Em answers “Was the relationship between the high...”

Penny asked this question about Three Women:

Was the relationship between the high school student and her teacher romanticized? Was the girl portrayed as "asking for it"? Is female masochism normalized in this book? It sounds a little creepy, and extremely misogynistic. Not all women "desire" suffering & exploitation.

Em No, quite the opposite. The author clearly shows how the power dynamic and the girl's vulnerability made her an innocent victim — certainly not the "a…moreNo, quite the opposite. The author clearly shows how the power dynamic and the girl's vulnerability made her an innocent victim — certainly not the "asking for it" seductress the court tried to paint her as.

I don't think anyone in the situation was totally innocent (which seems beside the point anyway) but we are definitely made to sympathize with the girl, who was both led on and kept at arm's length by an adult she trusted and who had authority over her.(less)

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