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William Carlos Williams comments on the brutal persistence of patriarchy in "The Raper from Passenack." The title immediately conjures the imagery of rape, and the title fuses into the first line of the poem. "The Raper from Passenack" is written in a narrative format, describing a scene in which the titular character is driving home the nameless girl who he just violated. Most of the narrative takes place inside the girl's head, and the story is told from her point-of-view. This allows the reader to empathize with the girl, and see how the rape symbolizes the structure of patriarchy and its oppression. However, embedded in "The Raper from Passenack" is an equally disturbing theme of possible complicity of women in the patriarchal structure. Williams' poem "The Raper from Passenack" conveys a sense of moral ambiguity because it has imagery of murder, ample irony, and an ambiguous ending.
Moral ambiguity permeates "The Raper from Passenack," especially because the girl contemplates killing her rapist. In the seventh stanza, the girl entertains the idea of killing the rapist, especially if she finds that he infected her with a venereal disease. She states, "I wish I could shoot him. How would / you like to know a murderer? / I may do it." This stanza helps the reader understand the depth of the girl's pain and anger, as she directs the lines directly in second person singular. Breaking off the first line of the stanza on the word "would" allows the second line of the stanza to start with the word "You." This enhances the sense that the girl...
She also phrases the line in the form of a question: "How would you like to know a murderer?" By doing this, the girl (and the poet) are asking the reader to genuinely consider their feelings regarding her right to kill the person who raped her. Williams therefore creates a morally ambiguous tone and theme. Some readers will feel comfortable with the girl being a murderer because she would be justified, especially given that her murderous intentions are qualified by the line beginning the next stanza, "I'll know by the end of this week." The girl will only kill him if he gave her a disease. Although she premeditates the murder, she is not abjectly and indiscriminately cruel. Her reasoning is sound: he raped and killed her by passing on a disease; therefore the only justice would be for the rapist to die too. Her homicidal ideations are morally ambiguous, even if the reader sympathizes with the girl.
Irony also enhances the moral ambiguity in "The Raper from Passenack." The first line of the poem describes the raper from Passenack as being "very kind." He tells the "kid" that he "took care" of her. The phrase "take care of" has multiple meanings. Because Williams preceded the "took care" of line with a description of the raper's being "kind," it seems like the raper is deluded enough to believe that he is being caring towards the girl. After all, the poem takes place in the raper's car as he drives her home. His driving her home conveys a sense of ironic caring. The phrase "took care of"…
Work Cited
Williams, William Carlos. "The Raper from Passenack." Retrieved online: http://www.heydays.ws/?where=authors&author=William%20Carlos%20Williams
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