For centuries, there has been this phrase people repeat after girls claim to have been raped and sexually assaulted—“Boys will be boys.” Thankfully, society has started to realistically grasp the seriousness of rape and how life-altering it may be. There has been many films, websites, and works of literature that are revealing the truth about rape to the world and letting it know it is vital to take a hold of the acts of sexual assault and do something about it. One of the works of literature by Joyce Carol Oates can be used as an example. Through the character Marianne Mulvaney’s tragedy in the novel We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates reveals the effects of rape on its victims and their families.
Throughout this brilliant work of writing, …show more content…
Marianne’s family seeks justice in many ways, while she just wants to forget the whole thing (BARCC 1). Every member is effected in their own way, though Patrick, one of Marianne’s brothers, and Michael Sr. seem to be effected the deepest and most dramatically. Patrick plots a violent, detailed revenge against Zachary Lundt on Easter weekend involving drowning him, but ends up saving Zachary because of a sudden change of heart (We Were the Mulvaneys: Summary and Study Guide 1). Her father wants revenge immensely, yet, when he cannot accomplish revenge because Marianne will not come forward to the court, he sends Marianne away to her aunt’s because he cannot bare the sorrow he feels when he sees her (Review: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates 1). He was supposed to protect the family, and Marianne’s date rape caused him to think he had utterly failed at that task (Joyce Carol Oates: We Were the Mulvaneys 1). It is reasonable to be angry about a daughter’s rape, but it should be targeted towards the rapist only, not his daughter, who was the victim (Coppin 100). Sadly, Mr. Mulvaney has all odds against him after his daughter’s rape. He alienates friends, which leads to his business falling apart, and turns into a violent alcoholic, which eventually leads to his and Corrine’s separation (We Were …show more content…
Oates does an impeccable job exposing reality and providing an example of how damaging rape or sexual assault can be for anyone. She proves it does not matter who someone is or where they come from, they can still experience a tragedy like Marianne’s, and be incredibly torn apart by it. People all over the world are coping and struggling with situations like this every day and it should not go unnoticed. Unlike poor Marianne Mulvaney, the victims must be stood up for, not hushed
Throughout this brilliant work of writing, …show more content…
Marianne’s family seeks justice in many ways, while she just wants to forget the whole thing (BARCC 1). Every member is effected in their own way, though Patrick, one of Marianne’s brothers, and Michael Sr. seem to be effected the deepest and most dramatically. Patrick plots a violent, detailed revenge against Zachary Lundt on Easter weekend involving drowning him, but ends up saving Zachary because of a sudden change of heart (We Were the Mulvaneys: Summary and Study Guide 1). Her father wants revenge immensely, yet, when he cannot accomplish revenge because Marianne will not come forward to the court, he sends Marianne away to her aunt’s because he cannot bare the sorrow he feels when he sees her (Review: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates 1). He was supposed to protect the family, and Marianne’s date rape caused him to think he had utterly failed at that task (Joyce Carol Oates: We Were the Mulvaneys 1). It is reasonable to be angry about a daughter’s rape, but it should be targeted towards the rapist only, not his daughter, who was the victim (Coppin 100). Sadly, Mr. Mulvaney has all odds against him after his daughter’s rape. He alienates friends, which leads to his business falling apart, and turns into a violent alcoholic, which eventually leads to his and Corrine’s separation (We Were …show more content…
Oates does an impeccable job exposing reality and providing an example of how damaging rape or sexual assault can be for anyone. She proves it does not matter who someone is or where they come from, they can still experience a tragedy like Marianne’s, and be incredibly torn apart by it. People all over the world are coping and struggling with situations like this every day and it should not go unnoticed. Unlike poor Marianne Mulvaney, the victims must be stood up for, not hushed