The Power of Women : The Challenging power relations with Patriarchy in the Modern Novel

Abstract

            The study aimed to analyze patriarchy's responses and negotiations in the essence of “The Single Mom” a novel written by Tonrak, a pen name. The results showed that women in modern society had the power to respond and negotiate patriarchy differently. Women reacted to the patriarchy by using verbal and physical reactions: the former involved impolite words, sarcasm, intimidation and the latter included not tolerating sexual harassment, violence, and law enforcement. The other way involved the power of negotiations through the holy secrets, intermediaries, and economic power. The analysis indicated female characters’ delinquencies, reflecting through the failure to maintain family status and their reactions against male characters to negotiate the patriarchy. As such, the women started to gain more power regardless of being blamed. Instead, they had been positively valued by the societal community. The analysis also showed that women made use of their physical inferior by practising religious beliefs to create their power and assigned the middleman of the equivalent socioeconomic status as a representative to negotiate the patriarchy. In the end, women could remain their power being objected to the patriarchy.