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How Is Diction Used In Woman At Point Zero

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Money is typically a neutral, necessary item that makes a big impact on one’s everyday life. To make their points, authors often add a certain connotation to the people that use the money, rather than money itself. Nawal El Saadawi describes a society in which many use money for selfish reasons, often suppressing other groups, like women, in the process, which represents a negative attitude toward the people that use the money. In her novel, Woman at Point Zero, Nawal El Saadawi frequently mentions the appearance of physical money through linked scenes to illustrate that, although one’s power in society often dictates other people’s perception of him/her, he/she should still attempt to gain respect through hard work and attitude.
First, Saadawi …show more content…

For instance, she employs the phrase “respectful humility” when describing the waiter’s approach to Firdaus after finding out that she has money (90). Treating someone with humility means to treat somebody with modesty or unassertiveness. While Saadawi creates an affirmative connotation, her diction illustrates how people will treat others differently after discovering how much money they have, which she is warning against. While it did not negatively affect Firdaus in this case, the situation could have been very different if she did not have the money or if someone else was paying for her. However, she would still deserve the same amount of respect that she was getting in this case, but, Saadawi’s point is— money is often the basis of deciding whether someone deserves respect. She goes on to state that “the ten-pound note… was as illicit and forbidden as the thrill of sacrilegious pleasure” (90). Saadawi repeats the word “forbidden” in this scene multiple times to emphasize how people view money in the hands of women. The word forbidden means that something is prohibited which represents the barriers that many women face. Her diction creates a destructive connotation for how society views women if they have any wealth. In any society that is very patriarchal, men naturally believe that women should not have money because that would …show more content…

For example, she demonstrates an epiphany when Firdaus “rediscovered the truth that I had already discovered many years before…” (134). By connecting the two scenes through a reference to the time that Firdaus first held money when she was younger, Saadawi creates this epiphany because Firdaus makes a realization that she does not need money for other people to respect. If Firdaus had kept that money, she would be like her younger self, relying on other men to support her. But since Saadawi believes otherwise, she conveys through linked scenes that one should not have to rely on other people’s money to gain respect from others. Since these are linked scenes, any major differences Saadawi makes are most likely deliberate. One of these changes between the scenes is Firdaus’ attitude toward money. In the first scene, she is happy and prideful about having money, however, in this case she is so disgusted by it that she tears it up. Firdaus’ perception of money did not change, but it was her perception of what money did to others and herself. Therefore, Saadawi creates a bitter tone by criticizing the use money as a means for people to control those who are not as

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