Read and Finish Woman at Point Zero by reading from “Nothing in the world seemed

Read and Finish Woman at Point Zero by reading from “Nothing in the world seemed capable . . .,” on or around p. 78, to the end.
As Saadawi tells us in the “Author’s Preface,” this story is based on a real personal experience. Yet, from a literary point of view, this story may depend more on symbols and metaphors than anything else we have read. In order to craft a particular kind of commentary, Saadawi uses extensive descriptive language to elevate various mundane things to very significant, abstract levels of meaning. For example, eyes mean much more than eyes; they symbolize the oppression of women through the constant, objectifying gaze of patriarchal society. What about other symbols in the text? What about the fact that Firdaus is imprisoned? Sure, that element of the plot is related to Saadawi’s personal experience, but Saadawi is a storyteller who can see symbolism in real life. How might we think of Firdaus’s imprisonment as a metaphor for society at large? Finally, what about the character of the psychiatrist? At the very end of the novel, she tells us that, after hearing Firdaus’s story, she got into her car and “rammed” her foot on the accelerator as if she wanted to “run over the world” (136, first edition). Then she hit the brakes and realized that she wasn’t as courageous as Firdaus. What might that symbolize?
Compose
Compose a one-to-two-page (500-800-word) practice essay (using this formatting templateLinks to an external site.) in which you do the following:
Compose an argument that provides an answer to the following question: Is the storyteller using the car metaphor, with its accelerator and brake, to “speed up” social change or show how frightening social change can be?
Be sure that you cite the text in order to defend your argument. Don’t simply meditate on the meaning of the final image, but show how other events in the book, other symbols Saadawi uses, or other patters you have noticed in the novel, support your reading of the final image. Be as specific as possible.
Provide extensive interpretation of the things you cite. Use the skills you have been practicing to show your reader the explicit connection between the evidence you cite and the argument you’re making.