awareness of being suppressed and they want to get in the equal position also they seems not to agree the patriarchal rules and practices in their life.
Unequal position also seen through Deedi’s experience. She has to be
struggle in tough condition between her and her husband. Deedi, the youngest sister who chooses her own husband by herself still has to sustain the risks
1992:271. Even if she chooses her own husband, it does not mean she can avoid the patriarchal culture in her life. In some circumstances, an arranged marriage
does not happen in the Muslim family because parents are more concerned to the happiness of their children as the ultimate goal. Becher also wrote,
The idea came up several times in terms of letting children choose their own marriage partners, or only sanctioning a marriage if their child was
willing. Ensuring children were themselves happily settled appeared to be an important goal to many parents Becher, 2008:50-51.
Parents let their children to find their own happiness, they give the freedom to choose their partner by themself, and they hope their children will get what they
deserve. Even though Deedi chooses her husband by herself, still she cannot avoid the
patriarchal culture in her family. As Roona said in the play, ROONA. . . . if they choose the wrong men, like Deedi did, then we, the
parents, will never forgive them.
Roona statement above shows that she admit Deedi chooses the wrong man, it means Deedi’s husband is not a good husband for her. Her husband control
Deedi’s life under the patriarchal role. Deedi’s husband is a jobless person, one thing that he can do is sell Deedi’s gold to feed the children 1992:369. However,
Deedi has to be an obedient wife although her husband does not have
responsibility of the family especially as a breadwinner. Everyone feels sorry for her condition; she is one of the victims of tradition. The tradition that leads
everybody to obey the rule, she, as a homemaker has to fulfil the needs of her household, such as; serving the husband and taking care the kids. One thing that
important is she has to live and survive in the patriarchal rule, when man is the one who can make the decision. Deedi lives in the Islamic country and understand
the rule of the tradition, and this background makes her does not want to be a faithless wife.
2. Role of women and men
One of the role of women in My Ancestor’s House described through the
character of Begum Hajira as the mother. Begum Hajira is an ideal image of Pakistani woman and an obedient wife as well. The ideal image of Pakistani
women are religious, obedient, respect and support the husband, serve the children and educate them. They have to be able to perform the role as a good homemaker
and perform household duties well without complaining. Begum Hajira is a woman that has the criteria of a perfect Pakistani
woman; she portrays the role of women in the family and society. She is the gatekeeper; it means she is the agent that maintain the continuity of patriarchal
culture in Pakistan society. She indirectly gives the understanding about the rule of women in Pakistan that women have to be obedient to men.
Somehow, the role of women in Pakistan made to restrict and limit women
’s movement. Pakistani women have to obey the patriarchal culture and
accept their position as the second opportunity after men. Though it made as a purpose to restrict women, the role of women is also about violence towards
women. Michele Bograd states in the book Women’s Studies A Reader about
gender and power, Although there are many ways that men as a group maintain women in
oppressed social positions, violence is the most overt and effective means of social control. Even if individual men refrain from employing physical
force against their partners, men as a class benefit from how women’s lives are restricted and limited because of their fear of violence by
husbands and lovers as well as by strangers Bograd, 1993:197.
The quotation above shows that men as the superior gender are able to do anything to their lovers or partners. The terms of restriction and violence are
related to each other, women naturally have fear towards men’s power and that
made them have limited space in the society. The restriction towards women happens
in Roona’s experience, she has no social life because of her responsibilities as a wife and mother. She always gets up
in the early morning to serve her family and goes to work. Even though, she is off duty she still has to do the d
omestic work in the family. Based on Roona’s condition, it shows that the patriarchal culture restrict her social life. She cannot
have close friends in the society; the one that she only knows is serve the family. Another character that reflects women restriction is Deedi. She is the
victims of traditions; she has no power to escape from her situation because of the power of patriarchy. The violence also happen in Deedi
’s experience, even though she does not get physical violence but she has to experience the physiological and
economic violence. Deedi’s husband never cares about her sick condition and he
does not fulfill his responsibility to his family as a breadwinner. Since her
husband is unemployed, it shows the economical viole nce in Deedi’s life, he only
sells Deedi’s gold to feed the family. In this situation, her husband only takes an
advantage from Deedi. Deedi suffers from the psychological pressure also her heart disease that makes her health condition getting worse and causes her death.
Since her husband never cares about the family, Deedi becomes stressful. This condition shows that Deedi gets physiological and economical violence from her
husband. In the patriarchal family, an arranged marriage is a tradition, especially in
a Muslim family. Parents usually choose their son-in-law or daughter-in-law by themself. Harriet Becher also stated on the book Family Practices in South Asian
Muslim Families, All parents in the interview sample, with one exception, had participated in
arranged marriages, in which their marriage partner was selected by their parents’ families through a process of suggestion and negotiation, with
their own parents or other relatives introducing them to a potential partner or sometimes, a choice of partners Becher, 2008:12.
The purpose of this tradition is to make their children have a bright future, because their parents will selects the marriage partner of their children by careful
consideration. This condition happens on Roona’s experience, she is married with
a Pakistan man that has been chosen by her parents 1992:271. Roona has the double burden, she is a breadwinner and as a wife. She
earns more money than her husband does but her husband treats her as an educated slave 1992:271. Yet she complained of the problems that she faced, but
she cannot do anything because of the father-rule that her husband had. Roona has to serve her husband, like woke up in early morning, made breakfast for the whole
family, get children ready, work until night and so on. Therefore, she does not have social life. As though, her husband takes her freedom, her freedom to gather
with the society. These situations are showing that she gives many efforts to get her life going, she struggles by herself without help from her husband. As
Chaudhry an d Rahman states on the journal “The Impact of Gender Inequality in
Education on Rural Poverty in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysi s”,
Gender is one of the organizing principles of Pakistans society. Home has been defined as a women legitimate ideological and physical space where
she performs her procreative role as a mother and wife while a man dominates the world outside the home and performs his productive role as
a breadwinner 2009:174-175.
The quotation above examines about the position of women in Pakistan is based on the gender of sexuality, women still regarded as a second position in the family
than men is on the number one position who control everything. Women only have their role as a mother and wife to serve their husband and children and
women have to comply any commands from their husband. The quotation above also reflects the practice of patriarchal culture that Roona has to deal with. The
writer can conclude that Roona is helpless on her double burden, in some condition she has to do the housework but on the other hand, she also a working
woman. Nazo’s experience is reflected the patriarchal practice but she seems being
enjoyed the patriarchal culture. She gives full respect to her eldest brother, Sahid and believes that what he decides is the best 1992:275. Even though her husband
also treats her unequal such as exploited her mother’s, she choose to accept his
action and be an obedient wife in the family 1992:270.
C. The Idea of Feminism Reflected Through Roona and Bindia
The idea of feminism reflects through the major female character, Roona and Bindia. Bindia not only shows the awareness about gender equality but also
refusal of male domination. Bindia awares that her life is suppressed by men domination in her life, she wants an equality in her life. Since she has an
awareness of gender equality, she shows her refusal of male domination on the family by avoiding patriarchal culture in her country. Her perspective makes she
decide avoid the patriarchal culture by move to America. On the other hand, Roona only has the awareness of gender equality but
she has no courage to do the same thing as Bindia does. Roona’s awareness
related to the theory by Maggie Humm, as stated in the book The Dictionary of Feminist Theory, “Feminism is the ideology of women’s since intrinsic in all it
approaches is the belief that women suffer injustice because of their sex” Humm, 1990:74. Therefore, feminism is an idea that women and men are in an equal
position, women can do what they want to do. Even though she has the awareness but she also has another consideration that she does not want to be alienated by
the society. The specific description about the ideas of feminism through Roona and Bindia describe on the following descriptions.
1. The awareness that women and men should be equal
Roona has the awareness that she is suppressed by her husband, she realized that she has been treated as a slave by her husband,
