Oppression is a common theme in literature; this is not surprising in light of humanity's history of struggling for power. In literature as in society, there are many factors behind oppression: differences in skin color, gender, religion and family history between them. The only motivation that binds them together is the desire to be in control and a dislike of those who are different. The first step to overcoming oppression is realizing that the system must change. It seems simple, but changing the mentality of an entire society is truly a difficult task that requires the commitment of many. In the novel From Sleep Unbound, Andr'e Chedid uses characterization to reflect the theme that as long as someone is brave enough to change, there is hope that a system can overcome oppression. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Samya, the protagonist, is an example of a victim of oppression in late 20th century Egypt, and her tragic end is the inevitable result of an unjust system. Samya is one of the few to actively rebel against this society. She is a rebellious minority compared to the majority of women who openly accept their role in the system. The other women, however, have distractions: they work, take care of the children, talk to each other. Samya is alone, with the pitiful excuse of a family and an isolation that comes from the fact that she married into a wealthy family. She has to face the corrupt system alone, and one person cannot defeat an entire system. Samya explains her motivation to rebel, stating, “Others besides me must have felt their souls consumed by the interminable duration of a loveless life. They will understand me… And if there is only one who understands me, it is for her that I protest as loudly as I can” (Chedid 133). Perhaps the cruelest fact is that the most Samya can do to fight this system is to accept death. He is a lone soldier at war with an idea, a distorted mentality. She “suffers from something much deeper than boredom… The days [come] one after another, drowning out the past, but [bringing] no relief. [His] pain never [stops] burning. [He wants] to put an end to this” (Chedid 130). He feels he has nothing to lose. In light of these ideas, the reader can see that her husband's murder is inevitable. It's only a matter of time before it breaks loose. When Samya lashes out, even her act of murder and passive acceptance of death does not convince the people of the village that there is a problem within their society. Similar to the situation where the depressed man commits suicide by setting himself on fire, most see only flaws in her. However, similar to that situation, a person sees the real crux of the problem and is changed by it. Samya's action strikes Ammal's heart. Surprisingly, Boutros can also be considered a victim of the system. Of course, he passively implements the system without second thoughts because it benefits him. For example, “Boutros never forgot to place a kiss on [Samya's] forehead every evening, a ritual he could not do without... This thought aroused in [Samya] a final impulse to revolt... One day [she] wouldn't be able to do it anymore. endure it. [She] knew” (Chedid 138). Boutros, out of habit, kisses Samya. He believes it is his right as a husband, and maybe he also feels like he is blessing Samya with his kiss. He is unaware of the rebellion stirring within her and of the fact that in Samya's depression “all the people around her seemed charged with symbolic meaning and in [his] eyes took on an exaggerated importance. The image of Boutros, for example, went much furtherBoutros…[she] burdened upon him [her] sorrows as well as those of the whole world…For [her], he had become the symbol of those who live according to principles as dried up as their souls” (Chedid 132 -133). In Samya's perspective, Boutros is a living representation of the oppression to which Samya is confined. But the reader must keep in mind that this is the norm in Egypt and Boutros has never known any other way of life. Can the blame be placed solely on him if society made him this way? The women of the village can be seen as a single entity, as well as representing the most frustrating component of a deformed social system. Women are the oppressed who accept oppression, those who have allowed themselves to be convinced that they are truly inferior. This is shown when the woman Ratiba's father and brother kill her sister Sayyeda for talking to an unmarried man, and Om el Kher (a popular woman in the village) does not support Ratiba in her anger. Instead, he argues that “Ratiba's father and his brother are right in a sense. In all the villages the men approved of the murder. It was a matter of honor. The men, above all, approved of it. The women took it as a warning” (Chedid 80). There is an emphasis here on how men approved of this murder and women passively accepted it as a sort of reminder of their position in society. The horror of the act is irrelevant, in light of the patriarchal hierarchy in force. The women actually perpetuate the system that hinders them by excluding Ratiba and calling her bitter, telling her to be quiet and passive like them. Samya, similarly, is not included among these women. She is ostracized for being sterile and ultimately ostracizes herself by rejecting the sacred Sheika's advice regarding her infertility. This rift between Samya and the rest of the women is significant, because, as previously mentioned, isolation is what pushes Samya over the edge and makes her more open to rebellion. Ironically, as an outsider he has the most objective perspective of the nature of their situation. The question arises spontaneously: why do the victims impose this system on themselves? Do they believe that change is impossible, that pretending it's okay is better than trying to make a change? Or maybe they're too tired to make a change. Whatever the reasoning, the reason is irrelevant. The reality of this situation is that, as women accept their fate, they condemn themselves and future generations to a life of suffocation under the weight of patriarchy and repressive tradition. The blind man is the only male in the novel who sees the corruption of the nation, and speaks out against it. He is described as “a sort of silent deity who [reigns] over the village when men [are] absent.” Om el Kher tells Samya that “'The day Bahia was beaten, [the blind man] became angry.' But Om el Kher excused him, saying: 'It has been so long since he saw anything. He lives in another world.' When his anger rises, he beats the earth with his staff” (Chedid 81). Om el Kher must excuse the blind man for his small rebellion and his disapproval of violence, because the only socially acceptable response to any men's decisions is unshakable acceptance. The only reason he is allowed even this angry act of beating the cane is because he is old, weak, blind and therefore poses no threat to other men. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay At the end of the novel, after Samya kills Boutros, Ammal realizes that she doesn't want the same life as Samya. He makes a decision and a woman who sees me shouts: “'Ammal is running away!' Leaning against the wall, the.