Rape, a Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates - Assignment Example

Rape: A Love Story Exacting revenge in the aftermath of a rape case is justified action according to Oates’s story Rape, A Love Story. This is because it counters the insensitivity of the justice system that usually fails to help rape victims such as Teena Maguire who is gang raped in the presence of her 12-year old daughter, Bethie. The essay, thus, will demonstrate the guilt that haunts Droomor for the murders of the suspected rapists. Rape, A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates is a beautiful novella that elevates the status of her protagonist, Teena Maguire, to a heroine.

The brutal rape of Teena by gang of men implicates two men namely Lloyd Pick, Marvyn Pick, and Fritz Haaber. This shocking incident occurs in the presence of Bethie, the main character’s daughter resulting to anguish and despair in the story. However, it is the timely intervention of Droomor that eventually saves the situation. In the ensuing scenario, Droomor kills the two suspects in Teena’s case and there is ample evidence to support the claim. First, by the courts failing to convict Marvyn and Lloyd, the justice system predisposed the police officer to a revenge fantasy of protecting Teena.

It is apparent in the angst expressed by Droomor when he converses with the victim after the trial (Oates 112). Second, the desperation and struggle of Bethie accounts for the officer’s murderous actions. According to the text, Droomor feels sorry for the hopelessness that characterizes the young girl’s life and decides to end the lives of Teena’s rapists. Overall, in Oates’s context, the involvement of Droomor in the murders of Fritz Haaber and the Pick brothers is a cathartic process that frees the central character from her pain.

Another interesting angle of Droomor’s guilt involves its similarity to the plot define The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. It revolves around the fate of Louise Mallard who believes her husband is dead while the case is not true. With the comfort of her sister, she receives counseling and finally begins rejoicing only for her husband to reappear. Alternatively, while all evidence links Droomor to the killings of Teena’s rapists, the truth remains hidden. Consequently, a sense of ambiguity emerges that contradicts the real killers of the Pick brothers and Fritz.

Likewise, the eventual death of Mrs. Mallard after the sudden appearance of her husband in Chopin’s story parallels the uncertainties that define the suspected murder in Oates’s story. As a detective I believe Droomor is the murderer of the three men based on his dialogue and innuendos after the trial acquitting the suspects. However, if suspects appear back to life, it would exonerate the former police officer but it would also predispose him to self-destruction. This is because of wrongful labeling as a killer of suspected rapists declared innocent by the justice system.

It, therefore, is essential to caution against taking the law into one’s own hands because it is both retrogressive and painful. Instead of helping the victim, it only results to more deaths (Oates 119). Work CitedOates, Joyce. Rape: A Love Story. Mason, OH: SAGE. 2003. Print.