Alice Sebold and The "Stranger" Stereotype

Public opinion leads society to believe in the “good woman – stranger rapist” stereotype. In actuality, females are typically victimized by known perpetrators. According to Catalano (as cited in Kappeler and Potter, 2005, p.43), of all rapes and sexual assaults, seventy percent of women were perpetrated by someone known to the victim; thirty percent were committed by strangers. Regarding homicide, women are nine times more likely to be killed by a family member, a previous or current lover, or an acquaintance. However, Alice Sebold’s case actually played into the stranger stereotype.

Alice Sebold was beaten and raped as an 18-year-old at Syracuse University; the police officer told her that another girl was murdered in the same spot, making Alice “lucky” in comparison. Lucky is a memoir accounting of Sebold’s true story of her rape and the after months of the ordeal.

Alice mentions how she remembers the moments leading up to her rape, the actual act itself, and the months after. The rapist (not recognized at the time, but later identified as Gregory Madison) threatened to kill Sebold if she screamed, however doing so anyway. While claiming he had a knife, he knocked her down and held onto Alice’s long hair. Sebold loses consciousness from the rapist bashing her head into the hard concrete. As she wakens, she stares straight into his eyes, thinking of how she is going to die. Throughout the rest of the rape, she willingly does everything he commands, though she continues to beg for her life and virginity.

Over the coming months, Alice faces her friends and family, who look and treat her differently after the rape. She faces the criticism from her family and fellow officials who question the act. Sebold deals with th...

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...as experienced violence.

Lucky is inspirational in the fact that there are ways to improve the criminal justice system for victims of rape. Police officers can be trained on correct methods of extracting an affidavit from a rape victim or how therapists should speak to a rape victim. Students can be educated of how to respond to a friend that has been a victim. Laws can be amended to clearly define rape and its punishments.

Educating society on the effects of rape can change the whole criminal justice system. People have to be willing to educate themselves and take a stance. If enough people fought for change, change could happen.

Works Cited

Kappeler, V. E. & Potter, G.W. (2005). The mythology of crime and criminal justice (4th ed.).

Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

Sebold, A. (2002). Lucky. Little, Brown and Company, Inc.