In The Combat Zone Summary

The article “In the Combat Zone” was written by Leslie Marmon Silko. In her article she makes many valid examples of how women are treated like easy prey. Women are afraid to go out at night alone, because that is when numerous rapes and kidnappings take place. Although most rapes, kidnappings, and robberies happen at night, there are still cases that have occurred during the daylight. Silko gave several examples of these daylight occurrences. She also states that a woman’s mindset of being in a combat zone differs by how the woman was raised. If a woman was raised to depend on others, then that woman would be a higher target. If a woman was raised to defend herself and be dependent, then that woman would be less of a target because they would not show fear.

Women are treated and viewed as easy prey to rapist, robbers, serial killers, and kidnappers. When women were little, they were taught to be home before dark and to stay away from strangers. Since they were taught this when they are little, women tend to not go out after dark unless they have other people with them. So many rapes, killings, burglaries, and kidnappings happen at night that it scares women to go out by

themselves after dark, but these occurrences do not only happen at night. Silko states, “Men who have been in combat know the feeling of being a predator’s target, but it is difficult for men to admit that we women live our entire lives in a combat zone”. Men can control domestic violence, but they cannot control violence from complete strangers on the street.
These violent occurrences usually happen at night, but occasionally occur during the day. Silko gives the example of the rapist in Tucson near the University of Arizona. The rapist would grab two women and force them into an alley. He forced one woman watch him rape the other women by holding a knife to their throats. The victims stated that the most terrifying thing about the attack was that it was during the daylight. Everyone around them were going about their day and they did not even notice the violent attack on the two women. The writer also gave the reader a personal example. Silko mentioned that a man was following her bumper and if she had braked or stopped for any reason, then he would of collided with her. The man followed her all the way to the pet store and parked. She pulled out her gun, set it on her lap, and kept her face without emotion to show that she was not afraid. He obviously was not used to this because he was hesitant about getting out of his truck. He watched her for a few more minutes before speeding away. Since Silko showed that she was not afraid, the man did not attack her.
Silko also mentioned that how afraid and how much of a target the woman is depended on how the woman was raised.

If a woman was raised to protect her self and to fend for herself, then she is less of a target. If a woman was raised to depend on others for everything, then she is more of a target. Silko told her readers how she was raised to protect herself. Her father took her to the river and taught her how to shoot guns in order to defend herself. Being raised to defend herself paid off when the man followed her to the pet store. She was not afraid because she knew how to defend herself with her gun and that scared him away. If a woman was raised to depend on other people, then they depend on the state to keep them safe. They depend on the police enforcing the law and mandatory

sentences.
The article “In the Combat Zone” does a great job stating examples of how women are constantly in danger and viewed as easy prey. Women are very cautious about going out at night because that is usually when violent attacks against women are made. The attacks include rape, kidnapping, burglary, and even murder. Women are taught to be afraid to go out after dark alone and that they should always be with another person. As mentioned earlier, being afraid depends on how the woman was raised. If she was raised to defend herself and to fend for herself, then she is well prepared for a violent attack and could easily get away. If a woman is dependent on other people, then she is not as prepared and would probably fail to get away from the attacker.