Nawal El Saadawi’s “In Camera” is all about Leila Al-Fargani’s courtroom trial. As a female in a male dominated world she is constantly describing her experience to that of an animal. For example, Leila states “for a long time she’d been a small animal inside a dark and remote cave and when they addressed her, they only used animal names” (1108). This not only demonstrates the low value society places upon women but it also shows how little Leila feels of herself. She is on trial for “acting out” against the president by referring to him as stupid. However, it was Leila who was abused, raped, and mentally destroyed. Yet, society sees her as the criminal and not the victim. This story written by an Egyptian author and this story encompasses the nature of the political system in Egypt. It captures the essence of what the Egyptian government prioritized and valued, males. What’s upsetting about the situation is that Leila is not even acting out. She is simply stating her point of view, a freedom of expression, that should be a God given right for everyone in the world.
As an Egyptian female I can personally relate to what is being discussed in the novel as it still happens on a daily basis in Egypt. Many females are taught to be obedient to men as a form of respect. The ideology that women are suppose to do what men say is something that is thoroughly believed to this day so when a woman acts out strong repercussions occur. As a country that is trying to develop the fact that women get abused constantly by their spouse is unacceptable. This narrative tries to bring awareness to the issue as the descriptive language allows the reader to visualize the graphic scene Leila had to go through. This tale is meant to spark discussion and bring light to topics like rape and physical abuse since they are seen as controversial and usually happen under closed doors. It’s time to make women understand that there is no shame for they are the victim in the situation. There is no need for Leila and other abused victims to feel like animals. Women have a mind of their own and can do what is best for them unlike animals that are controlled by human beings. “In Camera” attempts to break barriers, tell women that they are worth more than their reproductive organs, and that they should not take abuse from anyone. It is the men who do this that are stupid, not the women who face this heinous act.
My friend, I understand the story better after reading your post. I agree with you as you point out the background information about the status of Eygptian women. Society cares more about its reputation than any others. Just like the father of the victim does not care his daughter being raped but wants to reject the existence of the victim, “[he] wanted to vanish so that no one would see or know him” (1113). The father’s first reaction is to protect his “face,” and this is very immoral to the victim. She did not do anything wrong, and she is not worthy to be treated like an animal.
Hi there,
Your blog post was very interesting to read. It shed more light to the story and had more more meaning to it especially when you wrote on the second paragraph that you, yourself are from Egypt. It is horrible that in some parts of the world women are still being treated this way. The detailed description Nawal El Saadawi gives in “in camera” really shows the reader how horrible this scene was. Women are valued (most) only for being a tool to be used for pleasure and to bare a child but then it is also the way they are (most) tortured for. I now appreciate so much the freedom of speech I have knowing it is not so free to say anything you want. At other places iot can come with a very heavy price.
Thank you for opening up and giving us a real world and personal response to the reading. I agree completely that societies status quos always seems to trump the rights and dignity of individuals. “In Camera,” really does an amazing job of giving the reader the feeling and desperation that Leila is experiencing. I found myself rooting for her and wanting her to be okay especially knowing that she took a chance against the system. There was also a feeling of dread when you realized she would go through more torture upon being taken back and having the judges around her make it a closed hearing.
I agree with the fact that this story has depicted the treatment that women get in trial is unfair. The main character was abused and did not treat well based on the text where it says that she is thirsty and still can feel the wounds in her. But it was very fascinating that although the victim was accused of being the criminal, the moral values that people have did not get swayed because of the power of the judicial branch. Human still could understand what is right and wrong. And I think that is what make people great. However, at the end, the court demands a closed trial instead. At that point, the judicial branch is very corrupted. If people are bind to rule and logic all the time, then what is human. Human will simply be a machine. The declared closed trial shows that judicial branch is not going to treat this woman case fairly and humanly. This reveals that how unfair the government could be.
The trial did not take in consideration the abuse scene Leila experienced. The judge judged Leila only for disrespecting the president where her already to her that girls should not be involved in politics. As consequence, she is being accused for saying the truth and the audience applauded her when they were told why she was charged for. Even though the audience knows this unfairness, they know they cannot do anything because the court has more power than them when it comes to political issues involved.