Analysis of the Rape of Pecola
pages 127-128
Danny Fung H3CS
Start:
Page 127
“She was washing dishes.”
End:
Page 128
“…from a circus balloon.”
Rhetorical Questions
• “What was he supposed to do about that? Return it? How?
What could his calloused hands produce to make her
smile? What of his knowledge of the world and of life could
be useful to her? What could his heavy arms and befuddled
brain accomplish that would earn him his own respect, that
would in turn allow him to accept her love?”
• This large list of rhetorical questions demonstrates Cholly’s
uncertainty of what he can do to please and help Pecola.
• The bulk/sheer number of rhetorical questions he asks at
the same time displays his confusion as well as fear of
doing something wrong. He is not the “alpha male type” of
person who always thinks only about himself, he wants to
care for Pecola.
List of three
• “The sequence of his emotions was revulsion,
guilt, pity, then love.”
• “His revulsion was a reaction to her young,
helpless, hopeless presence.”
• The list of three’s used illustrate Cholly’s
confusion and stream of thoughts going
through his mind. It may also be used to allow
the reader to understand Cholly’s reasoning
that made him commit the rape.
Metaphor
• “His hatred of her slimed in his stomach and
threatened to become vomit.”
• “…a bolt of desire…”
• “His soul seemed to slip down to his guts and fly out
into her”
• “…next he felt the discomfort dissolve into pleasure”
• The metaphors are used to create explicit images in the
reader’s mind. They may also be used to convey the
magnitude of Cholly’s emotions (eg. “…a bolt of
desire…”) and that metaphor may be used to describe
the spontaneity of Cholly’s feelings as well as his in
ability to control it.
Simile
• “…the only sound she made – a hollow suck of
air in the back of her throat. Like the rapid loss
of air from a circus balloon.” -
Alliteration
• “…her shocked body, the silence of her
stunned throat…”
• “It was such a small and simple..”
• “His soul seemed to slip down…”
• All the quotes use sibilance (harsh sound of
the “s”)
• The use of sibilance
Oxymoron
• “He wanted to break her neck – but tenderly”
• “He wanted to f*** her – tenderly.”
• Shows how Cholly’s nature is “mixing” and
interfering with his love for Pecola. He feels
naturally feels love towards Pecola but his
aggressive nature does not allow him to
display this to her.
Imagery
• “…a bolt of desire ran down his genitals, giving
it length, and softening the lips of his anus.”
• “Crawling on all fours toward her, he raised his
hand and caught the foot in an upward
stroke.”
• Leaves a lasting impression on the reader as
well as conveys the crudity of Cholly’s act.
Structure
• There is “sign-posting” used in this extract. This is “He
wanted to break her neck – tenderly.” The end of the
“sign-post” is on the next page: “He wanted to f*** her
– tenderly.” In between these quotes, Cholly goes from
being unsure about what he can do for Pecola to
nibbling her leg then finally rape.
• There are two paragraphs in this extract. The first
paragraph describes Cholly’s thoughts, feelings and
emotions (his reasoning that leads to his actions). The
second paragraph is when he has already convinced
himself to rape Pecola and describes his actions.