Object of the Study Approach of the Study

32

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

This chapter consists of three parts. They are subject of the study, approach of the study and method of the study. The first is the subject of the study which deals with Saadawi’s novel Woman at Point Zero and also the focus of the study. The second is approach of the study that explains the critical approach in analyzing this novel. They are the sociocultural-historical and the psychological approaches. The last is method of the study as the procedure to analyze the study.

3.1 Object of the Study

This study is to analyze a novel entitled Woman at Point Zero. This novel was written by Nawal El-Saadawi. Nawal El-Saadawi is one of the most popular and controversial writers in Egypt. Nawal El-Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero was originally written in Arabic 1979. It was translated into English by Sherif Hetata. The novel was published nine times. Totally, this novel consists of 103 pages. This novel has brought about a hard criticism about womens inequality in Egypt. In conducting the study, I used the tenth impression which was published in 1999 by Zed Books Ltd. Woman at Point Zero is a novel about the life of Firdaus, a prostitute who is sentenced to death for having killed a pimp in a Cairo street. It tells about Firdauss life from a village childhood to a city prostitute. It also shows the Egyptian society that has affected her controversial act. In the end of the story, Firdaus refuses to sign an appeal to the President that asks for his forgiveness. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 33

3.2 Approach of the Study

According to Rohrberger and Woods, Jr, there are five kinds of approaches. They are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural- historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach 6- 15. In this study, the writer uses the sociocultural-historical and the psychological approaches. The sociocultural-historical approach is needed to analyze the background reasons related to her society why Firdaus wants to get her freedom. How the womens freedom is being searched at that time is a part of sociocultural- historical element which can be explained deeply through this approach. The psychological approach can help the researcher in analyzing human motivation, personality and also behavior patterns that are related to a psychological field. In this study, Firdaus’s motivation in seeking freedom affects her psychological states. By using this psychological approach, this study brings me to see a deeper understanding of Firdaus’s motivation in seeking freedom. However, human motivation is a part of human psychology which can explain more about motivation behavior. Therefore, the psychological approach is relevant to apply to answer the problems formulated in this study which is related to a psychological field.

3.3 Method of the Study