Is it obvious when a woman has been raped? Can a person merely tell by looking at a woman if she has been raped? I furtively look around me; I cannot determine by a simple look which woman, or women, have been sexually assaulted or raped. Joyce Carol Oates immerses her readers into the world of rape and survival in her novel Rape: A Love Story. In this novel, Oates tackles a subject which is not an easy subject to tackle, yet she does so with grace. I was initially intrigued by the title of this story. How could rape possibly equate to a love story? Reading the story left me feeling numb, but at the same time, it made me feel empowered as a woman. I also discovered that it was not the act of rape that resulted in love, but rather the rape allowed…show more content… Kellaway initally brings up the point in how Oates allows the reader to read this not in a journalistic manner, but rather the reader is allowed to get a glimpse into who Teena Maguire is as a person who has faults, rather than simply associating her as a rape victim and survivor (Kellaway). Kellaway also believes that this novel is largely an attack on misogyny (Kellaway). Kellaway backs up this belief by describing Oates as writing the names of the attackers, but at the same time, the names are rolled around in such a way that it seems the names are simply marbles in the palm of Oates’ hand (Kellaway). Oates tackles misogyny by allowing the fate of the attackers to end up benefitting Teena and Bethie. The rapists are so focused on getting away with their crimes that they ultimately destroy themselves with nobody to blame but themselves. By writing the book in a manner that allows the protagonist to not be associated as only the rape victim, Oates is essentially standing up for women and allowing the reader to witness the fall of misogyny. Kellaway advises against reading this book for pleasure, and she suggests that the reader rather focuses on Oates and her ability to make the reader ponder on what our fates are, and how one seemingly trivial decision has the ultimate ability to change the fate of a person and her life…show more content… I took the opportunity to explore her site and was pleasantly surprised to see this novella had been produced into a major motion picture starring Nicolas Cage as Dromoor (the policeman) (“Celestial Timepiece”). I find the trailer to be lacking when compared to Rape: A Love Story. I find myself to be a harsh critic when novels that I love and adore are produced into films; how can a picture capture what I saw in my head as I read the book? The main thing that jumped out to me was the title change. According to Randy Souther, creator of Celestial Timepiece, he hoped that the change of the title was for the focus to be on the leading actor, Nicolas Cage, and not an indicator that the film will focus more on the male lead rather than the main character who happens to be a woman (“Celesial Timepiece”). The movie is set to be released in the United States (US) during 2017, although an exact date is unknown, and it has already been released overseas in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom (UK). The movie trailer can be watched here:
