De Paul University
Writing from the Inside
Teacher: Zoe Keithley
Rape: A Woman’s Point of View
Wow, this is a great frat party. Look at the gorgeous guys here. God, Mom was right, I am glad to have gone away to college. I will watch how much I drink; Mom warned me about drinking too much. Oh my God, that guy is watching me; he’s really cute, I wonder if he’s a friend of Susie’s.
Just look at that girl over there. She looks new here, I haven’t seen her around campus before and anyway, she has that, “Wow, I’m finally out on my own look”. She has a great bod, and her skirt isn’t quite short enough. Let me go slow so I don’t scare her off.
Now he’s coming over to me. Let me be cool. He’s so cute I think I’ll flip.
She is really a great-looking girl. Here goes nothing. “Hi, I’m Tom, what’s your name”?
“Hi, I’m Sally. How are you? Are you a friend of Susie”?
“Yes, I know Susie, I hang around with her brother Jim. He’s the one that brought me here tonight”.
“Oh yeah, Susie has said that Jim had a close friend named Tom. Where did you meet Jim”?
“Jim and I went to high school together. We used to have a lot of fun”?
“What year are you in? Said Sally.
“I’m a junior, I’m studying finance, what are you majoring in”?
“I’m a freshman and I haven’t really decided on my major yet, but I’m leaning toward possibly pre-law”.
“Would you like to dance”? Said, Tom.
“Sure I’d love to”.
I love this song, Anita Baker’s music is so romantic. I never thought I would meet a guy so quickly. He is so damn cute! I wonder if he likes me. I wonder if he can tell how insecure and helpless, I feel.
This girl really has great shape. I wonder if she is ready for a little fun tonight? Boy, I could have a good time with her.
Tom starts holding Sally a little closer – to test the waters. Sally freezes, she doesn’t know what to do; she doesn’t want to make a scene or seem too young and prissy. Sally doesn’t move back away from him because she is too uncomfortable and scared to do anything. What will these people think of her if she accuses this popular guy of getting fresh with her; will they be mad at her?
Tom thinks that because she doesn’t stop him or pull away that she likes it and wants him to continue. Women want you to be forceful anyway. They need you to take charge – they like that.
Susie notices Sally dancing really close to Tom; she knows Sally is timid and has not had much experience with older guys (Tom is 22 and Sally just turned 18). She can’t believe her friend is acting so sleazily. She’s letting Tom kiss her neck and rub her butt. This is not the Sally that I know.
Jim returns to the party after going for more beer and is delighted to see that his friend Tom is doing really good with this new girl. He is surprised though because his sister doesn’t usually hang around with “that” type. Look at those two. I bet they will be going at it soon.
I am really scared; what do I do to get this guy away from me without making a scene and having everyone think I’m too young to be here. I’m afraid to move. Surely, he will know when I hold my body stiffly that I am not interested.
She likes it, I can tell. She’s restraining herself because there are all these people here watching us. She likes it really well. It’s too bad girls feel that they have to hide their hornyness. I’m glad I’m a guy and can just go for it.
Sally becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. She just doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t see a way out. She asks Tom to go out on the porch, just to get out of dancing with him. What else could she do?
Tom is delighted, seeing this as her way of saying that she wants to be alone with him so more can happen. Tom is well aware that girls say “no” when they mean “yes”. All guys know that.
I’m so glad to have his hands off of me; I hate this feeling. I wish Susie would come out here and talk to us. Does Susie know how scared I’m feeling?
This girl is shy, but she is still giving me a strong come-on message. Women amaze me with their coy behavior. I can’t wait to get it together with her.
Now on the porch, Tom really starts to come on with Sally. He’s kissing her forcibly on the lips; she is just barely tolerating it. He has his arms and hands all over her; she is trying to pull his hands off, but he is stronger. She realizes that she would have to make quite a scene to get him off of her now. She asks him to please stop but is too intimidated by the new surroundings to forcibly fight him. What might he do if she really fought him? Would he be mad that she embarrassed him in front of his friends?
I have to get out of this situation. I don’t want to be with this guy. Oh God, what can I do? Why is he doing this? Aren’t there other willing girls he could be with?
She’s loving this. She likes it when I come on strong – real man-like. Women love to struggle against it – I don’t know why. She feels really good.
“Tom, let’s take a walk for a little while. I need to get out of here for a while”.
“Sure honey, let’s go for walk. I love going for walks”. He thinks that this is her way of saying that she wants to be even more alone with him.
As they walk, she realizes that they are going further and further away from the frat house. She wonders if she did the right thing. But what else could I do? He didn’t seem to take my pulling his hands away as no; He didn’t stop when she begged him not to. I had to do whatever I could to get his hands off of me; his hands are off of me now. Maybe he will cool off.
Tom sees a bathhouse just to the side of the pool – the perfect place.
“Hey look Sally, there’s a nice little house next to the pool. Let’s see what’s in there”.
Oh good, maybe this will take his mind off of me and he will be curious about this little house. I really don’t mind talking to him, he seems really nice I’m just not ready to get so physical.
Once inside the little bathhouse Tom rapes Sally. He sees all of her behavior as leading him on and encouraging him to go all the way.
Sally is devastated. She does not understand how this happened. Why did he repeatedly say during the rape that he knows she wanted this as much as him. How could he think that?
Tom will never believe that he did anything wrong whatsoever. This girl wanted him to act like a man; she encouraged his behavior.