Themes
Speaking Truth to Power
Small Themes and Personal Opinions
Don’t get raped
cuz the jackasses and idiots will say
that’s your fault, too.
Powerlessness and Cultural Influence
Of course, getting raped is not a personal choice. Anderson’s larger theme is a sense of powerlessness, the sense that she could not tell anyone of her own rape because culture and society not only expect, but also influence, some of the predatory behavior boys train for in social situations. Girls, Halse writes, are like chum in the swimming pool, goggled at and teased by the older boys, the sharks. These are small moments with massive implications. Anderson recounts her own early experience with lust in the woods; she said no when the boy went too far, but she was ignored. Anderson demonstrates how these moments build up over the course of a childhood to create an adult. These are the moments in people’s lives that join other survivors’ stories as part of the #MeToo movement.
Sociocultural Atmosphere and Advocacy
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