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Nawal El Saadawi
Firdaus’s uncle is a religious scholar and later a government official. He teaches Firdaus to read and write, and is her only childhood mentor, but he also sexually abuses her frequently. When Firdaus’s parents die, he takes her to Cairo with him to live and attend school. However, when he marries an upper-class wife who does not like Firdaus, he marries her off to an old man Sheikh Mahmoud in order to be rid of Firdaus and take the dowry. Although Firdaus’s uncle is a religious man, he beats and rapes his wife, demonstrating the hypocrisy of religious men in Firdaus’s world.
Firdaus’s Uncle Quotes in Woman at Point Zero
The Woman at Point Zero quotes below are all either spoken by Firdaus’s Uncle or refer to Firdaus’s Uncle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2
Quotes
“Firdaus has grown, your holiness, and must be married. It is risky for her to continue without a husband. She is a good girl, but the world is full of bastards.”
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She replied that it was precisely men well versed in their religion who beat their wives. The precepts of religion permitted such punishment. A virtuous woman was not supposed to complain about her husband. Her duty was perfect obedience.
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“I am not a prostitute. But right from my early days my father, my uncle, my husband, all of them, taught me to grow up as a prostitute.”
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Firdaus’s Uncle Quotes in Woman at Point Zero
The Woman at Point Zero quotes below are all either spoken by Firdaus’s Uncle or refer to Firdaus’s Uncle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2
Quotes
“Firdaus has grown, your holiness, and must be married. It is risky for her to continue without a husband. She is a good girl, but the world is full of bastards.”
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
She replied that it was precisely men well versed in their religion who beat their wives. The precepts of religion permitted such punishment. A virtuous woman was not supposed to complain about her husband. Her duty was perfect obedience.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“I am not a prostitute. But right from my early days my father, my uncle, my husband, all of them, taught me to grow up as a prostitute.”
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