This study explores the use of oceanic metaphors in contemporary Arab women's literature, pointing out how they serve as tools against patriarchal culture, the arrogance of industrial civilization, and the alienation of post-industrial society, revealing truths obscured by mainstream narratives, and carrying the profound implications of self-awakening, ecological critique, cultural introspection, and historical resistance.

The Cradle of Women's Self-Rebirth: The Natural Sea Beyond Civilizational Discipline

It explores the connection between women and the sea in the works of Arab women writers, pointing out that the sea symbolizes freedom and primordial power beyond civilization, echoing women's predicament within patriarchal culture. By analyzing three works—Lebanese writer Sheikh's *Two Women by the Sea*, Kuwaiti writer Othman's *Wasmiya Jumps Out of the Sea*, and Algerian writer Bey's *In the Beginning, There Was the Sea*—it reveals how women, in this special domain of the sea, discover their own bodies, pursue freedom, and navigate the dilemmas and rebirths within traditional society and wartime violence. Houda regains bodily freedom in the seawater; Wasmiya masters her fate in a tragic form; Nadia obtains fleeting freedom and vitality by the seaside. These stories unveil the structural predicaments of women in traditional society and their unyielding pursuit of freedom and authenticity.

The Utopia of Human-Nature Symbiosis: Looking Back at the Sea in the Petroleum Age

It delves into ecofeminist theory, noting that under the dual influence of androcentrism and anthropocentrism, both women and nature are relegated to a dominated position. Taking *Wasmiya Jumps Out of the Sea* as an example, through the imagery of the sea, it demonstrates how the female protagonist Wasmiya breaks free from the control of her father and brother to gain freedom, as well as the complex emotions of the fisherman Abdullah towards the sea. Kuwait's transition from a traditional fishery economy to a petroleum industry led to drastic changes in the relationship between humans and nature. Abdullah deeply resents the destructive nature of the petroleum industry and clings to a harmonious coexistence with the sea. His sentiments are paralleled with the organic view of nature held by humans in the Western pre-industrial era, while the predatory nature of the petroleum industry resembles the mechanistic worldview after the Industrial Revolution. Ultimately, Abdullah follows his beloved into the sea by suicide, symbolizing the pursuit of an ideal utopia where humans and nature coexist in harmony.

The Illusion of Commercial Symbols: "The Sea is Dead" in Beirut

It examines Syrian woman writer Samman's critical reflections on modern society in her short story *Beirut Has No Sea*. Set in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, the story, through the perspective of the female protagonist, reveals the contradiction between material abundance and spiritual poverty in consumer society. The protagonist arrives in Beirut from Damascus, hoping to find spiritual freedom and intellectual richness in the modern metropolis. However, she discovers that behind Beirut's prosperity lies an illusion of commercial symbols, where people pursue symbolic value rather than genuine happiness in their consumption. This consumption is hijacked by mass culture, leading to a loss of freedom and subjectivity. In her disappointment, the protagonist searches for the poet Suleiman, attempting to resist the logic of commercial capital through the power of art, and eventually finds her authentic self and spiritual freedom by the seaside.

The Immortal "Annals" and "Documents": The Mediterranean and the National Memory of the Palestinians

It explores the significant role of the Mediterranean in Palestinian national memory and how Palestinian literature resists oblivion and the erosion of identity by writing about the sea. Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, Palestinians faced territorial loss and an identity crisis, leading to a distinct theme of "resistance" in their literary works. Palestinian poetess Azzam, in her poem *Immortal Sea, Your Sea*, views the Mediterranean as the eternal annals of the Palestinian people. By recalling her father's life and teachings by the sea, she weaves together Arabic poetry from classical to modern times, showcasing the historical changes and identity formation of the Palestinians. Azzam also focuses on the suffering of children in Gaza in her poem *Write My Name*, emphasizing the importance of individual identity. Woman writer Germoot's novel *The Sea's Veil* is set on the beaches of Gaza, depicting the daily lives of civilians during war, revealing the intertwining of gender oppression and national plight, and the erosion of daily life by conflict. These works, all set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean, showcase the collective memory and national identity of the Palestinian people, and their efforts to find hope amidst suffering.