Mavis Gallant's My Heart is Broken follows the conversation between Jeannie and Mrs. Thompson regarding Jeannie's rape. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the aftermath of rape has not changed much since 1964.
Mrs. Thompson implies that Jeannie is also responsible for the rape occurring. With words like "If you'd listened to me, none of this would have happened" or "I told you it would make trouble, all that being cute and dancing around" Mrs. Thompson blames Jeannie for what happened. The rapist is nonexistent in this conversation, Mrs. Thompson refusing to find out who he is. Jeannie is considered the main reason of the rape as Mrs. Thompson believes it could have been prevented if Jeannie acted differently. Mr. Sherman goes even further, arguing "no man by his own self can rape a girl, so there was either two men or else she's invented the whole story".
This leads to a social atmosphere at the camp prevents Jeannie and her husband Vern from properly reporting the incident. Mr. Sherman threatens Vern, telling him " if your wife wants to press a charge and talk to some lawyer....you'll never work again anywhere". Ironically, Vern quits the job and leaves camp with Jeannie while the rapist remains, living life as if nothing has happened. We can again see that Jeannie is blamed for the incident, with Mr. Sherman saying "If you want to send her off, Vern, you can always stay". Jeannie is regarded the source of trouble.
These phenomenons aren't foreign to us readers of the 21st century. Slut shaming and victim shaming can be seen frequently, from the way police officers question victims of rape to comments on news articles about rape. Rape victims have a hard time reporting what they have been through, horror stories of the harsh process of investigation, fear of being branded by a scarlet letter, or sad statistics of low conviction rates hindering them. In the story, Mrs. Thompson tries to remember if "her heart had ever been broken" implying Jeannie is not the first in the camp to become a victim, not only of rape but of society. And she is definitely not the last, the tale of Jeannie still happening all around the world today.
Mrs. Thompson implies that Jeannie is also responsible for the rape occurring. With words like "If you'd listened to me, none of this would have happened" or "I told you it would make trouble, all that being cute and dancing around" Mrs. Thompson blames Jeannie for what happened. The rapist is nonexistent in this conversation, Mrs. Thompson refusing to find out who he is. Jeannie is considered the main reason of the rape as Mrs. Thompson believes it could have been prevented if Jeannie acted differently. Mr. Sherman goes even further, arguing "no man by his own self can rape a girl, so there was either two men or else she's invented the whole story".
This leads to a social atmosphere at the camp prevents Jeannie and her husband Vern from properly reporting the incident. Mr. Sherman threatens Vern, telling him " if your wife wants to press a charge and talk to some lawyer....you'll never work again anywhere". Ironically, Vern quits the job and leaves camp with Jeannie while the rapist remains, living life as if nothing has happened. We can again see that Jeannie is blamed for the incident, with Mr. Sherman saying "If you want to send her off, Vern, you can always stay". Jeannie is regarded the source of trouble.
These phenomenons aren't foreign to us readers of the 21st century. Slut shaming and victim shaming can be seen frequently, from the way police officers question victims of rape to comments on news articles about rape. Rape victims have a hard time reporting what they have been through, horror stories of the harsh process of investigation, fear of being branded by a scarlet letter, or sad statistics of low conviction rates hindering them. In the story, Mrs. Thompson tries to remember if "her heart had ever been broken" implying Jeannie is not the first in the camp to become a victim, not only of rape but of society. And she is definitely not the last, the tale of Jeannie still happening all around the world today.
It reminds me of the discussions we had on Mrs.Seuk's class about the book 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles'. Poor Tess and poor Jeannie. Society didn't stand by their side, and it still doesn't. Nice reading!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read stories or come across history from the late 20th century, and find how women were viewed back then, I find it surprising that it wasn't that long ago. No wonder the prejudice still exists today.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
ReplyDelete