and Bodour’s cousin. There are many repetitions of the same scenes over and over again, and the repetition of the same lyrics of the song sung by street children. This book is very hard to read because it goes around in circles and goes off on a tangent now and then.
There are contradictions between the religious, social, and cultural beliefs of the Arabic world: the outsider thinks that everything is black and white, with men acting a certain way, women acting another, and certain things being unacceptable, why do things happen in the Arabic world just the same as the Western world, except they are hidden from public view. Everything on the surface is a lie. The story is far more complex than this. We range across the thoughts and stories of multiple characters and slip backward and forward through time. Characters are mirrored, experiences are repeated – sadly many of them related to rape and sexual assault – descriptions flow like refrains.
Research Objectives:
The objectives of this study are to deduce and express certain facts from the novel:
1) The facts of humanity express individual facts of humanity, such as the psychological state of the male main character who is experiencing a sexual disorder, which affects frigidity, discrimination, and bodily exploitation towards women, as well as social facts of humanity, such as patriarchal society.
2) Collective subject represents respectable women of the upper circle who are structured with relationships that occur between the characters, between male and female figures as well as central figures with his world setting in the country of Egypt;
3) Worldview elaboration of the ideology of liberal and radical feminism.
4) The fact that the structure of literature reflected in the participation of women in the public sphere is still relatively low because it is dominated by men.
5) The dialectical method of understanding explanations shows that a man is stronger and has a full strength than women in Arabic society.
Research Methodology:
This self-study used an interactive, self-initiated, and improvement-focused research technique. This research is based on a critical analysis of Zeina by Nawal El Saadawi in light of feminist theory. This study proves that El Saadawi is a feminist writer who has stirred revolutionary ideologies regarding gender equality and rights through her writings. The patriarchal society is exposed in this study utilizing tools from religion and culture, and the author explicitly discusses how males dominate women via the use of their positions of authority. The research also emphasizes the idea of gender equality as well as the social, political, and reproductive rights of both sexes.
Conclusion:
Hence, the study proves how El Saadawi believes that Feminism encompasses all spheres of human life, without which you cannot understand the oppression of women in our societies. It is against this background that, Nawal took it upon herself to bring out what women are facing in this male dominant patriarchal society. Nawal presented feminism in her novel as it seeks and fights for women's rights or is the struggle and potential solution for women's rights in society from writers, journalists, and other governmental and non-governmental associations.
Written by Zainab Nadeem
