Alice Sebold Lucky Essay

Alice Sebold is able to survive the trauma of her rape because of personality traits and past experiences. In a sense, Sebold is indeed lucky; lucky that she survives a traumatic experience in a way that few others can or do. Throughout her memoir, Lucky, Sebold demonstrates her determination to move past her rape. This determination allows her to focus on the present and not dwell on her experience or struggle with self-pity. The rape provides to Sebold a purpose; to move past her rape and not let it defeat her. Sebold’s past with her emotionally inept family made her independent; this also allows her to recognize that she cannot rely on others. Her wit is a trait that she uses throughout her memoir to test herself, her friends, and her family.

This trait helps her survive by providing a way for her to see, by the reaction to a joke or comment, if those around her are still the same after her rape. Luck follows Sebold as well as any of these traits or past experiences. It is a factor that gives Sebold new ways to survive her ordeal and does so in various ways; from encouraging her resolve to providing to her an outlet to express her emotions.
Alice Sebold, in her memoir, Lucky, exhibits a trait that proves to be vital: wit. It is a trait that Sebold utilizes in an effort to maintain a grasp on her life. Sebold writes of her wit, “It was the first thing from my old life that I recognized on the other side” (17). Sebold’s wit is a trait she believes to be part of who she is as a person and her ability to maintain her wit proves to her that she has, in at least one way, survived her rape. The characteristic of wit is not exceedingly common, and is even less so after such a traumatic experience. The ability to maintain her wit and to use it to help her is lucky. Sebold uses her wit to prove to her family that she had indeed survived her rape; to prove that she is still who she was before her rape. Sebold writes of that encounter that “ to the outsider this might sound awful; to my father, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, and to my mother, who was fussing with our bags, it both shocked them and meant only one thing: The kid they knew was still there” (51). Sebold does so with the intent that her life, and by extension her family, remain intact; she utilizes wit in a way to achieve this end. Wit is not simply the ability to make jokes, though, it is, by definition, smart. In a way it is her test, for herself, and for her friends or family; in fact, she utilizes her wit every time she sees someone close to her after her rape. Throughout her memoir, Sebold uses her wit to find herself, mentally, on the other side of her rape and to determine if her friends and family have also stayed the same. The reassurance she gains from this allows her to maintain a grasp on her life which helps her survive her rape.
Alice Sebold exhibits a level of realism and independence that allows her to handle her situation in a very direct manner.

Sebold holds no illusion that people around her are going to carry her to recovery. Indeed, Sebold writes that “No one can pull anyone back from anywhere. You save yourself or you remain unsaved” (61). The recognition of this fact is vital to Sebold because it allows her to survive when, indeed, no one is there to pull her back. Instead, Sebold is largely forced to pull others back despite her belief. Sebold writes that “What you have after that is a family. Your sister has a dorm room for you to see. Your mother has a panic attack to attend. Your father, well, he’s being ignorant, and you can should the burden of educating him” (55). Sebold’s family is scattered and panicking in the face of her rape which leaves Sebold to deal with their collapse. Taking care of her family is a common theme for Sebold, in fact, it is because of this that Sebold is able to see things through such a lens. She writes that “As Mary grew less and less sympathetic, I compensated and became the emotional overlord…” (40). Sebold is not naïve or dependent, rather, she has taken care of her family from a young age because of which she sees everything going on around her. It is because of this that Sebold seems to have maturity beyond her years. Sebold is asked “… How old are you, young lady? You look a lot like your mother, you know that” (49). Sebold is not simply her mother’s

daughter. She is a caregiver, indeed, an “emotional overlord,” that has had to become independent. It is clear that her family relies on her far too much to take her weight on too. Sebold acknowledges this fact when she says that “I was certain that my rape would destroy her [Jane Sebold]” (19).
Sebold’s family members were not the only ones who failed to support her. Sebold writes that “But I was learning that no one- females included- knew what to do with a rape victim” (78). Sebold recognizes, and shows within the text, that she is not going to be saved by those around her and that she must do so herself. This recognition allows Sebold to face her survival rather than expecting support that would not come.
Alice Sebold’s finds a purpose from her rape. She refuses to allow her rapist to take anything more from her. She is unwavering in her determined pursuit of moving past her rape. Sebold writes “I was not going to let him take anything more. If I returned home and lived in my bedroom, I would never know what my life would have been like” (92). This is Sebold’s personal call to action. Her return to Syracuse is defiance in the face of overwhelming odds stacked against a return being successful. Sebold refuses to allow her opportunities to be taken from her. Still, she recognizes the risks of return writing “That’s not to say I wasn’t scared. I was” (92). This determination to succeed in the face of her trauma is perhaps the most important factor in Sebold’s survival after her rape. It is not simply that she is literally surviving but it is her preserving her own way of life; she seeks to continue to recognize things from her “old life.” Sebold writes “Both of my parents knew the one thing I cared about was words” (92). Sebold is determined to not allow her rape to change her, instead she uses her determination to do even more with her passions. This allows Sebold to face her rapist for the first time, indirectly, through her poetry (100). Indeed, it is ironic, lucky in fact, that her rape pushed her to truly pursue writing and to immerse herself in it. The purpose Sebold finds in her rape is the determination to not suffer the fate of never knowing what could have been. Sebold fights her rape, finding, on the other side, herself, her friends, and her passions. She finds that she, as well as those around her, have survived this ordeal.
Culminating in all of her traits is Alice Sebold’s ever present luck.

It takes a very particular type of person to overcome such a horrific event. Sebold’s father says “if it had to happen to one of you, I’m glad it happened to you and not your sister” (57). This statement extends beyond the contrast of Sebold and her sister. Few people have the combination of traits that would allow them to survive a trauma such as rape. In a sense, it is lucky that, for once, a rape victim is able, even well equipped, to survive and move beyond what happened to them. Even more so, it is astronomical luck that put Sebold, and her rapist face to face (103). This encounter allowed Sebold to provide more detail about her rapist, as well as further driving her determination to pursue his conviction. Sebold writes “He was laughing because he had gotten away with it, because he had raped before me, and because he would rape again” (103). This encounter is lucky not just in its sheer unlikeliness but in it further motivating Sebold to survive for the sake of others that could be harmed by her rapist. Sebold is also lucky to have received a professor like Tess Galagher, and to be driven towards writing as a result of her rape (98). Sebold’s return is not dismal, it is filled with experiences that push her forward. In fact, it is through Galagher that Sebold has her first meaningful conversation about her rape and pursues writing about it (98). This encounter is lucky for the sole reason that the

reaction Sebold received could have very well been similar to the one she received from Dr. Graham (78). Instead, as a result of her rape and determination to return, Sebold finds a supportive and lasting friend that helps her express her feelings and encourages her passion towards writing (100). These are only a portion of the ways in which Sebold is lucky, but they are nonetheless meaningful and vital to Sebold’s drive to survive and move beyond her rape.
It is Alice Sebold’s past experiences and traits that enable her to survive an ordeal that others could not face in the same way. She is, as well, in many ways, lucky. It is through Sebold’s wit that she begins to find herself on the other side of her rape. She also utilizes her wit that Sebold is reassured that her friends and family have remained the same after her rape; they have not been destroyed as she feared. Her seemingly unfortunate background has provided to her a perspective rare to people her age. Her past showed her that she could not rely on others to save her and, because of this, she knew that she had to save herself. Sebold’s determination, her utter refusal to allow her rape to control and determine the rest of her life, is crucial to her survival. Indeed, it is through this trait that Sebold finds her purpose and is able to confront her rape. Sebold is never short of luck. While rape is a horror no one should endure it is because of her rape that Sebold makes several life defining choices. Her rape pushes her to truly pursue writing, a passion that she had held for a long time. It is through all of this that Sebold is able to survive her rape. Without any one of those traits it is easy to see where she might have fallen apart or faltered in her resolve. Despite the odds against her, Sebold does not falter or fail; she overcomes those odds and survives in all ways conceivable.