Is Society Truly Against Rape?

     Rape is one of the most difficult and uncomfortable topics to talk about. Unfortunately, rape is a key event in the novel The Bluest Eye. Pecola is raped twice by her father, which causes her to have a mental breakdown. But when Pecola tells her mother what happened, she doesn't care. Morrison wrote, "So that's why you didn't tell her about the second time? She wouldn't have believed me then either," (200). This quote is taken from a conversation that Pecola is having with herself; she is clearly traumatized by what happened to her. And the depressing fact is that this same thing happens still today. Millions of people are raped each day-and most fail to report the assault. You might wonder why they don't report it, why they don't try to get justice for themselves. The answer is simply the same as the one Pecola gave to herself- "[they] wouldn't have believed me then either," (200). In fact, 54% of rapes are never even reported (Huffington Post). And why would you when rape victims are constantly being blamed for being assaulted? Or being judged because of something they never wanted to happen? In The Bluest Eye, this is exactly what happens. The others in the town look down upon Pecola because of something that was out of her control. Today, even if you managed to get your story heard, there's no guarantee the investigation would ever be completed. In 2009, 11,000 untested rape kits were found in evidence boxes in Detroit, (mlive.com). These victims never even got a chance for justice. Since then, a law has been passed that requires these tests to be tested within two weeks of a victim coming forward, (mlive). As a society it is clear that we are making progress, but we have so much more to do before we can ever say-truthfully- that we, as a society, are wholeheartedly against rape. There is a clear need for quicker and more substantial changes in the society we live in today.