She explains this story to readers because she wants the readers to understand that the handgun changed the balance of power. For example, in the story she told us, when the man saw the handgun in Hasselstrom possession he went running. He went running …show more content…
When we returned from a walk, we found our closest neighbors were two young men. As we gathered our cooking gear, they drank beer and loudly discussed what they would do to us after dark. Nearby campers, even families, ignored them: rangers strolled past, unconcerned. When we asked the rangers point-blank if they would protect us, one of them patted my shoulder and said “Don’t worry, girls. They’re just kidding.” At dusk we drove out of the park and hid camp in the woods a few miles away. I returned from the trip determined to reconsider the options available for protecting myself.