My e-Shoe Box

VAB as read by Google’s AI

In Virgins Always Bleed, Lemlem Tilahun deconstructs patriarchal views by revealing the stark contradictions and hypocrisies within traditional, male-dominated systems, specifically through her portrayal of the male characters and their expectations of women.

Male characters as social misfits

Rather than painting male figures as powerful or commanding, Tilahun often depicts them as weak, insecure, and reliant on the hard work of women to maintain their social standing. One example can be seen in how the novel explores the patriarchal fixation on female virginity.

• The novel challenges the notion that a woman’s value is tied to her “purity”.

• The story exposes how this belief is not rooted in any inherent morality but is instead a tool for male control, possession, and status.

• This is especially highlighted through characters who judge or cast off women based on the patriarchal myth of virginity.

The myth of virginity and honor

A key patriarchal belief that Tilahun dismantles is the idea that a woman’s honor is physically proven by bleeding on her wedding night.

• The novel shows how some men blindly believe and enforce this myth, while female characters, especially Yemsiratch, become aware of the physical falsehood of this assumption.

• The narrative exposes how this myth perpetuates violence and abuse, as women who don’t bleed face suspicion, disgrace, and even death.

• By focusing on Yemsiratch’s journey of self-discovery, Tilahun elevates a woman’s personal resilience and self-worth beyond any external, male-imposed standards.

Subverting power dynamics

The author inverts traditional power dynamics, showing how women often hold the true strength and dynamism within their families and communities, while the patriarchal system and the men who uphold it are in a state of decay.

• Female characters are shown to be resourceful, strong, and hard-working, serving as the bedrock of their families.

• Male characters, in contrast, are often portrayed as social misfits and weak individuals who rely on the women in their lives.

• Through this inversion, Tilahun rejects the monolithic nature of patriarchal beliefs and demonstrates that they hold little ground when confronted with reality and female resilience.

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October 10, 2025 at 2:02 pm Leave a comment