Love vs. Politics: Oppression in Cisneros and Al-Saadawi

Introduction: Two Narratives of Female Oppression

The predominant similarity between Sandra Cisneros's short story "Eyes of Zapata" and Nawal al-Saadawi's "In Camera" is that both narratives deal with the oppression of women who fail to conform to the limited roles that society constructs for their gender. Such oppression takes many forms in each of these tales. In Cisneros's story, the protagonist is ravaged by both the effects of war and the repercussions those effects produce for her husband, a military leader. In al-Saadawi's narrative, the protagonist is both physically and intellectually persecuted through overt, gruesome methods. An examination of both works reveals that, due to the nature of the oppression the lead character endures in Cisneros's writing, that tale is unequivocally a love story, whereas the nature of the oppression endured by the protagonist in al-Saadawi's story reveals it to be more political in nature.

Patriarchal Society in Cisneros's Mexico

One of the principal points of commonality within both narratives is that they take place within patriarchal societies. The setting for Cisneros's work is war-torn Mexico, a fact which contributes directly to the oppression of the main character, Ines. Ines's husband holds a prominent position in the military and, since the country is at war, is widely admired — particularly by other women. His occupational responsibilities require lengthy periods away from Ines, despite the fact that the pair has two children together. The result is that Ines's lover not only physically and emotionally neglects her, but also pursues sexual relationships — even fathering children — with numerous other women. The following quotation both alludes to this fact and illustrates the degree of oppression Ines must endure while accepting that there is little she can do to have her lover solely to herself:

"These stupid country girls, how can they resist you? The magnificent Zapata in his elegant charro costume, riding a splendid horse… You're not a man for them: you're a legend, a myth, a god. But you are as well my husband. Albeit only sometimes" (Cisneros 100).

The most significant aspect of this quotation is that it details the mental anguish Ines endures because of her husband's physical absence and his lack of fidelity. It is important to note that this form of oppression occurs within a patriarchal society in which men — especially military men — are permitted to pursue multiple women for their pleasure. Ines is thus oppressed by a society that tolerates and reinforces such patriarchy as it pertains to her heart and to the man she loves. Her specific form of persecution relates directly to her romantic attachment, which is why "Eyes of Zapata" is, at its core, a love story.

Political Repression in Al-Saadawi's Egypt

By contrast, the central theme in al-Saadawi's work is the repression of women not for romantic or personal reasons, but for political ones. The oppression that the main character, Leila, endures is difficult to bear. Set within Egypt, it is hard to determine which form of subjugation is worse — the intellectual or the physical. From a broader perspective, one may argue that the intellectual form is more insidious; this is underscored by the central plot element in which Leila is on trial for her life because she dared to insult the President by calling him stupid. The notion that so trivial a remark could determine a woman's fate attests to the fact that in al-Saadawi's world, women are expected to remain silent. The following quotation, in which Leila's father reflects on her past and fate while observing her trial, illustrates this point:

"He had neither name nor existence. What is left of a man whose honor is violated? He had told her bitterly: Politics, my girl, is not for women and girls. But she had not listened to him. If she had been a man, he would not be suffering now the way he was" (al-Saadawi 3006).

This passage is key because it shows the extent of the intellectual oppression women face in this work. Leila's own father sides with the patriarchal society around him. He is aware that she has been tortured and mistreated simply for expressing a negative opinion about a political figure — and he agrees with the torturers and the political system that holds women to silence, especially on matters of politics. He not only regrets what she did, but even regrets that she is a woman. This passage clearly signals the political nature of the narrative and the intellectual repression that defines Leila's persecution.

Conclusion: Love Story vs. Political Critique

Both Cisneros and al-Saadawi render acts of oppression and persecution against women. Al-Saadawi portrays the intellectual and physical subjugation women endure under authoritarian political structures, while Cisneros shows how war's effects on women are filtered through the lens of romantic suffering. The primary distinction between these works lies in the context in which oppression takes place: political in al-Saadawi and romantic in Cisneros. It is this distinction that makes "In Camera" a political narrative and "Eyes of Zapata" a love story — two works united by the theme of female subjugation yet separated by the forces that drive it.

Works Cited

Cisneros, Sandra. "Eyes of Zapata." Woman Hollering Creek. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1991. Print.

Al-Saadawi, Nawal. In Camera. Print.