Mechanisms of Patriarchal Power in Isabelle Müller’s Loan from the Life of a Phoenix

This article examines how patriarchal power constrains the female protagonist’s choices in Isabelle Müller’s Loan – Từ cuộc đời của một con chim phượng hoàng (Loan - Aus Dem Leben Eines Phönix - German), using the 2018 Vietnamese translation. It combines close reading with comparisons across scenes, attending to retrospective narration and the mother–daughter narrative frame. The analysis identifies three interconnected mechanisms: the transfer of decision-making authority within kinship relations; control over resources and educational opportunities; and the enforcement of sexual norms and caregiving obligations. The findings show that earning income does not in itself secure autonomy or its recognition within the family. A woman may resist imposed decisions while also upholding norms that constrain other women. Support, agreement, and changes in responses limit the effectiveness of each mechanism. By examining how experiences are narrated and evaluated, the article clarifies these power relations without construing Loan’s trajectory as a linear process of emancipation. Its conclusions are limited to the narrative world of the Vietnamese translation examined here.