A Study Guide for Margaret Atwood's "Rape Fantasies" (Short Stories for Students)

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Atwood lets us know all of this about Estelle without directly saying that she is competitive, gossipy, nice, talkative, silly, domineering, funny, etc. She creates a well- rounded character that expresses her within the framework of her own fantasy world. Lisa Tyler says,” Estelle is a likable character with whom they can readily sympathize. She is frightened at the prospect of dating potentially dangerous strangers, but she id frightened, too, by the prospect of a solitary life. Lives of the Poets" is another campus fable about the impossibility of making a living through art, and even sustaining oneself through the written word. Short but effective. Atwood tiene la gracia de darle un tono y ritmo distinto a cada uno de sus cuentos y sus historias nunca terminan como imaginas (pienso en Historia de un viaje y Cuando sucede). Mi cuento favorito es Joyería capilar y estuve a punto de darle 4 estrellas solo por él, pero con muchos otros no pude conectar nada como me paso con Dar a luz, por ejemplo.

She sees their frustrations and their reasons for acting the way they do: “I feel so sorry for him, in my rape fantasies I always end up feeling sorry for the guy.” This sense of understanding is never once present for the women at the bridge table, where no one is trying to rape Estelle, but where everyone is burdened by the limits of Estelle’s perception of reality. The late introduction of Estelle’s location during the telling of the story–a singles bar–emphasizes the character elements that have been introduced throughout. Sus propios esfuerzos por seguir siendo humano, el trabajo inútil, el amor estéril, ¿qué ocurría cuando todo se agotaba?, ¿qué le sucedería a él?El interior desprendía ese olor dulce y tristón de las tiendas en las que se vende de todo, mezcla del aroma de los cucuruchos de helado, las galletas Oreo, los caramelos duros y las barritas de regaliz que se exponían en el mostrador, y eso otro olor, almizcleño y penetrante, a sudor y a rancio.

The story brings out the inner feeling of the characters on how they feel about the subject of rape and how they look at it. The themes of this story are the quotes that are displayed through the paper and the definition of rape, why it’s taking lightly and how is the issue getting solved. Writing effective short stories is probably more difficult than writing effective novels. You have very little space; you have to create viable, breathing characters in paragraphs instead of chapters; you have to weigh every word and know that it is essential or it must go; and you must convey something important, an idea, a thought, that lasts or has impact. Margaret Atwood does that like it is a science.Margaret Atwood es maravillosa. Sus reflexiones y su modo de plasmarlas sobre el papel me impresionan. Many readers can identify with Estelle's predicament about moving to a big city, further adding to her credibility as a narrator: "I thought it was going to be such a big adventure and all, but it's a lot harder to meet people in a city." In addition, her speech patterns make her sound like many of the people readers encounter every day. Her speech is not studied or formal; her words sound like everyday conversation: "My mother always said you shouldn't dwell on unpleasant things and I generally agree with that, I mean, dwelling on them doesn't make them go away. Though not dwelling on them doesn't make them go away either, when you come to think of it." By creating a narrator whose speech cadences are familiar and colloquial, and having her give a monologue that is full of everyday experiences, Atwood implies that the topic of rape should not be taboo. Just like Estelle, Atwood infers that "it would be better if you could get a conversation going." Once men and women are able to discuss the politics of rape, it might become less common. Despite the name, "Rape Fantasies" is the funniest story in the collection, and one of the most interesting. Starting with a Cosmo-style magazine piece about how all women have rape fantasies once in a while, the ladies of the office pool compare theirs. Our snarky narrator spins increasingly hilarious and absurd variants, partly to amuse herself and partly to annoy her co-workers. My favorite is the one where a rapist with a cold comes into her window, only to find that she, too, has a cold. "I'b goig to rabe you," he says through stuffy nose. They lie in bed handing each other kleenex and watching the Late Show. In un mondo in cui la comunicazione si fa sempre più di aut aut e slogan (bianco o nero, giusto o sbagliato, buono e cattivo), le sfumature di ombre e i toni sempre sovrapposti della sua narrazione è sempre accattivante. Però in alcuni casi, almeno per questi racconti, l'effetto mi è parso un po' strascicato.