William Carlos Williams Poem

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 is speaking directly to the reader. 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" also suggests killing something or getting something out of the way, such as "taking care of business." By infusing the poem with a double meaning, Williams Carlos Williams creates a morally ambiguous mood. The raper views his role as the dominant person, and he was just "taking care" of his needs by raping the girl. The rapist's ego emerges, too, as he tells the girl, "you'll never forget me now."

Also ironic is the fact that the girl wishes she were dead if she caught a disease from her rapist, while also stating, "I'd rather a million times / have been got pregnant." If the girl means that she would rather have gotten pregnant from the rapist's child, then the statement if laden with ambiguity and irony. She would be carrying the genetic material of someone she hated through her blood and in her system, giving birth to a child whose father has the moral character of a terrorist. The image of the girl being pregnant with the rapist's child is therefore highly ironic, as well as morally ambiguous. If the girl brought the child to term, she might end up treating that child poorly because it would remind her of the rapist. Or, the child would be a permanent link between the rapist and the girl and might even allow him access to his progeny. The girl does not think about these things, though, as she contemplates disease and death more poignantly than birth. Indeed, her sudden mentioning of the pregnancy is ironic because it comes in the middle of imagery of death.

The final stanza of "The Raper from Passenack" enhances the tone of moral ambiguity embedded in the poem. "And hatred, hatred of all men / --and disgust." On the surface, this last line makes sense in the context of the poem. The woman has just been raped, so of course she will feel anger to the point of outright hatred. Because she knows that most men are capable of physically overpowering a woman at will, she is justified in making the generalization, too. However, the poet makes the final stanza ambiguous with unclear pronoun references. The first line of the stanza is "But it's the foulness of it can't / be cured." What "it" refers to is ambiguous; "it" could refer to rape but it could also refer to "man" or "patriarchy."