Violence and aggression are the hallmark of old patriarchal societies where men’s supremacy was the main value underpinning a family. However and unfortunately, it would be too early to talk about such type of social structure using the past tense, since even in our today’s open-minded world patriarchal families based on men’s violence and women’s oppression are not a rare case.
While trying to understand why such a situation could take place and why Beth could follow and obey her husband so long, it would be helpful to address the theoretical approach suggested by Andersen and Collins, namely a so-called matrix of domination that primarily looks into the social structure of a society and power distribution therein (Andersen & Collins, 4). It is evident that Beth’s social and cultural environment replete with all kinds of signs of male supremacy (men boxing and building their muscles in the streets and pubs, drinking and fighting everywhere) has shaped her submissive attitude toward her husband. As a matter of fact, all women and men around her behave similarly, and men’s supremacy even though they may beat and humiliate their wives, not work, spend their time drinking in pubs and do nothing for their families, is undeniable for this kind of society.
For this reason, it would be quite useless to compare or contrast this society’s stereotypes with those existing for example in American society, or trying to look into various ingredients of Beth’s identity (her ethnic group, religion, age, etc.), since such approaches would definitely enable us with some knowledge about this woman and her environment, but would say nothing on the reasons for Beth’s submissive behavior and basis of Jake’s aggression and violence. Only if we apply the lenses of domination matrix to this situation, we will be able to understand that actually there was nothing abnormal in such an attitude toward a woman for this particular society where men are considered to be the sole gender entitled to make decisions, and women are nothing but disenfranchised servants of their husbands.
In conclusion, while trying to answer the question who is guilty in that such a situation might have taken place nowadays, the matrix of domination seems quite appropriate in order to find the right response. It is obvious that both Jake and Beth are guilty and innocent at the same time. They are guilty because they follow their societal pattern despite its blatantly unjust nature. They are not because this pattern of behavior was imposed to them by their environment, namely by the patriarchal structure of their society with a pronounced supremacy of men over women. However, in the end of the film, Beth turns against her husband, and her protest is directed not only against him, but against cultural stereotypes on the role of a woman in her society. In this context, Beth’s evolution through the film opposed to Jake’s degradation, is obvious revealing an extremely strong female character whose moral supremacy over her male counterpart is an inescapable fact.
Works cited
Andersen, Margaret L., Collins, Patricia Hill. Why Race, Class and Gender Still Matter. RCG, Cengage Learning, 2014, pp. 1-14.
Once Were Warriors. Directed by Lee Tamahori, performances by Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Julian Arahanga, and Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Communicado Productions, 1994.
