On Acquaintance Rape and Hemingway.

When I chose to teach a handful of Hemingway short stories in my twelfth grade English class, I did not expect to moderate a heated discussion about acquaintance rape.  Yet, to veer away from the conversation directly counteracts my belief in literature’s ability to tackle the most human and difficult of topics.  

Hemingway’s “Up In Michigan” begins innocently.  Liz is infatuated by Jim.  Jim thinks Liz “had good legs,” but “he never thought about her.”  Suspense builds as Jim gets drunk and Liz waits for him in the kitchen.  Thanks to the omniscient narrator, readers learn that Liz is frightened but she goes for a walk with Jim anyway.  Even though Liz verbally resists, the narrator describes, “She was frightened but she wanted it.  She had to have it but it frightened her.”  After the deed is done, Jim passes out, and Liz, though miserable, covers him with her coat before walking away.  

Whether Hemingway intentionally wrote Jim as raping Liz, I felt, and still feel, that the act should be viewed as such today.  I felt this was obvious and universal.  But, I was wrong.  A good number of my students and at least one fellow teacher did not view this exchange as rape.  I am not one to bypass controversy; I teach my students to discuss controversial topics with patience and a willingness to hear the other side.  Further, acquaintance rape is an issue on the social and political radar.  And, most importantly AND horribly, it is something that too many of students either have or will encounter.  So, we talked about it.  

The first hurdle of the discussion was to separate beliefs from gender identity.  Many of my female students quickly voiced that all the guys in class didn’t see it as rape.  But, this wasn’t true.  Several male students had identified and referred to the act as rape, but the female students did not initially hear or respond to their comments.  Secondly, there was the assumption that all the female students viewed the act as rape.  This wasn’t true either.  Some females pointed to Hemingway’s portrayal of Liz throughout the story.  They argued that Liz was clearly obsessed with Jim and, as the narrator states, “she wanted it.”  

Discovering that one’s opinion isn’t necessarily tied to one’s gender was an important distinction for the students to make.  We were able move beyond gender stereotyping and transition into discussing more essential questions- What is rape?  When is it okay to pursue a sexual encounter?  When should we stop?  

I am not a sexual educator.  I am not a health teacher.  I am probably not the best person to answer these questions.  So, instead, I asked: Were Jim’s actions justified?  

Hemingway’s story offers a pathway for students to examine a case study of an unfortunate situation that any one of them might find themselves in or witness.  Girl obsesses over guy.  Guy notices her great legs.  Guy gets drunk and starts paying attention to her.  Girl is excited and goes with it.  Girl verbally says no.  Guy doesn’t stop.  Guy passes out.  Girl leaves.  

Frankly, some of the comments students made were disturbing:  “Liz was a virgin so of course she was afraid and said no.  Sometimes virgins need an extra push.  She was asking for it.”  “Liz knew that Jim was getting drunk.  Liz was actually taking advantage of Jim.”  Yet, these comments needed to be vocalized and heard in order to be responded to: “Only yes means yes.”  “It is a rape because Liz said no.”  “Even if the narrator reveals that Liz ‘wanted it,’ all Jim hears is ‘no’ so he should’ve stopped.”  “Jim was drunk.”  “Jim only noticed the way Liz looked, he was interested in anything else.”  “Liz felt ‘miserable’ after.”  

The bell rang before we ever reached a unanimous opinion about Jim’s actions.  But, I know, for me and for many students, the conversation continued, in our homes and communities.  In the following weeks, I cut out many articles involving alleged rape cases in colleges and universities.  I thought about the way Hemingway’s story provoked such a passionate reaction from my students.  Several students told me that they talked to their parents about the story at dinner.  A group of students created a theater piece about acquaintance rape at a party.

In a way, it’s funny that ”Up In Michigan” shocks us.  After all, it was written in the 1930s, by golly!  Yet, I think it is Hemingway’s directness and lack of romantic detail in describing a sexual encounter that makes readers, particularly high school students, uncomfortable.  We are used to reading stories depicting sex as either something beautiful and desirable for all parties (most often) OR as something obviously violent or wrong (less often).  Additionally, reading about sex in the presence of their teacher and classmates is awkward.  For all parties, believe me.  But, I think that we need to move past the awkwardness in order to have necessary conversations.  I believe that a classroom is a better and safer place to have that conversation, when literature is at the forefront, rather than having the conversation after the girl says no, the guy passes out, and the girl leaves.  Or a comparable situation.

December 2014