Rape and Necropolises: Making The Connection
By Jocelyn Crawley
Jocelyn Crawley is a radical feminist who places primacy on analyzing and exploring rape and sexual assault as key aspects of male supremacy.
While there are many ways that feminists can think about rape, I have recently begun considering the relationship that exists between sexual assault and the deadly, destructive elements of existence. Specifically, I have come to think of rape as similar to the concept of a necropolis. Ultimately, a necropolis—being known as a “city for the dead”—is eerily akin to sexual assault insomuch as both realities reflect the presence of destruction and degeneration. Although defined diversely, a necropolis is typically thought of as a large, ancient cemetery. Derived from the Greek, the word “necropolis” literally translates to “city of the dead.” A necropolis is distinct from the understanding of a burial site for the dead because, in contrast to a cemetery, the necropolis is ancient and elaborately designed. I prefer the term “necropolis” over “cemetery” when creating and exploring the relationship between deadly destruction and sexual assault because the former term is more similar to my understanding of patriarchy. Specifically, patriarchy is an ancient, elaborately designed system. The patriarchy’s attributes (ancient and elaborate) are comparable to the characteristics of a necropolis. Not so–or at least not as much–with respect to the cemetery. While cemeteries have existed for centuries, necropolises are older. Additionally, cemeteries are typically not thought of as being as elaborate as necropolises. In this musing, I will further explain the relationship that exists between rape and necropolises.
While the reality of rape having a destructive impact on the individuals who are subjected to it is made evident through a plethora of texts, the principle of sexual violation as degenerative and deadly becomes uniquely apparent in Jon Krakauer’s important text Missoula: Rape and the Justice System In A College Town. In this text, the writer uses language and engages narratives which reflect the role that rape has in destroying lives. While Krakauer’s text covers several significant topics, it is safe to say that the primary theme is the reality of 1. rape happening and 2. the justice system, in conjunction with social systems (local communities), failing to effectively respond to the existence and impact of sexual assault and/or reacting in ways that complicate the victim-survivor’s ability to move forward. Missoula is also full of examples of individuals responding effectively, with effective response involving refusing to adopt an attitude of minimization and erasure such that the victim’s experience is negated. (When minimization and/or erasure are present as responses to a victim asserting that she or he has been raped, the reality of sexual assault is viewed as ultimately unproblematic or a minor glitch in otherwise effective social and legal systems.) In reading through Missoula, the reader is exposed to a vast array of narratives meant to convey how individuals and institutions process the reality of rape. While some of these narratives include words and phrases meant to blame victims and make sexual assault look like a nonreality, much of the language in the text represents rape as destructive. My definition of destruction involves the presence of necrotic, nefarious activity which is harmful in a manner that leads to mental, physical or spatial degeneration. In the first several chapters of the text, Jon Krakauer narrates the rape of Allison Huguet, a young woman who was sexually assaulted by a male “friend”—Beau Donaldson—whom she had known since first grade. In summarizing Allison’s long-standing relationship with Beau and the impact of him sexually assaulting her, Huguet’s father states:
“Donaldson often referred to Huguet as his “little sister,” and the sentiment was reciprocated. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Huguet regarded Donaldson as the brother she never had. For the previous sixteen years, Huguet’s parents had welcomed Donaldson into their home as if he were a member of their family. “You spend your whole life, when you have kids, protecting them,” Kevin Huguet told me. “But who thinks their daughter’s trusted friend is actually a monster who is going to hurt them in the night?” (5)
Here, Allison’s father’s use of the phrase “monster who is going to hurt” to describe Beau conveys the reality of one individual raping another as destructively degenerative. Although defined diversely, the word “monster” is contextually used to refer to a person who provokes or engenders horror through acts of cruelty, wickedness, etc. The synonyms used for “monster” include “devil,” “demon,” “brute,” and “miscreant.” The first two have explicitly religious connotations which subtly reinforce understanding of monsters as entities who promote and perpetuate evil. The latter two are more connotative of secular understandings of depraved activities as forms of injustice, with the notion of individuals acting in brutish capacities conveying an unwillingness to conform to elevated, humane, and civil forms of being human by treating other people with respect and non-violence. Like brute, the term “miscreant” appears to reference a more cultural, secular interpretation of behavior, with this word alluding to the depravities which deviate from social rules and regulations dictating what human behavior can and cannot include. In comparing the terms “devil and demon” to “brute and miscreant” when determining whether the term “monster” has primarily secular or spiritual signification, I lean towards viewing the word as reflecting the principle of deviation from human and divine laws. In this context, the significance of Allison’s father referring to the male who raped her as a monster pertains to his use of the verb “hurt.” This verb references the necrotic, nefarious impact that rape has on an individual in a way which enables the reader to understand that sexual assault has a degenerative impact. Indeed, to be “hurt” suggests that one is physically or psychologically wounded. This reality of being impaired or diminished mentally or physically reflects that aspect of degeneration which pertains to a breaking down or reduction in the quality or capacities of a person, place, or thing. In this case, rape hurts human beings in the living world in a manner which enables Mr. Huguet to construe the rapist as nonhuman (monstrous). The relationship between the noun that the rape victim’s father uses to describe the rapist and the reality of degeneration is significant because it reflects the human tendency to associate acts of degradation and destruction such as rape with the nonhuman realm. This association creates an awareness that some people construe the reality of being human as an experience fundamentally conducive to life and organicity. Death, including the metaphorical or metaphysical death that results from rape, is indicative of a realm which functions as a deviation from the human and humane. This juxtaposition of death and life explains why the necropolis is placed far away from the city limits. Just as an individual (in this case, Mr. Huguet) pushes rape into the realm of the nonhumane given that it represents death, the necropolis is assigned to the outer city limits given that it is not conducive to the life and organicity which communities of people represent.
Allison Huguet’s father is not the only individual whose ideas and interpretations of rape are recorded in Missoula. Kaitlynn Kelly, a young woman who was sexually assaulted by Calvin Smith, also thinks critically about sexual assault. In discussing the impact that being raped had on her, Kaitlynn Kelly asserted that
“The University of Montana is ruined for me. I did get counseling when I first got home, but I still cry all the time. It’s something in my mind. I can’t stand to talk about what happened, or even think about it, because it makes me feel like shit. I’ve tried to forget, but—” She left the remainder of the sentence unstated. (124)
There are multiple words here which reveal the deadly impact that rape has on Kaitlynn Kelly. One of those words is “ruined.” The verb “ruined” is defined diversely, and one of the definitions is “to reduce to a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition.” Here, the word “ruined” is deeply linked to the concept of death. This reality becomes evident when we consider how the first definition I have provided includes the word “reduce,” with this term referencing a decrease in the amount of something. When Kelly states that the University of Montana is “ruined” for her, I think she is asserting that, as a result of being raped while attending college, what would have been an intellectually or socially expansive experience has been transformed into a world of death and decay. This reality of rape leading to death and decay is parallel to the necropolis and its capacity to store and share that which has been ruined: human life.
Kelly’s reference to being ruined is not the only phrase which shows us that rape and necropolises are eerily similar. Kelly’s sentence “I did get counseling when I first got home, but I still cry all the time” also makes the relationship plain by revealing the destructive, death-like impact that sexual violation can and does have on victim-survivors. In my opinion, Kelly’s assertion that she still cries regularly even though she had counseling services shows rape’s power to haunt the victim. So, rather than being a thing that harms in the moment but eventually goes away, sexual assault just keeps going on in the mind of the victim. Alive and kicking despite the passing of time, the victim’s memory of rape is so resonant that it is capable of creating the ongoing bodily response of crying. Also, it is disturbingly interesting to see that the persistent insistency of Kelly’s crying is similar to the necropolis. How so? The necropolis represents death and decay existing with life. For example, the necropolis exists in the living world as it presents observers with representations of how sentient beings evolve into nonexistence (death). This is essentially what the coffin and grave convey-life devolving into death. Similarly, the reality of Kelly continually crying while remembering her rape reflects that although she is alive and capable of experiencing feelings and thoughts, the deadly impact of sexual assault is becoming plain as memories of it adversely impact her mental and emotive state.
There’s one more statement made by Kelly which shows us that the relationship between rape and the necropolis is real. It is her statement “I’ve tried to forget, but—”. This unfinished sentence parallels the aspect of the necropolis which refers to it being pushed to the outer edges of the city limits. The relationship becomes clear when we consider that, unlike cemeteries, necropolises are oftentimes located away from the city. Just as necropolises are pushed away from the center of cities given that they reflect the deadly aspects of reality, rape victims oftentimes find themselves attempting to push away memories of their violation because they reflect undesirable, unwanted realities that they endured. But just as the reality of a necropolis existing in the outskirts of a city cannot negate or even diminish the individual’s awareness of death as integral to existence, rape victims—in this case, Kelly—oftentimes find that their attempts to forget their victimization are ineffective. Yet many may understand why the attempt to forget the reality of one’s rape takes place. By keeping rape in one’s peripheral view rather than centralizing it in their consciousness, rape survivors attempt to prevent themselves from experiencing painful emotions which might complicate or compromise self-esteem, well-being, etc. Despite the mind’s attempts to get around rape, its deadly power persists. We know this because of Kelly’s use of the telling conjunction “but.” When Kelly states, “I’ve tried to forget, but—”, we understand that memories of rape keep creeping into her consciousness despite her attempts to minimize or erase them.
While there are a plethora of metaphors, similes, and analogies that are used to help individuals understand what rape is like in an attempt to foster understanding and the prevention of sexual assault, I think that this form of somatic violation is deeply confluent with the concept and reality of a necropolis. As made evident by the language used to describe rape in Krakauer’s Missoula, sexual assault reveals the monstrous capacities of rapists as they deprive their victims of life and vitality. At the same time, sexual assault has a degenerative impact on victims. For example, rape results in the creation of forms of self-awareness which convey the inability to forget one’s violation. Rape can also lead to the realization that one’s experiences in the material world (such as a college) are ruined.
Another impact of rape is that it can cause the victim to recognize that ongoing emotional turmoil persists despite the utilization of counseling services. In considering rape and its outcomes, the relationship between sexual assault and necropolises becomes clear. Like rape, necropolises are domains where the transition from lively existence to deadly destruction are put on display for people to consider. In recognizing the relationship between sexual assault and necropolises, radical feminists can think more critically and complexly about what sexual assault is and how it impacts beings in the sentient, (somewhat) living world.
Work Cited
Krakauer, Jon. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town.
Anchor Books, 2015.