In many states all over the universe. including China. patriarchate is the overturning belief system of allowing work forces more authorization. societal power. and political power than adult females harmonizing to historian and writer. Dr. Robert Guisepi. In many cases. adult females are treated no otherwise than slaves with no voice in determinations or control over what happens in their houses. Our writer. Maxine Hong Kingston. writes major subjects environing the life of a Chinese immigrant that lived in a patriarchal society and kept those beliefs even after life in the United States for many old ages ( Kingston ) . Bing the girl of first-generation immigrants that owned a wash in Stockton. California. gave her a alone penetration into the life of a Chinese immigrant and what life in China was like for her parents and grandparents. Her major rubrics were under the subject of “The Woman Warrior” and included: No Name Woman. White Tigers. Shaman. Angstrom Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe. and General ( uncp. edu ) .
In 1981. Kingston won the Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction. an award that is given to the best artistic and originative endowment ( gf. org ) . In the narrative. No Name Woman. we are taken into the universe of a adult female who has sexual dealingss outside of her matrimony and ends up pregnant. We shortly discover that because of the patriarchal system in China during 1924. the pregnant adult female was likely forced by a male in the small town to subject to sexual demands ( Kingston ) . Worse yet. the adult male most likely participated in the subsequent assault and shaming of the pregnant adult female and her household. Because all of the control lies with the work forces of the household or small town. the patriarchal system frequently leads to abusive gender prejudice and force against adult females. including colza and gestation that necessarily become the mistake of the adult female with the adult male or aggressor bearing no duty or incrimination. In the beginning of the narrative. we discover that the narrator’s aunt is pregnant even though her hubby has been off for old ages. The small town notices the ever-growing abdomen and makes note of when the babe would be due down to the exact day of the month. It about seems like the small town besides knew who the perpetrator may hold been and when the sexual assaults began.
The villagers appear on the dark of the birth due day of the month to bust the household house disguised in white masks ( Kingston ) . The villagers included both work forces and adult females. In patriarchal societies work forces hold the power over adult females. but to some degree adult females are accepting of this agreement. The word “society” means work forces and adult females together that signifier this manner of populating harmonizing to the writer Allan Johnson. Many would believe that adult females would experience for a adult female in this state of affairs and non take part in the foray. Writers Frances O’Connor and Becky Drury explain that in a patriarchal society. adult females seldom get to see power or being aggressive against another individual. A foray such as this is one of those rare events where they can see control and power even if it is against another adult female.
In being complicit in these foraies the adult females in the small town are perpetuating the behaviours that they may happen themselves the victim of one twenty-four hours. The most distressing fact was that the adult male who had demanded sex was likely one of the people non merely take parting in the foray. but besides orchestrating the foray to be rid of the adult female he impregnated. There were no effects or penalty of any sort for him. The patriarchal system reserved the penalty to the adult female who was unfortunate plenty to go pregnant as a consequence of her assault. Kingston writes. “Women in the old China did non take. Some adult male had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret immorality. I wonder whether he masked himself when he joined the foray on her household. ” ( Kingston 7 )
The foray from the villagers was a entire devastation of any and all of the family’s belongings ( Kingston ) . Part of the assault involved killing the family’s farm animal. including cocks. hogs. and even an ox. The villagers sprayed blood all over the house by flinging poulets after slicing their pharynxs ( Kingston ) . They destroyed the household ownerships. and smashed walls and doors. “We stood together in the center of the house. in the household hall with all the images and tabular arraies of ascendants around us. and looked consecutive in front. ” The adult females dared non travel or contend back in any manner. The shame that rained down on them that dark from the villager’s assault was enormous. The fact that the work forces and adult females of the small town participated in this assault made it clear the household would be ostracized by all and there would be no forgiveness.
The aunt gave birth all entirely that dark and pass some clip with her kid. After passing some clip with her kid. unhappily. the aunt killed herself and her kid by leaping in the well and submerging them both. The kid was most likely a girl. because had it been a male child the aunt would hold known that there might hold been room for forgiveness from the villagers ( Kingston ) . Dr. Guisepi explains that male child kids have more value in the Chinese patriarchal system than misss. In patriarchal society. harmonizing to the writer Jiping Zuo. adult females secure their place in the household by bring forthing male kids and guaranting the line of descent of a household.
The most distressing consequence of this foray from the villagers. apart from the self-destruction. is the shame that the household felt even fifty old ages subsequently ( Kingston ) . The shame of the aunt acquiring pregnant ne’er let up. The aunt was ne’er discussed and the writer merely found out about it from her female parent in muted close treatment under a promise of ne’er adverting the aunt to her male parent. The writer had been convinced over the old ages that adverting the aunt might somehow genuinely injure her male parent. In retrospect. the writer felt like a co-conspirator for deliberately burying her aunt and non carefully analyzing what truly happened ( Kingston ) . By take parting in the silence. the writer was assisting to penalize the dead spirit of her aunt. The household punished the aunt by ne’er offering any “paper frocks. spirit money. paper houses. and the incense and steam from nutrient. ” The belief was that she would be everlastingly a hungry spirit. punished for infinity. Kingston writes. “My aunt remains everlastingly hungry. Goods are non distributed equally among the dead. ”
The patriarchal system is a gender-biased system and often irrationally opprobrious to the female gender harmonizing to Dr. Guisepi. Regardless of who may hold participated in a black act. the adult female is the lone one punished and ostracized. In many state of affairss. the black act is forced on the adult female with no effect to the work forces involved. In this type of society. adult females have no rights and treated as submissive belongings. They are hierarchically one degree above slaves or farm animal. Dr. Joseph Pleck explains that they are taught to obey without inquiry and so must later subject to any maltreatment heaped on them as a consequence of obeying. The patriarchal system is a violent. woman hater. and opprobrious manner of life for adult females. The narrative of the disregarded aunt is a perfect illustration of patriarchate. maltreatment of power and people. lip service. misplaced incrimination. and gender prejudice.
