Breaking out of the “Margins”: A Study of Female Characters in Sunset Oasis

Abstract Sunset Oasis (2007), the winner of the inaugural International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2008, remains one of the most important and intricate works by Egyptian writer Bahaa Taher. Based on true historical events, the novel introduces female characters from varied nations and social classes. In spite of their differences, we find these women confined in the “margins” of patriarchal societies portrayed in the novel. This paper intends to shed new light on the circumstances of women imprisoned in the “margins” and on how they struggle against such marginalization. Indeed, women as individuals are unable to confront structural oppression and systematic inequality, as they question and reject the “discipline and punishment” of Patriarchy, and thus display an awareness the readers would applaud as ahead of their time. Hence, their seemingly fruitless endeavor is a glorious defeat.