Weyward

Although Weyward follows the stories of three women divided by several centuries, they all seem to experience the same problem: male domination. In 1619, Altha is confronted with an entire society that believes women are designed by God to be dependent on men. The fact that the Weyward women are independent draws suspicion and condemnation. Essentially, they threaten male power. Altha says, “I was always shocked, as a girl, when a man came and sought my mother’s treatment. By his size, his deep voice, his meaty hands. The smell that hung about him. Sweat and power” (264). This alien, patriarchal power emerges frequently in Altha’s life, from the doctors who dismiss her healing knowledge to her friend’s husband, who beats her. In her story and her descendants, patriarchal oppression has permeated most areas of her life and society, though the connections with nature and other women are a site of resistance.

Violet, likewise, finds herself controlled both by her father and Frederick. Her mother also found herself in the same position with regard to Lord Rupert, eventually becoming his prisoner before her death. The situation at Orton Hall explores patriarchy at its most basic level. Frederick seeks Violet’s title, so he rapes and impregnates her, situating himself as Lord Rupert’s heir. In a patriarchal system, Violet doesn’t count, and she is merely a tool for Frederick to get what he wants. While Violet resists by ending her pregnancy, Frederick still manages to inherit the estate, illustrating the immorality of this system. One notable contrast to these male figures in Violet’s story is her brother, Graham, who helps conceal her abortion and pays for her education. With this, Hart offers a model of male solidarity with women, another way to resist patriarchal oppression.

Kate and Simon’s relationship is an extreme example of male dominance in the novel, as Simon abuses Kate emotionally, physically, and sexually. He behaves as if he owns her. She quits her job because of his urging and becomes financially dependent on him. He also isolates her from friends and family and tracks her movements via a phone app. His final act of domination is to try to impregnate her to make his ownership complete. Set in 2019, Kate and Simon’s storyline illustrates how patriarchy endures into the contemporary era and oppression adapts to changing societies. While Kate wouldn’t be tried for witchcraft or forced to conceal a premarital pregnancy, her boyfriend uses modern methods to exert control and diminish her.

In contrast to the men in the novel who establish power over women, the women simply want power over themselves. The novel highlights how patriarchy is a hierarchical system, rooted in power over others, especially women. The book’s women only want self-determination and must fight constantly to obtain it. In each case, pregnancy becomes central to the question of autonomy. The power to conceive a child or end a pregnancy is reclaimed as a female choice rather than a male right. Additionally, each woman has confrontations with men that help her realize she is not powerless. These epiphanies occur with the help of previous generations of Weyward women, and Hart presents an idealistic version of matriarchy in which women lift each other up, in contrast to patriarchy.

Although Simon insists that Kate is nothing without him, the reverse is actually true: Simon can only feel good about himself if he can completely control Kate. In their final confrontation, Kate thinks she is panicking but realizes “it isn’t panic, Kate knows now. It never was. The feeling of something trying to get out. Rage, hot and bright in her chest. Not panic. Power” (299). The novel makes a clear distinction between male domination and female power. Even though it draws on the metaphor of natural magic as a means of asserting that power, the book also suggests that a sense of self-worth is the first step in owning one’s power.