She has her pride." (Maeve Kelly 334) Here Maeve Kelly describes to the reader how men are far superior to women, much like the theme of patriarchy. Isn't Elise's pride as important as that of husbands? Being beaten senseless after curtsying your husband to cook his meal seems extremely far-fetched even though it was rudely called Pride and the Elise's respect for herself and others around her will have collapsed due to this act of violence. This quote also comes from a woman, Ms. Martin, who claims to insult her own gender, which clearly shows a lack of appreciation for herself and her teammates. Though perhaps that's because the theme of female agency has been present in Irish culture for so long that it's now the mainstream way of doing things.