The Story of Zahra

Zahra and her circumstances are a multifaceted symbol of Lebanon. Zahra most obviously embodies the social and political oppression women faced in Lebanon in the 1960s and 1970s, developing the theme of Gender, Oppression, and Violence in 1970s Lebanon. From an early age, she must bear the weight of her mother’s secret—an extramarital affair that implies the lovelessness of Fatmé’s marriage and eventually results in a beating at her husband’s hands. Zahra then becomes victim to the many men who wish to “possess” her in varying degrees—her father wishes to control her, Malek exploits and rapes her, her brother attempts to adorn her in his many spoils of war, and Majed views her as a possession, thinking to himself when they marry, “I was, married at last, the owner of a woman’s body that I could make love to whenever I wished” (83). Zahra tries to fulfill the demands placed upon her but eventually realizes that no matter what she does, it will never be enough. In the end, she is killed by the one man with whom she finds a measure of happiness—a bleak testament to women’s prospects for sexual emancipation.