Essay on Margaret Atwood’s Rape Fantasies

Damarcus Fitzhugh Lenore Harris ENG 001B 11/18/2012 In most pitiful stories of the past there puzzle always been Heroes and Villains sizeable vs. evil. Whether its the innocent Hansel and Gretel vs. the evil cannibalistic hex authors t end uped to paint the line separating the two through their uses of certain writing tools. The point Atwood attempts to drive into the reader is womens naivety and overall downplay of screw up. Marg art Atwood, author of screw up Fantasies, relies heavily on Irony and Characterization to mend her point across. In the twaddle Estelle, the narrator and primary(prenominal) character, sh atomic number 18s her featherbed fantasies along .In all of them she is a victim, afterward in the story, we find out that the reason she has these thoughts astir(predicate) beingness raped is so that if she ever is in a situation like one where she office get raped, she wants to be prepared to avoid it and nurse herself. This shows an unrealistic and naiv e view on what rape really is. She imagines the raper to be the victim kind of of her. As mentioned in the text, all the rapists she fantasizes virtually are victims of some sort of mental or visible trait considered undesirable Atwood uses characterization, specifically in Estelle, with whom she characterizes as condescending, sarcastic and negative at times.She is a younker office worker who notes how popular the subject cross has fashion in womens magazines. Estelle is playing a juicy with her co-workers over their lunch hour, when Chrissy, a woman from Estelles office, brings up the topic of rape fantasies. Estelle would rather on the dot stick playing, but instead, the small group of ladies decides to go roughly the table sharing their own rape fantasies. (1) Darlene, the oldest, and the but divorced women of the group finds these fantasies revolting and ends up turn of events her back on the other ladies. later she returns, futile to resist the interesting taboo) (1) Chrissy and Sondra are very burning to share their rape fantasies but after they do Estelle informs them that they were not legitimate rape fantasies but further romantic fantasies she then describes a story of a man jumping her in a distressing alley, or sneaking into her house when she is sick in bed. In all of Estelles stories the men are pathetic, lonesome individuals who have something wrong with them either mentally or physically.Here we see Estelle victimize the rapist in secernate to protect herself. She believes she can talk herself out of being raped. After sharing all the rape fantasies the story goes into a deeper monologue and a new depress is shed on why Estelles fantasies (1) all end the way they do. It is because she lifes that after getting to know individual and getting a glimpse of what they think and how they feel there is no way a psyche would be able to rape the other this possibleness contradicts almost every book that says women are usually ra ped by someone they know.Irony is introduced within the confabulations the women have. abject from woman to woman, Darlene calling the entire thing disgusting, Greta describing a Tarzan-like situation, Chrissy describing hers in a bath, when Estelle, ever the voice of reason, informs them that what they are describing are sexual fantasies Listen . . . those arent rape fantasies. I mean, you arent getting raped, its honest some guy you havent met formally who happens to be more attractive than Derek Cummins . . and you have a good time, rape is when theyve got a knife or something and you dont want to. (1) Angered, the other women aver that she tell them hers. Content, Estelle then describes her rape fantasy where she deflects her rapist by squirting lemon juice from a plastic bottle in his eyes (You should try the one about the Easy Off unused), and the one where this short, ugly fellow comes up and grabs my sleeve . . .I say, Oh for Christ sake, and he starts to cry, which p rompts a wave of munificence in Estelle. And therere more, all with Estelle tenia her attacker through talking to him (Ive just found out I have leukemia), or talking him out of it. (1) As the story continues, we become aware that Estelle is talking to someone in attachment to the readerI hope you dont mind me holding my nose like this . . . and that person is probably a man (two times Estelle says, solely I guess its different for a guy).As the story ends, we realize that Estelle has been in a bar, talking to a man she had just met, she worries about possibly being raped by him. Like, how could a fellow do that to a person hes just had a long conversation with, once you let them know youre human, you have a life too, I dont see how they could go ahead with it, right? (Last Paragraph) We are left wondering whether this entire story is Estelles deliberate inventions, her attempt to control a chanceful interaction. Citation Atwood, Margaret. Rape Fantasies. S. l. S. n. , .. . Print.