That Post About Rape

[deep breath]

Recently I wrote a post that essentially expressed my frustration with the idea that fictional literary characters must die/suffer in order to achieve the pinacle of the literary art form or true character growth.

The poem included a stanza referencing the rape of female characters as well, which while NOT the intent of the original “make your characters suffer!” Challenge AT ALL got included because one of my biggest frustrations in fictional character suffering is the rape of female characters. As even typing the word “rape” elicits really strong gut queasiness in me - and likely others - I felt I needed to perhaps clarify my thinking on the issue in a half-assed attempt to address any offense caused by my post.

Does rape have a place in literary fiction? And let me stress the fiction part of that sentence. I’m not talking about nonfiction; nonfiction follows real life and facts so of course - sadly - it has a place there. Fiction, however, is whatever we make of it; to me this means we have a greater obligation to ensure we don’t do a disservice to reality.

So my answer to this question is yes - but with several caveats.

To clarify, my recent literary reads are mostly graphic novels; I am a comic book nerd and as I’ve grown older and discovered the wonderful renaissance of this art form over the past decades it’s been my favorite genre. However, several of the graphic novels I’ve read wield not only heavy violence but sex as well; and while I’m not squeamish to either it is the intersection of the two that really sets me off. There are several instances I’ve come across which will completely ruin the tone/feel of a book to me - not only because it’s jarring, but because some of my fellow comic enthusiasts don’t find it jarring.

Case in point: I was in a group discussing a graphic novel whose name has been burned from memory. The overall plot of the book was that humans had found a way to travel between multiverses. The main character of the book ends up abusing the system to avoid his own life’s drudgery, triggering the ire of a very evil, zombie/cannibal version of himself who then violently rapes and eats one of his other multiverse selves in a set of panels that was disturbing to say the least. The comic continues with the standard trope of guy defeats monster, gets his girl, saves the multiverses. It ended on a particularly cheesy pickup line.

As our group discussed it with enthusiasm I raised my hand and was like, “Uh, yeah, I hate this book. I felt the rape/murder scene where he talked about fucking neck holes was unnecessary and over the top.”

And the group looked back, blinked, and literally went, “Wait, what??”

Nearly half the group had forgotten that part of the book.

A couple other readers definitely felt where I came from. As the rest of the group started to question their memories and frantically flip through their volumes I then pulled the jerk card, “Well, if the character being raped had been female, would you maybe feel more bothered?”

Cue awkward silence.

If we worry about the desensitization of violence due to its overuse in fiction, I honestly worry more about the desensitization of rape. Maybe that’s not merited, but it still bothers me enough to elicit 1000 word posts on a Friday.

Part of my complaints on this topic are because I feel rape shades the act of sex in its most negative light. It portrays it as something women suffer, and something men use to assert dominance. This view is not only wholly unhealthy but absolutely detrimental to both sexes. Women shouldn’t fear sex or feel lessened/victimized for having it; and men shouldn’t see sexual urges only as an evil or unnatural force that threatens to turn them into storybook villains.

Do these views exist? Yes, sadly, and rape is still an awful fact of our existence. However I don’t want to give it more power by relegating it to the toolbox of literary woe.

For me, the rules for rape in a fictional piece should be a twist on an old adage:

1) Is it kind?

And by this I mean to say is the way the rape is portrayed cognizant of the victim’s feelings and dignity? Is it portrayed solemnly or is it just part of the overall splash of death and gore? Does it elicit the response of outrage / empathy it should, or is it only being used for more shock effect?

2) Is it necessary?

Does the rape really further your damn plot? Easy way to test this - take it out. Does your story fall apart? And I mean absolutely fall apart? Is the rape contributing to the raped characters’ personal development - not just the hero supposedly saving them, or the villain supposedly showing how awful they truly are? [another comic reference - “women in refrigerators” - exists for a reason]

3) Is it true?

Is the act of rape in your story described realistically? Is it pulling from real influences that you’re conveying through your story? Would it have actually happened, or is it just what you assumed would happen because obviously all evil characters are sexual predators, or all female victims must face not only physical abuse but sexual abuse too?

Good examples of rape in fiction would include this recent post by dctezcan which apparently was sadly deleted its first round, when in reality I would call this a masterful and spot-on portrayal of the brutality of rape: https://theprose.com/post/392408/central-park

Another good example - and a reminder that rape doesn’t only impact female characters - would be the rape scene in American History X. The brutal, visceral violence throughout the film as well as the rape of its main character form a powerful narrative of character development; if suffering is meant to teach a lesson this is it - and it’s important to note this film may be fiction but it is heavily influenced by real life experience.

If we’re writing for entertainment - for escapism, for fantasy, for adventure, for intrigue - then I would argue we need to rethink rape as a plot device. Many likely do, but I still stumble across a few that don’t. When I see those examples I will continue to call them out - because I dream of a reality when we don’t need to rape a character because we feel it makes the story more “realistic”.