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We Were The Mulvaneys Feminist Analysis

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In the novel, We were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the main characters is victimized and goes through a traumatic experience after she was raped on prom night. Marianne’s rape was the beginning of a very traumatizing period for herself and her family. Once her “secret” is out, her family has turned their backs on her and shut her out of the family. This novel takes place in the 1970s and back then, victims of sexual assault had a very hard time of reaching out for help because of the fear of being rejected. In our society today, victims of sexual assault are more comfortable when it comes to asking for help without worrying about the fear of being rejected by the people surrounding them. Sexual assault and rape are serious social …show more content…

When that feeling of control is suddenly challenged by something as traumatic as sexual assault, some may feel embarrassed that they can no longer defend themselves because, in a situation like that, there is only so much the victim can do to defend himself or herself mentally and physically. The night Marianne was attacked, she was with her friend. When Marianne’s mother, Corinne found out about what happened to her on prom night, she called Trisha's mother to apologize if her daughter had been involved in what happened. Although Marianne’s friend wasn’t really involved, some people would try and show some type of sympathy for someone who has gone through such a traumatic experience. Instead, Trisha's mom immediately decided to exit herself and her daughter from the situation. Apart of the reason, Marianne had a hard time reaching out to get some sort of help is because she was going to be rejected. After she was attacked, many people in her life like Trisha, began to distance themselves away from Marianne. Soon Marianne’s family sent her away which was the total form of rejection to …show more content…

Victim blaming is something that is very common in the Dr. Larry Nassar case. Before the USA gymnastics case, former athletes who had been violated by Nassar many years later began to come forward. Many of Nassar's victims of who are suing him claim they were sexually assaulted, could have been saved from his abuse had the people they trusted chosen to put their safety and well-being first. If parents had believed their daughters, if coaches and administrators had taken seriously the complaints of their student-athletes, the assault that was occurring to athletes could have ended a lot earlier (ESPN,

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