Patriarchy In Yaa Gyasi's The House Of The Spirits

As Yaa Gyasi most sagaciously notes in her first novel, “We believe the one who has power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there, you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.” (Gyasi 239) It is this thought that genuinely highlights the harsh truths of history and how only one side of the story is being told. In her novel Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi showcases the neverending cycle of oppression that exists by having each chapter from the point of view of one character. As the chapters move chronologically and without skipping generations,

His actions unearth the cruelty and abuse that women and those in lower classes always have and will continue to struggle with. When The House of the Spirits was set, women were expected to obey and depend on their fathers, brothers, and husbands. Additionally, women were expected to act as wives, mothers, and caregivers. Because of this, their education and upbringing were geared towards this goal. An example of patriarchy in the novel is the bright red flag, also known as Esteban Trueba. His treatment of women varied due to their class, looks, obedience, and other qualities. When Esteban was a young man and felt his life was out of control after his betrothed, Clara’s sister, Rosa, died, he went to the small village he owned. When Esteban first moves to Tres Marías, living on his family’s country estate, he violently rapes a young peasant girl named Pancha García. Pancha never fought back becuase “Before her, her mother—and before her, her grandmother—had suffered the same animal fate.”(Allende). This type of violence against women was seen as unfortunate but standard in Pancha's society; most women and young girls learned to expect it. When Pancha García and other women Esteban assaulted become pregnant with his children, society’s influence and Esteban’s terrible personality are evident because he ignores the “bastards,” the mothers, and any other problems that arise in his wake. The volume of the patriarchal society is reflected in Esteban’s requirement for his legitimate sons to carry his name, and it is further mirrored in the disrespectful and abusive way Esteban treats the women in his