Imprisonment in Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi is a strongly emphasized theme. Fideaus, the protagonist, is constantly constrained and surveilled within the realms of Egyptian society, subsequently becoming its prisoner emotionally, and twice literally. The significance of imprisonment in Woman at Point Zero is not just for plot or dramatic effect. In writing Woman At Point Zero Nawal El Saadawi wishes to inform the reader about the imprisonment experienced by some women in repressive countries. In this way, he intends the protagonist Firdaus to represent not just one woman but many. The imprisonment in Woman at Point Zero is not just that of the literal sense, of the lock and key. Throughout the novel Firdaus is subjected to various forms of imprisonment, emotionally by society's expectations, mentally and physically both in prison and as a literal prisoner of Bayoumi. Further imprisonment is introduced to the reader through the use of the "eyes" motif to show how, in Firduse's social paradigm, she was, and felt, constantly surveilled by the patriarchal Egyptian society. Throughout Firduse's life she is also subjected to varying degrees and forms of imprisonment. as a child under her parents' control she finds herself "helpless", she is also a prisoner of an arranged marriage with her husband Sheikh Mahmoud in his, and society's social expectations for her behaviors are a married woman. She later describes herself and the other women as having been "bound in marriage and chastised with menial service all their lives." The verb to bind is directly connotative of a physical imprisonment from which one desperately wants to free oneself, it is also added to the negative tone, demonstrating that marriage was a hard, difficult trap, almost impossible to escape. While marriage is generally not… half the story… of Firdaus and also allows for a better understanding of her motivations and desperation to be free, having been watched and imprisoned her entire life. The theme of captivity is significant in making readers question their own way of life as Firdaus does, making us count our blessings or wonder if we are all prisoners in some smaller way. By repeating the theme of captivity in various ways, El Saadawi also ensures that it is brought to readers' full attention, provoking us either into action to ensure less captivity for women like Firdaus or into guilt over our supposedly freer lives. Firdaus, continually imprisoned and oppressed, symbolizes every woman today subjected to the imprisonment and injustices of their societies, and in a world where this continually happens, this theme is universally significant and relevant in today's modern societies..