Character Analysis of Estelle in Rape Fantasies by Atwood Estelle is the only fully developed character in "Rape Fantasies" by Margaret Atwood. Although she is the narrator and is quite attentive to the ideas and reactions of the story's supporting players, it is her almost obsessive concern with a singular topic that drives her to fully illustrate her own ideas and reactions, drawing a character far more compelling than any other. of the men or women he will attempt to describe. Estelle quickly begins her story and reflections. Consider rape, the way rape has recently been treated as a new plague, and the way rape prevention essays and tips have themselves become something of an institution. Estelle recalls a conversation during a recent bridge game, in which the topic was "rape fantasies" and each of her lunch companions expressed a feeling about it, from disgust to confusion to admitted interest in elaborate and particular fantasies. Estelle, in the course of these conversations, makes observations about women, subtly revealing her method of concentration and her sense of what is important, telling less about the women's characters and more about Estelle herself. These constant, critical and often silly observations are precisely what clearly draws the character of this narrator. His contempt for terrible concepts and his ability to make light of serious situations are the same character qualities that ultimately make his carelessness believable. Anecdotes about each of the bridge players indicate the comfort Estelle finds in gossip, unfair criticism, and sharing the details of her rape fantasies. Estelle tells of a time when one of the bridge players, Darlene, seemed to address... middle of paper... serious and silly concepts; and it is these transitions that reveal the contradictions in his thinking that he is unable to recognize. Estelle is unsure about some of the bigger questions about rape, but she is somewhat content in this uncertainty. The author shows that this attitude is a constant in Estelle's character, present whether she considers concrete or abstract ideas; and it is this trait, so deeply rooted in his very fiber, that negatively affects his humor, creativity, and other redeeming qualities so completely. Finally, after reiterating that he is vulnerable and understanding towards strangers, and having made this clear to no less than a complete stranger, he treats the idea of ​​rape as a vague statement: "I know it happens but I just don't understand it, That's the part I really don't understand." And it's no wonder why.