Rape Fantasies

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Rape Fantasies

Sadly rape is an all too common accurance, which has been going on forever.

Since it does happen a lot, there are a lot of people talking about the subject. In

Margaret Atwood's short story "Rape Fantasies", several women casually discuss

their personal rape fantasies. The main idea being portrayed through out the story is

that women battle with feeling powerful and powerless. She also discusses the distinction

between between fantasy and fear in her story. Through character descriptions, certain

settings in the story, the point of view, the tone, the dialogue, most forms of irony, and

symbolism, Margaret Atwood was confidently able to reinerate her theme of power and

powerless; fantasy and fear.

Estelle was the main character. She was the first person narrator. According to

Darlene, Estelle has the "mark of an original mind." Estelle has rape fantasies where she

is able to talk the rapist out of finishing the act. She humanizes her rapist because that is

how she regains her feeling of power. She tries to steal all the power back by starting

a dialogue with the attacker. Throughout the story, Estelle demonstrates that she does

believe women have the right to say no but will they have the power to say no. She

doubts the power of women. The only reason Estelle can talk about such a terrefying

situation is through defensive humor. Estelle does not want to be secluded. She wants

to be independent but is terrified of it. Through making comments like "it's getting so

you can hardly be socialable anymore, and how are you supposed to meet people if you

can't trust them even that basic amount?" Through this statement you can tell she desires

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...nd her fear and feeling of powerlessness. We are able to recount memories

of times that we felt the same way, whic gives the story meaning and depth. This is

also why the author has her speaking in monologue form. It is anoher way we feel

connected to her. During her monologue, she sets a comoic and ironic tone. She trys

to bright lightness to a dark topic.

During the whole story, Estelle tries to bring comic relief to a frightening topic. In

the begining of the story, she talks about how much magainze talk about rape. "Rape, Ten

Things to do About it, Like it was ten new hairdo's or something." She is trying to be

funny about a non-funny topic. Later in the story, she slightly laughts at the girls rape

fantasies, which the other girls did not like but she was trying to casually point out the

harm that they are forgetting.

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