4.2.2.3 Oppressors
Oppression is the systematic mistreatment of one group of people by another group of people or by society as a whole; with institutional power as a
means of asserting that mistreatment WMST-L, 1998, p.1. A man as the head of the household might oppress his family in order to create a good household.
However, the way a man oppresses someone especially the woman will not be the same. It can be found in the story when a man treats Firdaus softly although his
purpose is to have sex with her p. 68. On the contrary, a police officer treats Firdaus badly by giving threat to take her in the police station p. 66. In fact,
Firdaus sees men do oppress in every part of daily life. If there is something wrong in the household, a husband will blame and jeer at a wife. Having a son is a
must because a son is superior. If a daughter dies, a husband will do nothing. Whereas, if a son dies the husband will hit the wife, jeer at her, and curse her.
Patriarchal and hierarchal system in Egypt makes women not have any space get their right. The rule makes the men hold many aspects. Seeing those
realities, women are oppressed in many aspects. They are oppressed as a mother, a wife, a woman, and a citizen. They cannot work outside the house. That fact
affects Firdaus‟ perception on men. Her social perception especially her attitudes, motives, interests, and expectations greatly influences her decision as a prostitute.
In the novel many people oppress Firdaus. Many times men oppress her. They do oppress in many ways, but mostly it is about sexual desire. One of the examples is
when a police officer asks her to go with him. He says that he will take her in a
police station if she refuses to go with him. She has no choice; finally, she goes with him and has sex pp. 66-67.
4.2.2.4 Liars
Firdaus sees men as liars. They do promise, but after that they break it. Bayoumi breaks his promise to give Firdaus a job. He makes her stay in his house
while waiting for a job. In fact, he does even rape her p. 52. Another one is a police officer. He asks her to go with him. He promises to give her money. In fact,
he does not give her the money as his promise pp. 66-67. Fawzy is also a liar that Firdaus meets in Sharifa‟s apartment. He says that he wants to protect her
from Sharifa‟s abuse. He wants to marry her. In fact, he does even have sex with Sharifa p. 62-64.
Ibrahim is the person who makes Firdaus come back to her previous job as a prostitute. Formerly, she decides to live normally as other women. She does not
want to be a prostitute anymore. She works in an office. She meets Ibrahim as a colleague. She has impressed him for her critical thinking about justice for the
workers. She loves him and they make love. Unfortunately, one of her friends tells her that Ibrahim is engaged with the chairperson‟s daughter p. 90. He is a liar
because he seems pretending to love her and wants to protect her. Justice and the abolition are only a mask to get the money and position in that company. Finally,
he gets the chairperson‟s daughter. She says that this experience is the hardest, saddest, and the most painful she has in her life. “I had never experienced
suffering such as this, never felt deeper pain” p. 93.
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