Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.PCS 1/10/84; site hocse.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!hogpc!pegasus!hocse!dls From: dls@hocse.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: heinlein and FRIDAY Message-ID: <143@hocse.UUCP> Date: Thu, 1-Mar-84 17:27:17 EST Article-I.D.: hocse.143 Posted: Thu Mar 1 17:27:17 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 09:02:58 EST Organization: AT&T Information Systems Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 48 A friend of mine not connected to the net wrote this up on the subject of Heinlein and Friday. *********************************FLAME ON******************************** In all the flaming of Heinlein on the net, not one person has stated the real objection I have to FRIDAY: in real life, women do not fall in love with their rapists. (In fact, no one has even mentioned the beginning or end of the novel at all.) Most women are not so calm and collected as Friday, and while she may be SUPPOSED to be extraordinary, Heinlein does a grave disservice to all of us who are not such "together" people. I suppose most of Heinlein's characters rise to the circumstances much better than we would; it's just that in all the other circumstances, I can at least imagine that I would do as well. I think it's an important consideration. That is not to say that I believe that all fiction must be "politically correct," just that one must consider the consequences of one's words. Heinlein may very well leave men with the mistaken impression that rape is no worse than purse-snatching. This is what pisses me off about FRIDAY. *********************************FLAME OFF******************************* For what its worth, I have a slightly different view on this subject. I agree that the rape was gratuitous and unlikely, stuck in to "arouse the audience(of men)." Friday even says at one point the "rape is a poor interrogation technique," which happens to be true. It seems unlikely that supposed professionals would waste what turn out to be critical minutes(more likely hours, the scene is dragged out forever)before moving on to something more likely to be effective. I call this gratuitous. The more important point is that given the character of Friday, she is unlikely to forgive the rapist as easily as she does. A much more likely outcome would be her shooting him the instant she recognizes him, and perhaps feeling a very small twinge of regret upon hearing that he's supposed to have been one of the "good guys." I'm not saying it couldn't happen, just that it happens too quickly and with too little development to have a shred of credibility. What is being requested here is a reasonable standard of characterization, consistant with actual human psychology. Friday was not portrayed as a masochist, nor as a victum of the "Patty Hearst" syndrom, nor were any other reasonable motives put forward. Hence her behavior seems absurd. Nobody forgives that easily.