overpower the male or make the man look like a fool. In one of the fantasies, Estelle, the main character says, “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…” (“Fantasies” 249). Atwood displays in her story how important it is that women are now thought of as equals rather than just a secondary to men. Although most of the time Atwood displays her female characters as uncomfortable, unstable and innocent, she usually has them pull through the rough times to prevail on the other end of the story. The second characteristic of Atwood’s writing that is noticeable in “Rape Fantasies” is her use of specific themes. The major theme is the importance of eating. Almost the entire story is based around the ladies’ discussion during their lunch break. This fact, from the beginning shows the strength of all the women. Atwood has her own way of showing which women were weaker within the group. Through Estelle’s words, Atwood describes each of the women, what they look like, their age, and what they eat. It is important in understanding the women to know what they eat. When Estelle describes each of the women, she also includes what they were eating. In Atwood’s first novel, The Edible Woman, one of the central ideas is that women are defined by their culture as passive objects for male consumption (Bouson 231). By allowing the women of her text to eat, she not only shows that they are not going to be overlooked as something for men to consume, but they are on the same level as the men, doing everything, perhaps even more than a male might pursue. Oral communication, like in many other works by Atwood, is present in “Rape Fantasies”. A major way for the females to bond is by simply talking to one another. Atwood also suggests that if the females in the story com...
