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Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres tells a dark tale of a corrupt patriarchal society which operates through concealment. It is a story in which the characters attempt to manipulate one another through the secrets they possess and the subsequent ....

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... its depiction of the place of women in a predominantly patriarchal culture. In this male dominated culture, the values privileged in women include silence and subordination. Ginny is acceptable as a woman as long as she remains "oblivious" (121). She is allowed to disagree with men, contingent upon her doing so without fighting (104). Ultimately, her opinion as a woman remains irrelevant. Ginny remarks, "of course it was silly to talk about 'my po int of view.' When my father asserted his point of view, mine vanished" (176). When she makes the "mistake" of crossing her father, she is referred to as a "bitch," "whore," and "slut" (181, 1 ...