Sexual Assault In Dennis Lehane's Mystic River

Everybody is dealt their unique, personal set of cards at birth. Some come with privilege; others act as a disservice. Every background is an integral component of the adult that a child grows to become. Violent acts against children, such as abuse, abandonment, and abduction undoubtedly play a tremendous role in development. Life altering events are not always committed by others, though. Criminal activity by teenagers is commonplace, which often can lead to legal punishment. However, a common misinterpretation is that where you come from is the sole determinant of where you are going. In Mystic River, Dennis Lehane uses abnormal childhood events paradoxically to portray that a difficult childhood can serve as a long term benefit and a privileged …show more content…
Male victims of sexual assault in childhood often suffer extreme psychological damage and lead a negative life path from there forward. Due to a variety of emotions like guilt, shame and anger, male victims often turn to self-destructive behavior after the attack. This self harm generally takes form through substance abuse. Another commonly seen post-attack behavior is significantly increased aggressiveness. As a result, all forms of relationships tend to deteriorate, leading to increased risk for depression. (CMHC). Clearly, the life of a male sexual assault victim is a slippery slope. With such a wide variation of problems, it would be seemingly miraculous if a victim does not fall under one of these categories. In Mystic River, Dave is abducted and sexually assaulted during middle school, yet Lehane once again uses a tragic childhood event to produce a successful adult: “He was good-looking and funny and very few things seemed to ruffle him. When they’d married, he’d had a good job, running the mail room at Raytheon, and even though that job had been lost due to cutbacks, he eventually scored another on the loading docks of a downtown hotel” (Lehane 74). Dave nearly portrays the perfect opposite of what they study predicts most victims will encounter. There is no mention of Dave having issues with substance abuse. While many males have conflict at work as a result of hyper aggressive behaviors, Dave is the opposite. Despite being laid off due to budget cuts, he is resilient and finds another job. Instead of pulling back from relationships and isolating himself, Dave finds a wife and marries. Instead of being depressed, or generally irritable, Dave is only ruffled by very few