Identify a place in the novel where you see an American or Spanish influence?

Spanish influence can be found in the theme of power. Marriage is especially important to the Filipinos because it involves familial honor, a system of status in which women are often used as prizes in alliance marriages between wealthy families. Sometimes women like Isabal are able to marry into more prestigious families and thus gain more wealth and power by association. Women in these positions are expected to remain polite and beautiful at all time and to run their husband's households. More like trophy wives than anything else, these women generally retain only cosmetic power in their homes, but some take advantage of their marriages to elevate their social power and use their influence to bring about social change.