Where is the place for rape/sexual abuse in YA?

The_Ink_Goddess · Jan 12, 2015

(trigger warning for rape/sexual abuse, obviously. and please shout if I overstep the mark.)

When I'm on twitter following stuff like PitchWars and Pitchmadness, my favourite question to ask the mentors when the time comes is what the mentors liked, what they were sick of, and what they wanted to see more. Something which has surprised me by turning up multiple times (okay only about twice, but go with me :tongue

) is "sexual assault/abuse/rape thrown around only for pathos." On one hand, it's easy to imagine what this could mean - I remember the Shark commenting on a novel where the MC was raped by her dad, who tried to kill her (and succeeded in killing her mother) that the violence felt too jarring and exaggerated, and I admit I winced.

But the concept of using sexual assault "just for pathos" has stuck with me beyond obvious examples. What do you take this to mean, and what can be done to avoid it? Is the answer not to use rape? I mean, preferably, you want a fictional rape victim to be sympathetic because otherwise it could come across as "punishing" an unlikeable character via rape, which is very disturbing.

Nevertheless, I admit I find it unnerving the number of crime novels that trot out the "childlike rape victim", usually a pretty young girl whose sole purpose in the novel is to have been abused by her stepfather - my best friend asked about a YA novel we were both reading, "Do stepfathers exist in fiction solely to rape?" and, while in poor taste, it was a jarring reminder of what is 'expected' from rape, rapists, and rape victims more broadly, but particularly in YA. Certainly an example of "rape for pathos," but I still can't come to a definitive conclusion. I've long wondered if the preference for the 'sadistic jock whom everybody thinks is a handsome charmer' is a variant on the "stranger danger" rape myths.

KateH · Jan 12, 2015

I think the answer isn't to avoid the concept of rape entirely, but to be very, very sure about why you're using it in a story.

My main problems with rape in novels or TV is when it happens either to punish a character, or to make a character more sympathetic. Not only is this poor writing, it's also very disturbing, as you say.
I'm also not a fan of stories where it feels like violence is thrown in simply for the sake of being 'gritty' or 'dark'. Obviously, people will have different standards of what counts as gratuitous or not, but some stories feel like an unnecessary overload of violence just for the sake of it.

Portrayals of rape need to be realistic, and showing the way it affects the victim is important. Putting in rape for the sake of drama and then glossing over the aftermath is not okay.

frimble3 · Jan 12, 2015

And, just using the rape to show how evil the villain is. Sure, he slaughtered entire villages, committed genocide on little pixies, but it was that one person he raped that made the MC step up.. Worse somehow when the male MC finally joins the fight only because his girlfriend got raped. 'Now it's personal!'

BBBurke · Jan 13, 2015

While I do think that rape can be used poorly, just for the 'pathos', I also think that a lot of authors do try to use it in a responsible way but might not do it as well as some people would like. Books often contain the very important/dramatic/traumatic events of real life, and rape is one of those. So it's kind of natural for it to come up in stories - the same way it's kind of natural for murder and long-lost siblings and true love to come up.

But it's a hard issue to tackle in a way that will please everyone, and many writers screw up many things, even with the best intentions. Maybe an author wants to show that their character can overcome horrible things that happened to them - that's a worthy goal in my mind. But is rape an appropriate choice? Does it minimize the real-life affects of rape if the character overcomes it too easily? Does it create sympathy for the character instead of the intended respect? The goal may be fine, but how it's handled often separates a sensitive, nuanced portrayal from a cheap writer's gimmick. I think we're often too quick to assume the author purposefully did something wrong instead of failed in their attempt to do something perfectly acceptable.

Like anything, the best way to know if you've done something well is to get feedback from others. Even that is no guarantee - you'll never get complete agreement from an audience. One person's lazy trope is another's insightful take on tradition. In the end, I try to do my best to be respectful of all the topics I write about, but I don't want to be afraid to tackle something just because I might fail. And I want other writers to be willing to take risks (and accepted being called on the carpet for their results, good or bad).

SwallowFeather · Jan 13, 2015

I have a thought that's not an answer but is just mixing it up a little more. It popped up in my head when you mentioned the "'childlike rape victim,' usually a pretty young girl...."

Here's my thought: all kinds of people get raped. You really don't have to be beautiful, or young, or thin and sexy, or anything. Because rape is an expression of power and domination, it's often not primarily about sex or attraction. But yeah, in fiction, it's always young and beautiful women. Maybe when you (general you) are thinking of putting the topic in a story, that's something to stop and think about. Because if it's really about talking about the big stuff of life, like BBBurke said, it shouldn't be a requirement that the woman is pretty. Maybe ask yourself if you could change that part.

I'm really just talking off the top of my head here, I'm still thinking this out. But when you mentioned that trope, it sounded so familiar, and the thing is that the sheer frequency of it tends to make you feel like there's something else going on, like there's something fascinating to people about the idea, in a way I really don't want to go into here at all.

endearing · Jan 13, 2015

KateH said:
I think the answer isn't to avoid the concept of rape entirely, but to be very, very sure about why you're using it in a story.

My main problems with rape in novels or TV is when it happens either to punish a character, or to make a character more sympathetic. Not only is this poor writing, it's also very disturbing, as you say.
I'm also not a fan of stories where it feels like violence is thrown in simply for the sake of being 'gritty' or 'dark'. Obviously, people will have different standards of what counts as gratuitous or not, but some stories feel like an unnecessary overload of violence just for the sake of it.

Portrayals of rape need to be realistic, and showing the way it affects the victim is important. Putting in rape for the sake of drama and then glossing over the aftermath is not okay.

Yes, I really agree with this.

And going along with what SwallowFeather said, I'm also a bit disturbed by the increasing number of "almost rape" scenes that I've been seeing recently in YA--where rape exists mostly to show that a girl is attractive and find a way to show that her love interest, maybe stereotypically a "bad boy", is heroic.

Emermouse · Jan 13, 2015

SwallowFeather said:
Here's my thought: all kinds of people get raped. You really don't have to be beautiful, or young, or thin and sexy, or anything. Because rape is an expression of power and domination, it's often not primarily about sex or attraction. But yeah, in fiction, it's always young and beautiful women. Maybe when you (general you) are thinking of putting the topic in a story, that's something to stop and think about. Because if it's really about talking about the big stuff of life, like BBBurke said, it shouldn't be a requirement that the woman is pretty. Maybe ask yourself if you could change that part.

Also too often, fiction is stuck on the "guy leaps out of the darkness and forces himself on her" trope when it comes to rape. First of all, male-male rape exists, as does female-male rape and female-female rape. Second of all, those kinds of rapes make up only a small portion of reported rapes. Most of the time, it's date rape, done by someone the victim knows.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that the "guy leaps out of the darkness" stuff happens, but I'm a little tired of seeing it. Just once, how about a scene where a couple is on a date and they're hanging out, getting frisky, when just as things are heating up, one of them suddenly decides, "Wait, I don't really wanna do this."

Channy · Jan 13, 2015

SwallowFeather said:
I have a thought that's not an answer but is just mixing it up a little more. It popped up in my head when you mentioned the "'childlike rape victim,' usually a pretty young girl...."

Here's my thought: all kinds of people get raped. You really don't have to be beautiful, or young, or thin and sexy, or anything. Because rape is an expression of power and domination, it's often not primarily about sex or attraction. But yeah, in fiction, it's always young and beautiful women.

Nothing sticks in my craw more than the almost rape just to either 1.) make things personal 2.) show how beautiful a girl is 3.) how the MC LI is a bad boy and really wants her or 4.) the MC LI then has a chance to save the MC

I have a character in my planned book 2 trilogy, where he's a real piece of shit. Well, I guess it's book 2 and 3.. part of the second group of main characters, acting as second fiddle to the MC. He used to lead the group. He used to be the head honcho. Then when another girl, the MC, comes along and shows more promise and talent, he tries to take her down a peg with attempted rape. He tries to assert his dominance again but she--using her element/darkness abilities that's unique to each character--over powers him and puts him back in his place. She even retitles the group, naming herself as Alpha and him as Omega.

Their relationship is pretty strained from then on and he's always picking on her but he doesn't try it again. When another, younger girl comes along, Alpha warns her to watch out for him and to tell her if he tries anything.

LadyA · Jan 14, 2015

One thing I have noticed, which disgusts me, is when rapes in fiction (probably not so much YA, admittedly) are portrayed in a very 'male gaze-y' way. Like, this beautiful, virgin girl is being raped and for some reason the rape is very descriptive, visual, almost romanticised - and often from the POV of the rapist.

My last ms does involve rape and sexual abuse throughout (of one of the MCs, a 16yr old boy) but I have made a conscious decision not to portray it 'onscreen' - most is hinted at and implied, or heard by the other MC. I just hope I have done it right.

One book I think gets it right is WHEN JEFF COMES HOME by Catherine Atkins. Has anyone else read this one?

Chazemataz · Jan 14, 2015

SPEAK is one of the most famous and widely-read YA novels of all time and it deals with the aftermath of rape in a manner that is eloquent, inspirational and touching. Reading that novel should be a prerequisite to tackling the topic of sexual assault. I had to read it my freshman year of high school (waayy back in 2006!) and have loved it ever since.

Becca C. · Jan 14, 2015

LadyA said:
One thing I have noticed, which disgusts me, is when rapes in fiction (probably not so much YA, admittedly) are portrayed in a very 'male gaze-y' way. Like, this beautiful, virgin girl is being raped and for some reason the rape is very descriptive, visual, almost romanticised - and often from the POV of the rapist.

My last ms does involve rape and sexual abuse throughout (of one of the MCs, a 16yr old boy) but I have made a conscious decision not to portray it 'onscreen' - most is hinted at and implied, or heard by the other MC. I just hope I have done it right.

One book I think gets it right is WHEN JEFF COMES HOME by Catherine Atkins. Has anyone else read this one?

Yes, I loved WHEN JEFF COMES HOME when I was a young teen. Very sad and disturbing but I agree, it's done the right way.

endearing · Jan 14, 2015

Chazemataz said:
SPEAK is one of the most famous and widely-read YA novels of all time and it deals with the aftermath of rape in a manner that is eloquent, inspirational and touching. Reading that novel should be a prerequisite to tackling the topic of sexual assault. I had to read it my freshman year of high school (waayy back in 2006!) and have loved it ever since.

Yes, Speak does a really good job. When I first read it, I was in middle school, and I don't think I really understood what was happening--but later it clicked. If I recall correctly, Sarah Dessen's Just Listen also addressed rape with sensitivity (possible spoiler, though?).

Emermouse · Jan 14, 2015

I've dealt with rape a little in some of my writings. I like to think I've avoided some of the traps writers fall into when they use rape in a story.

First time I used it, it was part of a female villain's backstory. Now, before anyone says anything, the rape wasn't the reason she turned evil; she was already screwed up and it only pushed her further over the edge. The rapist in question was basically a hateful troll who often did horrible shit to people for often no real reason. In fact, his reasoning for why he raped her was, "It sounded amusing at the time." His victim doesn't fall in love with him; she only becomes more determined to kill him and eventually does.

Second time, in my latest story, I've given a character a background similar to Precious from Push by Sapphire. I'll sum it up: after her previous guardian, her grandmother, died when she was ten, she was sent to live with her uncle, who molested her. While she lived with her uncle, she was generally the Cinderella of the family in that she was only allowed her cousins' hand-me-downs and if something was broken or anything went wrong, it was generally understood that it was her fault. Eventually she reached a point where she couldn't stand it anymore, so she ran away when she was thirteen, only to wind up working as a prostitute, because there aren't a lot of options available to a runaway thirteen-year-old girl. Initially she almost enjoyed being a prostitute in that she was choosing the customers she'd sleep with, she controlled when they got off, and what not. But eventually it all took its toll on her.

Becca C. · Jan 14, 2015

I've been thinking about this question since this thread first popped up, not really knowing what to say. I'm lucky enough not to have ever been a victim of sexual violence, so when I do write characters that have this in their past, I kind of feel like I'm not the person to write their story. I do my best, and I research and treat the issue as delicately and carefully as I can. I think I do okay, and I do believe that when a story comes to you, you have to write it and try your best to be unafraid, but I think you do have to be aware that you are writing a story that in some ways doesn't belong to you.

I dunno. Such a difficult topic. You don't want to use it for shock value or as a simple way to give a character depth (ugh), but at the same time it isn't right to say "it isn't necessary" and purposely write it out. There's no right answer.

Where is the place for rape/sexual abuse in YA?

The_Ink_Goddess

we're gonna make it out of the fire

KateH

[insert witty title here]

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

BBBurke

Along for the ride

SwallowFeather

Oops I just swallowed a feather

endearing

in love with Jesus

Emermouse

Channy

Me Gusta

LadyA

Always lurking, never posting...

Chazemataz

I went to sleep a poet

Becca C.

endearing

in love with Jesus

Emermouse

Becca C.