The Use Of Light And Darkness In Woman At Point Zero By El Saadawi
Darkness and light have long been literary symbols of contrasting forces that allow for complex descriptive writing, to create a setting, and to reflect emotion. Light commonly being representative of happiness, whereas darkness may be used to represent the unknown and despair. In ‘Woman at Point Zero’, El Saadawi focuses on the hardships and unjust Firdaus faces throughout the course of her life. Throughout the novel, Firdaus undergoes many changes that she had no control over and thus evokes a lost sense in direction as nothing and no one seems to be reliable. The prevalent themes of uncertainty and unjust for the nature of life for a woman in Egypt, are emphasised, as well as portrayed in ‘Woman at Point Zero’ through the use of light and darkness. The light and its relation to the sun acts as guidance in the dark and confusing times Firdaus faces. Light is also used by El Saadawi to describe character’s eyes in the novel. She uses the light in the eyes to reflect on the character of the person being described and to provide Firdaus with insight into the characters’ intentions. The use of darkness in ‘Woman at Point Zero’ is used to bring forth her inner thoughts and feelings throughout the novel, which are usually ones of reflection and melancholy. Especially the darkness of the night that accompanies the moon is used to provide a safe space for Firdaus’ emotions and enables her to share more about, as well as emphasise upon the upsetting occurrences described in the novel.
Nawal El Saadawi uses the darkness of the night to represent the periods of darkness in Firdaus’ life. El Saadawi does so by using darkness and its connotations to the moon to provide a space for Firdaus to express her concerns, thoughts and feelings to the readers, whilst still remaining reflective. When Firdaus was heartbroken out of love at boarding school, she spoke of how “Often the night would be dark…Around me, all the windows would be shut, and all the lights would be out, yet I would continue to sit in the dark alone, and wonder about many things” (El Saadawi 28). The windows being shut and all the lights being out is a metaphor for how she shuts herself out from expressing her emotions and disallows others to enter her personal thinking space that the darkness represents. The darkness providing a sort of thinking space for Firdaus is proven by how she ‘wonders’ about many complex issues, specifically wondering about how to improve her living conditions. The fact that she began to worry about these things at such a young age contributes to saddening aspects of the text, which includes the unjust treatment and pressures Egyptian woman face. However, the main focus of her ‘wondering’ and providing readers with insight on her emotions, is Firdaus doing so when the “night would be dark” and when she’d would “sit in the dark alone”. The use of ‘dark’ is representative of the unknown; something you are ‘in the dark’ about. Firdaus spends her time thinking in the dark because she faces a lot of confusion with her life and the people in it. Having gone through a hard time adapting to being rejected by her teacher and not being able to process her feelings properly, as is shown by how she was ‘alone’, she uses the night to reflect. Firdaus expressing her inner thoughts in the privacy of darkness is so integral to the story because this time of reflection is one of the few vulnerable moments we receive from Firdaus.
El Saadawi uses light as a symbol of guidance in the dark and confusing times Firdaus faces. Light and its relation to the sun acting as guidance tools in the different scenarios Firdaus finds herself in are shown through how they are given a lot of attention when Firdaus undergoes a noteworthy change in her life. One of the biggest steps forward Firdaus was able to make was when she earned her first banknote. There was a great emphasis on the sun and light the day she earned it, with how “The sun was shining brightly that day… not just a piaster this time, but a whole ten-pound note”. To represent her accomplishment and the feeling of excitement she’s experiencing, a ‘bright day’ is emphasised upon as this commonly alludes to positivity. Light acting as a symbol of direction is evident, since El Saadawi specifically mentions it during Firdaus’ achievement. The sun and light playing a role in a turning point of Firdaus’ life is also prominent when she met a woman whom would later show her the ways of prostitution and a better life. She was introduced by “standing close by watching me, her eyes radiating a strong, green light, the colours of the trees, and the sky, and the waters of the Nile”. During their first encounter, El Saadawi devoted a lot of attention to the eyes, saying they had a “green light”. The use of the word ‘light’ to describe the colour of her eyes hints towards representing ‘a light at the end of a tunnel’. The element of a new beginning is then also developed by the natural imagery of the ‘trees’ and the ‘sky’. The tree representing growth and the sky tranquillity; both luxuries that Firdaus had gotten from the experiences she’d made with the prostitute. This description of the light in her eyes thus fitting perfectly as it indicates a more hopeful future from an abusive past. Light acting as a guiding source for Firdaus and being used to introduce new people of significance in her life, allows for the readers to have an impactful introduction to the multiple characters and turning points Firdaus encounters.
El Saadawi frequently uses light to describe the eyes of the personas in the novel. She uses the light in the eyes to reflect on the character of the person being described, or even to provide insight into their intentions. When she meets her new mother, who beat her and was cruel to her, she focused on how “No Light seemed ever to touch the eyes of this woman, even when the day was radiant and the sun at its very brightest”. Firdaus focuses on how “no light” had been in “the eyes of this woman”, to describe the person as lifeless. Her being lifeless and dull is brought forth by the use of “even when the day was radiant”, as the use of “even” proposes that she should have light in her eyes when the day is bright, since a radiant day with light has positive connotations. Her lack of appreciation for a bright day portrays how sorrowful and bitter she must be and offers insight on the new mother’s callous character. During one of Firdaus’ times of vulnerability outside school, Firdaus used the moonlight to assess her teacher’s eyes: “her black eyes wandering into the night, and the tears welling up in them with a glistening light”. The “glistening light” of her teacher’s eyes allowed Firdaus to see that she was actually experiencing a genuine moment with someone, and that for once she wasn’t the one being vulnerable. This show of trust may be why Firdaus got so attached to her teacher as it was of one of the few times that Firdaus experienced a genuine moment with another person. Firdaus is evaluative with the light in people’s eyes because light acts as a guidance tool throughout the novel. Since she has been betrayed and mistreated throughout her entire life, she has to be careful with whom she surrounds herself with and therefore rely on light in the eyes to see the intentions of new people.
In conclusion, ‘Woman at Point Zero’ explores many aspects of the life of an Egyptian woman. The unjust a woman has to face during her life because of her gender is shown through how she’s continuously mistreated by people. Due to these hardships, El Saadawi uses light to provide guidance and hope in a novel that progresses with melancholy. Her lack of control in her own life is unmistakable as the novel advances but the time that she does finally gain control over her own life, which is towards the end when she receives her first earning, she is being guided by light. El Saadawi allows for Firdaus and readers to benefit from the darkness, as it allows for both to gain insight on Firdaus’ feelings. Her want for love and meaning being so prominently expressed in the darkness may explain why she kept on finding herself in toxic relationships with people. Her deep craving to find a personal connection is further conveyed by her need of assessing people’s intentions through the light in their eyes.
Citations:
- El Saadawi, Nawal. Woman at Point Zero. New York, Zed Books Ltd, 1983.
