Year of the Flood: Post 2

Posted by on Nov 3, 2013 in Reading Response, Year of the Flood | 3 Comments

As I got more deeply into the Year of the Flood, I began to take a closer look at the different female characters are how they are portrayed. Specifically, I was interested in Amanda and Lucerne, and of course, Toby and Ren.

Amanda interests me because thus far she seems to be a female in control of both her self and her sexuality. She knows how to get what she wants, and is not afraid to use her sexuality. She seems skilled at controlling the boys around her to get them to do what she wants. This outlook on life seems to be very commonly debated among feminists. Taking agency over one’s own sexuality is very good, but why must this be a world in which a woman’s sexuality is a commodity and something that can be traded?

Lucerne, I don’t think would be a particularly well-loved character. She seems selfish and only interested in what she can gain from a situation. I wonder how much she really cared for Zeb, or if he was just an adventure she wanted to partake in. Upon returning to the Compound, Lucerne quickly gives a story in which she was being sexually abused to make her appear even more so a victim – perhaps a reflection on how women and their sexuality are “owned” by men, who would immediately feel defensive if one of their own was used in such a way.

Toby’s experience with Blanco really hit me in that I saw how helpless she was with her situation. He decided he wanted her, and she had no choice but to comply, or else fear his wrath. Not only did she have to have sex with him, but she had to pretend that she enjoyed it. On the surface she may seem weak, but what could anyone do in that situation? No one could help her, or even cared to, so she had to do what she could by just complying.

Ren’s experiences when she returns to the Compound with her mother reflect her growing up. Something that bothered me was how she reacted to having sex with Jimmy. I found it quite stereotypical to assume that a girl would immediately become attached to the boy she first has sex with, and even fall in love with him. This is a very common myth in society now, but I didn’t see any of her early experiences would have taught her this. However, I understand perhaps Atwood was trying to make a point, as she may be with all of these characters.

3 Comments

  1. Connie Lui
    November 4, 2013

    I find Amanda a very interesting character as well. I feel like her character would be used in a discussion on whether prostitution should be legalized where people consider their sex life a skill. Toby’s experience with Blanco is something I wonder how often happens in our own society. Employees taking advantage of employers is a very common thing but is there any preventive measures for this especially when it’s in a corporation where things are less transparent and employees are willing to keep their mouths shut in order to keep their livelihood

  2. Myrna Hanna
    November 7, 2013

    I completely agree with Ren’s experiences at the compound showing that she has grown up. One moment when Ren’s maturity stood out to me was the way she justified Lucerne taking her phone, and how she connected Lucerne’s protection of Amanda to her love for Zeb, something that Ren thought her mother lacked, and therefore didn’t respect her for it. It was very mature of Ren to be able to think better of her mother in a situation in which she had every right to be angry.

  3. Cynthia Perez Beltethon
    November 19, 2013

    I agree with Myrna that Ren matures through YOTF, but much of her plot line still involves be that of a typical girl who thinks about how much she was affected by a first love.

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