and serve him well Mayo 74. Thus by marrying a Bengali man, Ammu breaks the law. She disobeys the caste rule. She wants to be equal with men, that is to
get married in accordance to her choice.
b. Patriarchal System
In this novel, Roy also portrays the patriarchal society in India. Patriarchal society is almost the same as the caste system. Both place men in the upper
positions. In a patriarchal system, a father has the supreme authority in the family. Father is the head of the family. Father also has the role to fulfill the family’s
needs economically. In patriarchal society, a wife often gets domestic violence from the husband. The husband often beats their wife if his will can not be
achieved and fulfilled Madsen 66. When she is a girl, Ammu experiences a domestic violence from her father –
Papachi. Papachi often beats her and her mother. The situation makes her protest against the situation. She develops a self defense towards her father’s cruel deeds.
She feels a very high sense of injustice and develops her stubbornness. She permits quarrel and confrontation.
It is also described in the novel that Ammu in her teenage cannot get high education like her brother – Chacko. Her father, Papachi, thinks that education for
a girl is not needed. It is an unnecessary expense for a girl. The only thing Ammu can do is waiting for a marriage proposal. While she waits for the proposal she
helps her mother, Mamachi, with the house work. Most people in India think that education is not important for girls because later they will not use it. They will be
housewives. They will not need any formal education because they only take care of the children and do the housework. Another reason is education for girls will
not give the family benefits. They prefer to educate their boys because in the future they will make the parents and family happy and comfortable. While the
girls after marriage will be at the mercy of others Mayo 80. Chacko, Ammu’s brother, has the opportunity to get higher education.
Papachi sends him to Oxford. The father treats him differently. When Ammu asks her father to continue her study, he refuses it.
As patriarchal system has rooted in India’s life, Chacko in his family has the highest position after Papachi dies. He has the full rights in his home. He can give
a command to the whole family including his mother – Mamachi. Chacko never acknowledges Ammu’s work. Although Ammu does as much as in the factory as
Chacko, he never appreciates it. Chacko always says everything in their house as “mine”. Ammu has no claim to the property because she is a woman and a
daughter. Ammu does many things to achieve the equality. She works as hard as
Chacko does in the factory. She wants to prove to Chacko that a woman can do what a man does. In fact, Chacko never acknowledges it but she keeps struggling.
Though Ammu did as much work in the factory as Chacko, whenever he was dealing with food inspectors or sanitary engineers, he always referred to
it as my factory, my pineapples, my pickles. Legally, this was the case because Ammu, as a daughter, had no claim to the property.
Chacko said,’ What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is also mine.’ Roy 57 Working wives in patriarchal system are breaking the rule. It is because the
husband is the person who fulfills the family financial needs. The task of a wife is PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
taking care of the children and doing the housework. If they work, it means they deny their fate as a woman and a wife. Thus, by working hard Ammu wants to
show to people that she is capable to do that, and she is equal with men. It is also described in the novel that in her family Ammu often gets domestic
violence from her husband, Baba. When her husband asks her to go to Mr. Hollick, and Ammu refuses it, he husband grabbes her hair, and punches her. The
violence begins to involve the children. Ammu feels that she has to leave her husband. Thus, she finally asks for divorce, and she leaves her husband Roy 42.
c. Society’s Treatments
