Rape Fantasies

             In the short story "Rape Fantasies", by Margaret Atwood we find ourselves in an office lunchroom with a group of women sitting around, bridge as usual, while eating their lunch. One of the ladies mentions a magazine article that talks about how every woman has them... rape fantasies. The women begin to share what they think are their rape fantasies, but somehow Margaret stands out from the rest of them.
             Right from the beginning we notice that there is a misunderstanding between "rape fantasies" and sexual fantasies. While they share their fantasies, it seems that all of it takes place in a very comfortable and relaxing environment. Chrissy and Greta for example are being attacked in the comfort of their own house, and they just succumb to the intruder. There is no struggle or danger in those situations, which makes their stories sound pleasant. Another thing that stands out is that unlike Estelle, all three ladies end up having intercourse with an attacker, which might even seem consensual. Estelle however believes that Greta and Chrissy's idea of a rape fantasy is just a vivid dream about having sex, a "one night stand" with a complete stranger, whom they will never see again.
             Estelle's stories were altogether different. In all her stories she finds herself relating to the attacker on a personal level, which ultimately helps her get out of being raped. In one of the stories she describes the rapist as a lonely, depressed guy for whom rape is the last resort to have sex. Estelle, kind-hearted victim, just gives him a friendly advice and just part their ways. It seems like she plays all those scenarios in her head in order to be prepared for the worst. Usually something like that is triggered by an event in the past and that might be the case with Estelle.
             Estelle's stories give us a true understanding of rape fantasies. It starts off as an unpleasant scenario but plays out to be a
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