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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper evaluates this short story about a man who witnesses the rape of a woman by a motorcycle gang. His reaction to the event is a focus of the work. The title is evaluated and themes are discussed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA208cur.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
central to the story, but he did not. The title "The curse" has meaning. It might even have a double meaning, or more. Minor says that in calling his story
"The Curse" Dubus opens up a new way of looking at the work that goes beyond the mere plight of Mitchell Hayes and the rape victim (397). It then goes
to a larger statement regarding the psychological gymnastics that seem to permeate male and female relationships in general (397). The curse can actually have a multitude of meanings. Women call
their menstrual periods "the curse" and this is something that certainly separates men from women. If women describe their periods as curses, then the title could actually signify a differentiation
between men and women. Clearly, the work in its entirety--inclusive of the title--says a great deal about gender differences. The story focuses on Mitchell Hayes, a character who
is in the wrong place at the wrong time. When a gang rapes a woman in a bar, he does not stop it. When he relays the story later, the
character explains: "I called the cops. When they left" (Dubus 277). Clearly, he tells the truth but is embarrassed because he only did something after it was over. The fact
that he did not help is an idea that plagues him and so one can go on to look at more meanings regarding the title. Might it be that the
curse has to do with a lack of machismo? Clearly, there are themes that run through the work that go to manhood. Would another man stop the rape? He
of course was not the only man who could have done so, but the work focuses on this one, forty-nine year old individual who did nothing. The idea of coming
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