"'Bite it," he said softly. "You've got to bite it" (59).

In my very first reading of the novel, I was appalled by sexual tension the nursery scene, furious when Lola  "confided" to Briony that it was the twins who hurt Lola, livid when no one at the dinner table further questioned how two little boys could have inflicted such injuries on Lola, and absolutely outraged when Lola said she "didn't see" who had molested her. It was so clear to me that Paul Marshall was to blame (which could perhaps could be alluded to by Briony's narration), and I was astonished when we discussed it in my AP English class later that week, that no one else felt similarly. I found Lola to be a detestable character, one who contributed to and did not discourage the (probable) first violation in the nursery, lied about it and blamed it on her brothers, and finally lied and confessed that she "didn't see" who it was, went along with the lie so far as to wrongfully convict someone, and eventually married her rapist.

In light of this dicussion, I began to question my interpretation of various scene: the nursery scene, Lola's deep blushing and tears at the mention of her injuries, her hesitation to condemn Robbie, and her eventual marriage to Marshall. My classmates did not give any significance to Lola's injuries supposedly inflicted by the twins, and they interpreted her tears and refusal to admit who had raped her as well as her eventual marriage to him as evidence of Rape Shame. According to the Rape Treatment Center, shame is a typical reaction to rape:

"Feelings of guilt and shame are common reactions following a sexual assault. Because of misconceptions about rape, some victims blame themselves, doubt their own judgment, or wonder if they were in some way responsible for the assault." (Link: http://www.911rape.org/impact-of-rape/self-blame-and-shame)

Unlike my classmates, however, I just couldn't explain away Lola's crime in this way. I tried to search for an article that could help to argue my viewpoint, however, I could find nothing. I did feel Lola was responsible, in some way, for Marshall's advances. The mutual sexual tension is evident in the nursery scene, her injuries are obviously a result of (on some level consensual) sexual act in the nursery, Lola's tears are a result of the shame she feels at losing her chastity and the awkwardness of their situation because of her age, and her eventual marriage is evidence of the feelings she has (and always has had) for Marshall. Legally speaking, yes, this sexual act would be considered statutory rape as a result of Lola's age (15), and so to protect Marshall, she allows Robbie to be blamed. The difficulty, however, in arguing this point is that there is the ever-present threat that this view could be interpreted as an attempt to put blame on the innocent victim of rape. As the Rape Treatment Center goes on to say, "Feelings of guilt and self-blame may be reinforced by the reactions of others, who, because of prevalent myths about rape, may blame the victim or criticize his or her behavior." I do believe there was some element of consent in Lola's rape, despite the possible criticisms of this view, and I hope to further explore this point.




"Self-Blame and Shame | Rape Treatment Center." 911rape.org | Rape Treatment Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2011. <http://www.911rape.org/impact-of-rape/self-blame-and-shame>.