An Egyptian Woman in the Novel Al-Bab al- Maftooh: Emphasis on the Constructive Fiction

The novel Al-Bab al-Maftooh by Latifah al-Zeyat is considered to be one of the best among dozens of Arabic novels for the issue it tries to highlight. One such issue is about the debatable relationship between the freedom of a girl on the one hand and the freedom of the society she lives in, where the author reaches to the conclusion that the girl does not find her freedom unless she accomplishes universality that is more important and bigger aspect and what the novel deals about is the struggle for her emancipation and liberation of country from colonialism. Leila -the main character of the novel- is an Egyptian college girl who is calling for liberation from tradition and crumbling social customs. She is a model for Egyptian girls living in a male-dominated society where women are being looked inferior and always face suppression of dreams and ambitions, and yet Leila, with her strong will in defending her rights, is a role model. At the end of the novel, Leila succeeds in achieving her personal feat and chose the one she fell in love. With her success at social level, she participates in the accomplishment of the biggest achievement i.e. to liberate the nation from the colonial rule. With descriptive -analytical approach, the current research takes into account the social criticism and the girl’s image in the feminine work of Al- Bab al- Maftooh by Latifa al-Zeryat. The study aims to highlight the role of women in the historical incidents and their active participation side by side with men for better future.