Scenes of Rape or Attempted Rape and Feminism

Here are two students who make the same point. They weren't the only ones, a lot of papers contained comments like this:

On the other hand, at the beginning of the movie when she almost gets raped for the first time, she got saved because of the help of a man, demonstrating that women in difficult circumstances caused by the opposite sex are usually helped by a man. Giving an example that in that situation this women is dependent on a man and that is not what feminism is about. This and other situations support the anti-feminism in the film.

One night while returning home, Satyavati was abused and almost raped by Bonku. This is a very touchy subject but I feel it was a crucial part of the movie. I completely believe that rape is a terrible situation that has been happening literally since the beginning of time and is still happening today. However, I think Jai Santoshi Maa creates a weak image for women. In the first rape attempt, Satyavati is saved by her beloved Birju. With this scene alone, it paints the idea that a woman will always need her knight in shining armour to save her. It also creates the idea that deep down inside, men only want women for one thing only. I understand that men generally have a stronger build than women. However, if only Satyavati were holding a knife or something to defend herself with, the whole scene would have shown women in a different light.

I note, in passing, that it is obviously not true that rape has existed since the start of time, since you cannot have rape until you have animals.

Let me start by saying that it is problematic, from a feminist perspective, to have a knight in shining armour save a damsel in distress. It is true that a scene in which a woman fights off a rapist with a knife would be an inspiring feminist scene. Some students seem to think that this is the only way a feminist could depict a rape scene, but that isn't true. After all, feminists do not think that women in real life who are raped are failures, because they did not succeed in fighting off their attackers. A woman who is raped does not cease to be a strong, dignified woman.

Here are a couple of examples. The Sopranos was a show about Tony Soprano, a mafia boss. Tony is charismatic, and lots of people like to be friends with him because he can solve so many problems with violence. He sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. She is not a part of the violent world that Tony lives in - his meetings with her are usually interludes of tranquility in a chaotic world. In one episode, "Employee of the Month", Dr. Melfi is raped. This is unexpected, and disturbing. Viewers expect violence on The Sopranos, but not violence against Dr. Melfi. Her rape is humiliating, because at that moment, her intelligence counts for nothing and her dignity is violated. She is able to identify her attacker, who is the employee of the month at a fast food parlor. However, the police make a mess of the case, losing the evidence that would be needed to get a conviction, and they tell her they cannot make an arrest. Then, she realizes something. If she told Tony Soprano what happened, he would arrange to have the man killed. She meets Tony, and he sees she has been injured and is upset and she tells him that...she was in a minor car accident. This is a powerful story of a strong woman - she is one of the few characters on the show who is able to resist the temptation to call on Tony to use his methods to solve her problems. She does not allow her rape to make her lose her moral values.

But none of this is clear at the moment when her rape appears on screen. Only at the end of the episode do we understand the role that the rape played in the story. We cannot judge the meaning of the rape scene unless we think about the whole story.

West Side Story is an up-dated version of Romeo and Juliet. Maria, a Puerto Rican immigrant, falls in love with Tony, a white boy who is a member of a gang. Maria's brother, Bernardo, is a gang-leader. Bernardo has a girlfriend called Anita. One of the most famous songs in the film is sung by Anita and her friends celebrating their life in America. In the film version, this song became a dialogue between Anita and Bernardo. Anita, the woman, celebrates America as a land of liberation. Bernardo, the man, is more nostalgic for Puerto Rico - a more patriarchal society. Later, after Bernardo has been killed, Maria persuades Anita to take a message to Tony, because love must triumph over hate. Anita agrees, but is intercepted by Tony's gang. They refuse to believe that she is trying to help Tony, and they prepare to rape her. (This is conveyed by dance, and the intent is not spelled out, but it looks like they want to subject her to a rape). The music that plays while this happens is a parody of the earlier song, America. Anita thought America was a land where women were liberated, but her hopes are betrayed. She thought that if she brought a message of love, Tony's friends would trust her, but they do not. The attempted rape is interrupted by the arrival of Doc, an older man who acts as the conscience of the group. The gang members are ashamed, and calm down. Anita then gets her revenge: instead of Maria's message, she sends Tony a false message, a lie that results in his death. Within this story, there can be no doubt that Anita is a strong character: the men fail to respect her, and everyone pays a price.

So, to understand what is going on when Birju rescues Satyavati, you must think about the whole story. Birju never receives much respect from his brothers or their wives. He appears to be a dreamer, who spends all his time playing music. But Satyavati  is devoted to him. Of course she is: she has seen a different side of his character. The women who watched the film want to see the heroine end up with a worthy man - so, at this point, Birju's manliness is established. But - and this is what most of you missed - later in the film. Satyavati pays Birju back. Birju is rescued from drowning by Santoshi Maa, who is answering the prayers of Satyavati. As far as the original audience is concerned. Satyavati saved Birju's life, just as Birju saved Satyavati's honour. In a collectivist society, what matters is that you are part of a successful team, a team where at different moments, each member looks out for the others. Birju is Satyavati's knight when she needs one, but Satyavati is also Birju's savior.

You cannot watch a scene and decide whether that scene is pro-feminist or anti-feminist in isolation from the rest of the film. Each scene is part of a story. If I were to show just the scene from The Sopranos where Dr. Melfi is raped, or just the scene from West Side Story where the gang molests Anita, you would have no way to judge whether these women are strong or weak characters, and no way to know what point was being made.