THE DEPICTION OF MASCULINITY IN NAWAL AL-SAADAWI’S FICTION

Abstract

This study examines the image of man in a number of novels by Nawal Al-Saadawi, the famous Egyptian novelist, whose works have aroused a lot of controversy in the Arab world. Throughout her works, Al-Saadawi consistently portrays man in a very negative manner. No matter what his social or educational background is man is at all times the symbol of oblivious tyranny, ruthless cruelty and callous oppression. The man as a father, for example, does not escape her vehement attacks. He is held as ignorant, foolish and tyrannical and sways between absence and presence. What makes her assaults harsher is her skillful employment of irony, paradox, sarcasm and other elements of figurative language. These tools help her in creating an analytical, descriptive language, which allows her to trace the tiny features of man. However, her constant focus on attacking man as a man undermines her literary accomplishments along with her aesthetic attitudes.