Power and Victimization in Rape Fantasies"

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One of Canada's foremost contemporary writers, Margaret Atwood is an internationally renowned poet, literary critic, novelist, humanitarian and political activist. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1939, she spent most of her childhood in the Canadian wilderness. She has won praise and acclaim for her ability to incorporate humor, biting wit, irony and symbolism into her writing style. Her themes usually depict the very nature of human behavior and issues of power between men and women as it relates to society ("The Writer." New York Times). Her very first novel, The Edible Women, published in 1970, explored issues of oppression, self-identity and power, as it relates to the broader social content of contemporary urban life and the sexual politics involved. She further explores those issues in "Rape Fantasies" first published in Canada in 1979 in her book The Dancing Girls and Other Stories. "Rape Fantasies" has become one of Atwood's best known works as it explores the issues of power between men and women, highlighting women's fears of crime and victimization, where safety depends on the ability to find a medium between trust, suspicion, fear, and isolation ("I Just Don't Understand It." Gale). With her usual wit, Margaret Atwood uses elements of humor to lighten the mood of "Rape Fantasies" at the same time introducing the seriousness of the topic. The reader is introduced to the first person narrator, a young woman by the name of Estelle, who works in the filing department of her company. From the beginning of the story, Estelle shows the reader just how difficult it is for women to laugh at themselves when they have been conditioned by society and mass media to fit into certain perceived stereotypes. She points out tha... ... middle of paper ... ...The significance of Estelle's need to explain her position to the listener, despite her fears, she sees the risk being worth it as opposed to the alternative of isolation form human interaction, which not only unveils Estelle's vulnerability but in turn gives Estelle credibility ("I Just Don't Understand It." Gale). In conclusion Margaret Atwood uses humor to explore a serious topic, allowing the reader to see how society itself has failed to address the seriousness of the issue. Estelle may never understand how someone could violate another human being in that way. She is nonetheless fully aware that in reality, unlike her rape fantasies, no amount of conversation would deter a potential rapist from committing the violent act against a woman as rape has nothing to do with knowing a person and developing a human bond, instead it has everything to do with power.

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