EFFECTS OF PATRIARCHAL CULTURE TO THE PROTAGONIST IN NAWAL EL SADDAWI’S NOVEL WOMAN AT POINT ZERO

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research raises the theme of patriarchal culture experienced by the characters in Nawal El Saddawi's novel Woman at Point Zero. The novel is considered as a feminist novel which reveals many dimensions of oppression against women and reveals the character's struggle against gender discrimination to get their rights. Firdaus is the main character who lives her life in a very tight patriarchal culture from pre-marriage, marriage, and post-marriage. The research on the novel is motivated by the social reality of patriarchal ideology ingrained in society so that women are always in the realm of domesticity. The purpose of this research is to explain the effect of patriarchal culture to the protagonist. The data obtained from the novel are analyzed in chapter four of this study. This thesis used a qualitative descriptive method in analyzing data because it is a type of research method that seeks to describe and interpret the subject matter. The findings of this study indicate that there are three effects of patriarchal culture in the novel, namely violence against women, subordination, and sexual exploitation. Keywords: Patriarchal culture, sexual exploitation, sociology of literature, subordination, violence.