Victimization in Margaret Atwood's ¡§Rape Fantasies¡¨
Rape Fantasies: Female Victimization
Margaret Atwood¡¦s ¡§Rape Fantasies¡¨, a monologue of a woman discus her concern about the topic of rape, demonstrates the power struggle between men and women and how female are victimized by the society. Furthermore, Atwood talks about the importance of having ¡§voice¡¨ as a power or solution to victimization.
In the story, there is an exploration of female vulnerability, and victimization in the rape fantasies. Atwood through using the voice of the first-person narrator, Estelle, to show that women have been unconsciously accept the idea, which is created by the media, that women are inferior and submissive to men. Estelle is critical to the romantic fantasies of her coworkers as they accept the stereotypes of female in their fantasies. At the beginning of the story, Estelle criticizes magazines that ¡¥they put it ¡§rape¡¨ in capital letters on the front cover, and inside they have these questionnaires like the ones they used to have about whether you were a good wife or endomorph or an ectomorph.¡¦ (p.93) Atwood uses the magazines to present the expectation of the society on the female as powerlessness and vulnerable. Female are forced to accept the perception that how they should look or behave, especially when they encounter the rapists. As we read along the rape fantasies, we find that Estelle¡¦s colleagues are very much different from her, e.g. Chrissy¡¦s reveal their acceptance of the magazine¡¦s views of women ¡V women fail to defend themselves. When they are facing sexual threat, they have to accept it passively or with tears. In Chrissy¡¦s fantasy, she mentions, ¡§I can¡¦t very well get out of the bathtub. The bathroom is too small and he¡¦s blocking the doorway, so I just lie there¡¨ (p.96) Women cannot protect themselves completely in the reality, and yet, they also fail to get a means of protection in their fantasies. Similarly, in the story ¡§Where are you going? Where have you been?¡¨, Arnold exercises his
Margaret Atwood¡¦s ¡§Rape Fantasies¡¨, a monologue of a woman discus her concern about the topic of rape, demonstrates the power struggle between men and women and how female are victimized by the society. Furthermore, Atwood talks about the importance of having ¡§voice¡¨ as a power or solution to victimization.
In the story, there is an exploration of female vulnerability, and victimization in the rape fantasies. Atwood through using the voice of the first-person narrator, Estelle, to show that women have been unconsciously accept the idea, which is created by the media, that women are inferior and submissive to men. Estelle is critical to the romantic fantasies of her coworkers as they accept the stereotypes of female in their fantasies. At the beginning of the story, Estelle criticizes magazines that ¡¥they put it ¡§rape¡¨ in capital letters on the front cover, and inside they have these questionnaires like the ones they used to have about whether you were a good wife or endomorph or an ectomorph.¡¦ (p.93) Atwood uses the magazines to present the expectation of the society on the female as powerlessness and vulnerable. Female are forced to accept the perception that how they should look or behave, especially when they encounter the rapists. As we read along the rape fantasies, we find that Estelle¡¦s colleagues are very much different from her, e.g. Chrissy¡¦s reveal their acceptance of the magazine¡¦s views of women ¡V women fail to defend themselves. When they are facing sexual threat, they have to accept it passively or with tears. In Chrissy¡¦s fantasy, she mentions, ¡§I can¡¦t very well get out of the bathtub. The bathroom is too small and he¡¦s blocking the doorway, so I just lie there¡¨ (p.96) Women cannot protect themselves completely in the reality, and yet, they also fail to get a means of protection in their fantasies. Similarly, in the story ¡§Where are you going? Where have you been?¡¨, Arnold exercises his