Rape Fantasies

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of rape and sexual violence. 

The short story is written from the protagonist Estelle’s first-person point of view. This means that the entirety of the story is filtered through Estelle’s distinct consciousness. The way that she sees herself, others, and the world around her dictates how the author presents the story on the page. Estelle is a nervous character, who thus renders the narrative world via her fear, trepidation, and anxiety. She’s also judgmental of others and critical of herself. The way she describes her coworkers and invalidates her own thoughts captures these aspects of her personality. The use of the first person also immerses the reader in Estelle’s consciousness. Because she is almost constantly thinking about her rape fantasies, the reader is enclosed within the insular confines of Estelle’s mind. 

Furthermore, Estelle uses the direct address and the second person to nuance her overarching narration. These formal techniques evoke the notion that Estelle is constantly self-aware. She cannot even think her own private thoughts without imagining how others would perceive or judge these thoughts—this is why she often corrects herself even in her