At the center of this research is the representation of patriarchy through the image of a father figure in the novels of Vjenceslav Novak. In the Croatian literature of the 19th century, Novak stands out for his objective portrayal of all social strata, including his portrayal of the patriarchal social order. At the very beginning of this research, the terms "patriarchy" and "father figure" were defined, which must be understood for further reading and understanding of the work. The central part of the paper deals with the representation of patriarchy as a realistic theme in the construction of the father figure in Novak's novel Posljednji Stipančići (1899), so that, with the help of professional literature, the features of patriarchy in the relationship between father and son and in the relationship between father and daughter were analyzed in detail. During the analysis of the aforementioned relationships, the daughter Lucija Stipančić will stand out the most, since her character represents the bearer of social changes. Furthermore, the paper deals with the representation of depatriarchalization due to absence of father figure in Novak's novel Pavao Šegota (1888), which takes place at the level of the characterization of the subject, the main character, whose characterization is affected by this absence. In the aforementioned chapter, due to the absence of a father figure, the emphasis will be on the relationship between the main character Pavao Šegota and his two sisters. At the very end, it will be concluded that in two of Novak's novels the features of patriarchy are very present, but that in the second mentioned novel there is a deviation from the default of patriarchal norms in the construction of the protagonist.