Woman at Point Zero Lesson Plan

Why does the narrator begin and end the first chapter saying Firdaus is a “real woman”?

El Saadawi repeats that Firdaus is a “real woman” because Woman at Point Zero is actually based on a real person. This assertion speaks a little to genre. El Saadawi met with the woman Firdaus is based on as part of her research. Whereas books printed today may just put “based on a true story” on the cover, El Saadawi decided to put this information in the narrative itself. Also, El Saadawi may be speaking to naysayers in asserting that Firdaus is a real woman. There is a common belief, especially at that time, that women do not kill people. Moreover, Firdaus’s story is intense and to...