The Question of the Father as a Key Paterfamilias Figure

Inthis chapter the author discusses the weakened position of the father as the key figure in a patriarchal society. The fragmentary presentation of different gendered characters is analyzed. The function of double confession is explained, the confessions of mother and son. They help reveal the importance of the motherson relationship. The mother is shown as the explosive center of an ideological discourse, her simultaneous insertion into and exclusion from the story. The female ethics of care and responsibility are discussed at the end of this article.