Bastard Out Of Carolina Topics

Emily Ducret Ducret 1

Mr.Stevens

American Literature

15 May 2023 The Power of Man, Courtesy of The Woman

Though men are the ones with the power, women are the reason they have it. Set against the backdrop of rural South Carolina during the 1950s through the 1960s is Dorothy Allison's semi-autobiographical novel Bastard Out of Carolina. Topics that include poverty, abuse, and family dynamics are seen through the eyes of Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright, who grows up amidst dysfunctional surroundings marked by alcoholism, violence, and destitution. The character experiences both physical and sexual assault at the hands of her stepfather, Glen, while also grappling with society's preconceived views on poverty

Glen, her stepfather, had hoped for a son when he married Bone's mother, Anney. As Anney gave birth to their son in the hospital, Glen remained in the parking lot with Bone and her younger sister Reese. In the middle of the night, he woke Bone and gave her a Coke and a Baby Ruth candy bar in an attempt to assuage her worries about her mother. He then began to touch her inappropriately, pulling her onto his lap and placing his hand on her thighs. Bone describes the experience in vivid, disturbing detail: "His sweat running down his arms to my skin smelled strong and nasty. He grunted, squeezed my thighs between his arms and his legs. His chin pressed down on my head and his hips pushed up at the same time. He was hurting me, he was hurting me!" (Allison 46). This was not just a case of inappropriate touching; it was sexual abuse perpetrated by a man in a position of authority over a vulnerable child. Glen knew that he could exploit Bone's helplessness and fear, especially as her mother was occupied with the birth of his child. Tyson highlights in her writing that movies such as Cinderella “equates femininity with submission, encouraging women to tolerate familiar abuse" (Tyson 88), explaining how customary ideals in our culture indicate that females are expected to submit themselves readily; this encourages them to more easily accept maltreatment from those they rely on. Despite feeling embarrassed

Over the years, Glen continued to not only sexually abuse Bone, but physically harm her. When they moved to West Greenville, Anney and Glen had to take longer shifts at work to make ends meet and afford the house. This amplified his anger issues further, prompting Anney to warn her children about unintentionally provoking him at home. One day, the children were playing a game of horse racers, running around the house, and had not noticed that Glen was still there. He had warned Bone about playing such games and had a sudden outburst. Grabbing Bone by the arm, he slammed her body on the wall and dragged her into the bathroom to lock the door and beat her with his belt. When he unlocked the door, after hearing Bone scream in agony, Anney slapped Glen across his face before rushing to assist her daughter. As she holds Bone in her arms, comforting her after the cruel beating, she utters, “Oh, girl. Oh, honey. Baby, what did you do? What did you do?” (Allison 107). Essentially, Anney assumes the blame is on Bone despite being infuriated at Glen for hurting her daughter. The only logical reason he would hit her would be because she had done something to him that was deserving of his reaction, or at least that's what an abused and disempowered person concludes. The woman, or even the young little girl, is blamed for provoking emotions in men that would otherwise be suppressed. Men who are unable to control their emotions and express vocal and