Woman at Point Zero

The Preface and Chapter 1 of Woman at Point Zero set the landscape and the tone, introduce the novella’s main character through the perspective of its writer, and inspire thinking about important themes such as The Subjectiveness of Guilt and Innocence. Firdaus had a lasting impact on Saadawi, to the point that she felt the need to write Firdaus’s story and share it with the world. Saadawi was deeply inspired by Firdaus’s courage and her sheer unaffectedness.

Saadawi props up Firdaus before even meeting her as soon as she hears that Firdaus is unafraid of death and refused to ask for pardon. It strikes Saadawi that Firdaus is a woman with a story worth hearing—and that she isn’t like other women at all. Firdaus’s uniqueness is further evident when Saadawi first visits the prison and meets a female warder who deeply empathizes with Firdaus and tries to defend her, even accusing Saadawi of being part of the problem. Saadawi isn’t yet sure what problem the warder refers to but hears her mumble, “How can she be the only one who does not know them?” (3). This subtle phrase foreshadows the revelation that systemic patriarchal domination led Firdaus to commit murder, because it implies that the warder is shocked that a woman couldn’t understand what she meant by “them.”

The opening pages are written from Saadawi’s perspective and highlight the effect that Firdaus had on her: “It looked to me as though this woman who had killed a human being, and was shortly to be killed herself, was a much better person than I. Compared to her, I was nothing but a small insect crawling upon the land amidst millions of other insects” (3). When Firdaus finally agrees to meet Saadawi, she feels as if she has been gifted the entire world—like Firdaus is going to reveal some sacred, cutting truth about humanity—and this is exactly what she does. Firdaus’s power over others extends beyond the prison, beyond one’s knowing her directly, and beyond time. Her story continues to have a dramatic impact on how people view systemic patriarchy and guilt. Saadawi describes her as pensive, confident, assured, steady, and unyielding. Unlike the other women in the prison, who were “lurking behind the iron bars like animals” (ii), Firdaus sat in silence, awaiting her execution without panic or dread. Her “total rejection” of life and every horrible thing that came with it set her above it and drew Saadawi to her.

Although the work is translated from its original Arabic form, Saadawi’s luscious and poetic descriptions, many of which were likely reflections of Firdaus’s own words, nonetheless shine through. When Firdaus initially rejects the idea of meeting Saadawi, her entire world breaks down, and Saadawi can focus on nothing but Firdaus. The emotions she feels in this moment are reflected in the sky above her:

A strange feeling of heaviness weighed down on my heart, my body, drained my legs of their power. A feeling heavier than the weight of the whole earth, as though instead of standing above its surface, I was now lying beneath it. The sky had also undergone a change; its color had turned to black, like that of the earth, and its weight was pressing down upon me with its added load (4).

Then, when Firdaus agrees to meet Saadawi, the sky becomes a pure blue, opening up before her with endless possibility and hope. As the interview begins, the narrative introduces eye symbolism, as Saadawi describes Firdaus’s eyes and voice as “cold as a knife” (6). This description also foreshadows Firdaus’s description later of her act in killing her pimp by stabbing him several times—something she doesn’t reveal until the story’s climax. Although the idea of Firdaus’s innocence is proposed almost immediately, the narrative hasn’t yet begun the journey of Firdaus’s life and everything she felt, in order to lay bare the reasons she claims innocence. It’s an exercise in moral judgment and subjectivity—and highlights how patriarchal domination can push a woman to her absolute limit: her “point zero.”