Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
A second act of resistance is when Firdaus willingly becomes an prostitute in order to be economically self-sufficient. Firdaus had been aware that her marriage was based on the assumption by her uncle and his wife that Firdaus was incapable of supporting herself financially and therefore needed her uncle’s wife’s relative -Sheikh Mahmoud, to provide for her, given that she becomes his wife. However, this discreetly implied that Firdaus had to satisfy his sexual needs in exchange for his material support. Disillusioned with this marriage, Firdaus chooses to be a prostitute. Evidence that this turn towards prostitution is a liberating act for Firdaus is clear when she says how “all women are prostitutes of one kind or another...I preferred to be a free prostitute, rather than an enslaved wife. ” She also highlights the inherent advantage that prostitutes have over wives, which she highlights as economical independence. This is seen in “...the lowest paid body is that of the wife...”. She further reinforces this advantage by using her body to earn a great sums of money, effectively juxtaposing with the amount she had received from her husband. As seen in, “...from time to time I said no. As a result my price kept going up.” It can been seen that the very act of prostitution has liberated her from the institution of marriage which forces women to be financially dependent on their husbands, in exchange for obligatory sex.
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
A third act of resistance is when Firdaus uses counter violence resulting in the murdering of the abusive pimp. Despite the fact that she has been liberated from the institution of marriage, Firdaus still remained a victim to the physical violence that men impose on women in order to maintain control. In response, Firdaus killed her pimp. This act of violence is not only an act of resistance but also an act of psychological liberation in which she finally overcomes her fear of men. This is seen in, “I realized I had been afraid...until the fleeting moment I read fear in his eyes.” She also suggests that the nature of men’s control over women is tenuous and that women are equally as violent as a man can be, as seen in, “I was astonished to find how easily my hand moved as I thrust the knife into his flesh, and pulled out almost without effort.”. She further prove this by threatening the Arab prince as seen in, “...I lifted my hand high up above my head and landed it violently on his face.” The action of Firdaus suggest that by killing a man she has effectively become immune to intimidation from men as she is equally capable of violence. Therefore, it is apparent that at this point of the story Firdaus has liberated herself economically, physically and psychologically from the patriarchal oppressions of her society.
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
Firdaus’s ultimate form of resistance against the social hegemony is self-sacrifice. Her defiance to conform to patriarchal expectations ultimately leads to her execution. Although it is apparent that this death does not liberate her physically, her execution vindicates her philosophy and serves as a rationale to justify her actions in life. Firdaus was given a chance to be released but talked back to the authorities and expressed her desire to die than live as seen in, “...I have triumphed over both life and death because I no longer desire to live, nor do I any longer fear to die.” Even though she realizes the price of refusing to renounce her knowledge of the “truth” was death, it empowers her as it “protects” her “from fearing death, life, or hunger, or nakedness, or destruction”. She reinforces the idea the her execution vindicate her philosophy through stating, “I prefer to die for a crime I have committed rather than to die for one of the crimes which you have committed.”
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
While Firdaus faced oppression from a patriarchal society, Mersault confronts a more philosophical oppression. His society cannot tolerate his disinterest to their moral conventions. Mersault’s first act of resistance to this oppression is when he refuses to lie about his feeling towards his mother and the murder of the Arab. Meursault’s first words establishes his lack of concern with behaving accordingly to the social norms of his society “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” His unwillingness to sacrifice his principal to his lawyer indicates his indifference to the social norms of his society, as seen in, “ Then he asked me if he can say that I controlled my natural feelings that day. I said ‘No, because it’s not true.’...He left, looking angry. ” Furthermore, his refusal to provide a satisfying rationale or show remorse for his murder further highlights his nihilistic and defiant attitude to the social norms of as seen in, “...I said it was by chance...the prosecutor remarked in a malicious tone ‘That will be all for the present’... ”
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
Meursault’s second act of resistance is when he refuses to sacrifice his principals to the priest who insisted that he accepted that there existed a second world. Had he accepted this notion of would be treason to this world and it would imply that his existence was a lie. Outrage by the priest who insisted that he “turn over to god”, Meursault stated “...I didn’t have much time left. I didn't want to waste it on God”. Although society see him as a man lacking strong emotions, the truth it is exactly the opposite as in reality he is a man so devoted to his principals of life that his strong emotions are accentuated through his stubbornness to comply with oppressive demands as seen in, “...for some reason, something exploded inside me. I started shouting at the top of my voice and I insulted him and told him not to pray for me...pouring everything out at him from the bottom of my heart in a paroxysm of joy and anger.” Finally, he convinces the priest and demonstrates that his philosophy was the most rational one, “Nothing, nothing mattered and I knew very well why. He too knew why...His eyes were full of tears. ”
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
Like Firdaus, Meursault’s final act of resistance was sacrificing himself to the penal system. by giving in to the demands of the oppression it would negated the meaning and purpose of their existence.The social hegemony proved itself to be incapable of understanding Meursault’s motives and their decision to execute him only reinforces their ignorance, making a mockery of their “justice”. This is seen in “...another thing had surprised him...I didn’t know how old mother was. ” “...I said quickly it was because of the sun. Some people laughed.” As a response to their self-deliverance from oppression, the hegemony was keen to use the law as a rationale to abolish whatever trace of freedom each they had experienced. As seen in “The Outsider” where the prosecutor said, “I asked for this man’s head, and I do so with an easy mind...never before have I felt this onerous task so fully compensated and counter balanced...enlightened by a sense of urgent and sacred duty...”Although Meursault was aware of the fact that his philosophy was seen as an existential threat, he was glad to die for his cause as seen in “...laid myself open to the benign indifference of the world...I realized I’d been happy, and that I was still happy....For the final consummation...my last wish was that there should be a crowd of spectators at my execution and that they should greet me with cries of hatred.”
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
In conclusion, both novels can be read as sustained acts of resistance against social hegemonies. It has been illustrated that Firdaus’s resistance is against a patriarchal society and it has been shown through her. Meursault’s act of resistance was directed against an oppressive social code based on Christian morality that Meursault could not believe in. Despite the benefits that he would have gained for even lying about this feeling, he refused. It could be argued therefore the very existence of Firduas and Meursault was an act of resistance, as they both present an “outsider” that challenges the hegemony of the oppressive regimes. Both characters revealed through various acts of resistance that they could not be controlled or manipulated by the oppressive forces of society.
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
Bibliography
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, and Sharīf Ḥatātah. Woman at Point Zero. London: Zed, 2007. Print.
Camus, Albert, and Joseph Laredo. The Outsider. [London]: Penguin, 2000. Print.
Copyright © 2011 Jensen Pon 13E Island School. All rights reserved.
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 94
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 45
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 45
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 99
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 99
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 97
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 107
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 104
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 109
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 110
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 112
Saʻdāwī, Nawāl, Woman at Point Zero Pg 111
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 9
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 65
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 85
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 114
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 115
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 115
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 86
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 99
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 99
Albert Camus, The Outsider Pg 117
