The Rain God - Patriarchy

Patriarchy

Miguel Grande – Juanita:
He is a big man whose presence dominates all family gatherings and whose sins the family chose to ignore because it can rely on him during all crises. In the marriage to Juanita he is the one who earns the money for the family: “I’m the head of this family!”, he says about himself while Juanita is the housewife and mother. For him it is especially important that his son Miguel Chico is brought up like a man. He is not allowed to cry or run away. He is the decision-maker in the family and Juanita trusts him unconditionally. However, by cheating on her he took advantage of her naiveté. Nevertheless at some point he can not take the feelings of guilt anymore and he confesses his affair with Lola to Juanita. Even in this situation Juanita does not think about her pain, but makes sure his pride as a man is not hurt. Although Juanita wanted a direct confrontation with Lola and Miguel, this confrontation did not happen for a long time because "He wouldn't allow it". Miguel Grande is presented in the novel as a typical patriarch.

Miguel Grande – Lola:
Their relationship differs a lot from his marriage: He recognizes Lola as an equal at least in bed, he is very attentive to her needs and she alone gets away with belittling him in front of other without having him retreat into hurt masculine pride. Although this relationship was just a love affair at the beginning, he falls in love with Lola and feels like he cannot live without her. When he is jealous because Lola danced with other men, she did not apologize since she does not need his ok. Consequently she has some kind of power over him.

Miguel Chico:
He does not believe in the traditional family structure since he did not get married although the family wants him to. He was always told by his father to be a man, but he is very sensitive and intelligent. Miguel Chico did not at all turn out the way his father wants him to be. He is not at all a dominant man or a patriarch.

Ernesto – Nina:
From the start Nina had recognized his superiority over her, but they can usually rely on each other. Both are described as stubborn and consequently seem to be rather equal partners. Nina is very authoritarian with her children and she even beats them as a method of disciplining them. The way she raises her children is very similar to the way her father brought her up. He was a tyrant and a patriarch. Her last words to Anthony were the same her father said to Nina and Juanita: “Behave yourselves". In their childhood Nina and Juanita suffered from their father’s arbitrary nature. When he drank he was able to beat them severely and they were not allowed to start eating until he had finished. Although Nina had a problematic relationship to her father, because of him being a patriarch, it seems like she does not see another way of raising her children.

El Compa – Lola:
During their marriage, El Compa spoiled Lola by giving her everything she wants. Lola refuses to become a normal housewife and in a way is even proud of not being a typical housewife and not being able to cook. Lola has been in love with El Compa for a long time and she even named one of her children after him. She teases him by calling him a "fairy". Lola and El Compa seem to be equal partners who enjoy spending their time together and feel much passion for each other. In their relationship there is no need for domination of one or the other.

Felix – Angie:
Felix cannot deny anything to Angie and stands up for her, although his family does not approve of her, but he as well berates her about how she spends the household money. Her son JoEl even thinks of her as a worm, because she lets Felix take advantage of her goodness. However, Felix is described as a great father and he takes care of his son JoEl with great tenderness. He as well allows his son to weep away his tears while he rocks him and he sleeps in one bed with him in order to make sure the nightmares disappear. When he realizes that his son is a poet, he is proud of him instead of wanting him to be a "real man". Nevertheless he beats his son with his belt when he is frustrated and Angie accepts beating as part of a father's pride. Felix is the one who earns the money and Angie takes care of the household.

Mama Chona:
Mama Chona refused to give Felix and Angie her blessing since she thought of Angie as a "lower class Mexican". This shows that she is hypocritical since she is partly Indian as well. Furthermore she puts very high expectations at herself and expects everybody to fulfill these expectations as well. She is as well an important decision-maker in the family, since she decided to take away Mema’s son. But she was as well the one who decided to adopt Ricardo later and no one was really challenging that decision. She instructs and teaches everybody and respect for parents is very important to her. For example, she thinks that no one who was shrieking at her could possibly be in her right mind about any given subject. Mama Chona always talked about her husband as being a respectable and upright man and besides Miguel he was the only one she would obey. Her husband Carlos always made her feel like a child. Probably in former times Mama Chona's husband Carlos was the actual family patriarch, but after he died, Mama Chona took his position since she was the oldest and most respectable one. However, the situation changes during the novel when Mama Chona grows ill and Miguel becomes the new family patriarch.