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Essay about 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 …show more content…

Chrissy is another important character.

Chrissy is Estelle's co-worker. She was in the lunchroom reading a magazine that

discusses rape fantasies. She casually opens the conversation by saying "how about it,

girls, do you have rape fantasies?" Through comments, Chrissy makes it clear she is

easily influenced by magazines, movies, and television, which shows her lack of feeling

powerful. She also comments that she would not even scream or fight, if she was raped,

because the magazines say not to right. Chrissy says she would not scream because "who

would hear me?" She acts this way because she feels, and is told, that she does not the

power to prevent it. Chrissy is also passive. She also believes women are only attractive

when they are defenseless and submissive, which is why se just lays there, in the tub,

during her fantasy. She is the perfect examples of powerlessness in women. Darlene is

a character that demonstrates the power in women.

Darlene is a forty-one year old co-worker. She does not approve of Estelle's

behavior. She does not think it is a good idea to go out and drink by yourself. By feeling

this way, Darlene shows her fear of possibly being raped but she also is using her power

to prevent situations that could make rape more likely to occur. She said if she was raped,

she would scream, which demonstrates she feels powerful enough to scare off an attacker

or powerful enough to attact

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