The Irony of Estelle’s Rape Fantasy(“Rape Fantasies”)
Estelle narrates, “I say to him (the rapist)’ you are intending to rape me right?’ and he nods, so I open my purse to get the plastic lemon, and I can’t find it! My purse is full of all this junk, Kleenex and cigarettes and my change purse and my lipstick and my driver’s license, you know the kind of stuff; so I ask him to hold out his hands, like this, and I pile all this junk into them and down at the bottom there’s the plastic lemon, and I can’t get the top off. So I hand it to him and he’s very obliging, he twists the top off and hands it back to me, and I squirt him in the eye.” The rapist's submission to Estelle’s demands, in the fantasy, is ironic because it is tantamount to self-defeating behaviour that will encumber him from bringing his objective of raping Estelle to fruition. In reality, the rapists are ferocious; thus, they would not conform to the victims’ commands. Instead, the rapists would constrain the victims to abide by their instructions.
The Irony of the Narrator’s Sympathy for the Rapist(“Rape Fantasies”)
The narrator confesses, “I feel so sorry for him, in my rape fantasies I always end up feeling sorry for the guy, I mean there has to be something wrong with them.” The narrator’s empathy towards the rapist is ironic considering that the rapist had unscrupulous intents. Customarily, the narrator would have been revolted by the rapist; thus, would not show concern for the rapist. This irony hints at the empathy that is prerequisite to discerning the core impetus for the rapists’ actions.
The Irony of Christine’s Depression -“The Man From Mars”
Margaret Atwood notes, “Christine came out of her last examination feeling de-pressed. It was not the exam that depressed her but the fact that it was the last one.” Christine should have been delighted by the conclusion of her exam instead of getting dejected by it. The conclusion of the exam was a milestone in her life that should have elated her because it meant that she was progressing.
The Irony of Christine’s Detestation of women-“The Man From Mars”
Atwood observes, “She had grown to share their contempt for most women.” Christine’s aversion for women is ironic because she is a woman too. Nevertheless, the irony of her hatred is attributed to her self- concept whereby because of her physical features, she looks at herself as the ‘ugly sister’. As a result of the sensitivity, she abhors women as they make her sentient of her repulsiveness.
