characteristic can reveal the gender discrimination in her society and also shows that deep inside, a woman realizes that she has to fight for the equality.
c. Brave
Michelle is not afraid of saying what is right in her opinion and also do something which for some people is risky. Michelle is always questioning the Saudi
Arabia society which in her opinion is sick . Sometimes her brave characteristic scares her friends. Her braveness can be seen from the direct comment about her.
Michelle had become truly frightening lately, the way she talked about freedom and women s rights, the bonds of religion, conventions imposed
by society and her philosophy on relations between the sexes Al-Sanea, 2005: 175.
She is not afraid to talk about things that are actually taboo to be talked about in Saudi society. Women s rights and religion matter are sensitive matters in the
society. Michelle s brave characteristic can also be seen in the way she reacts
toward a situation during Gamrah s wedding celebration. In Saudi Arabia, the wedding celebration separates men and women in different rooms before the groom
can finally join the bride. In women room, all women can dress up as they like that they do not need to cover their body with hijab or veil. Once the groom and all other
men join the women room to get the bride and the groom meet each other, all women should cover their body in order to protect them from the sight of men. Yet, Michelle
prefer to stay as the way she is, she does not care whether men can see her body shape in her gown.
Michelle, though, remained Michelle: she stayed exactly as she was and eyed the men one by one, paying no attention to the mutterings and truly
sharp stares that she drew from some of them Al-Sanea, 2005: 9.
Michelle braveness can also be seen in her decision to drive a car and dresses up like a man. In Saudi Arabia, it is forbidden for a woman to drive a car
even if the person owns an international driving license. What Michelle did is actually a crime due to the law in Saudi Arabia and she might be accused for driving.
Yet, Michelle is brave enough to still drive and to avoid being caught by the religious police of Saudi Arabia, she dresses up like a man.
The hostess greeted them wearing baggy trousers with lots of pockets and an oversized jacket gear that artfully concealed any sign of femininity
plus a bandanna that hid her hair. To top it all off, she had on a pair of colored sunglasses that gave her the appearance of an adolescent boy who
has escaped parental surveillance 2005: 14 Wearing man s clothes is inappropriate and against the law of Islam that become the
base of law in Saudi Arabia. The risk of being accused for driving by the religious police of Saudi Arabia, shows how brave Michelle is.
d. Educated
