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: 33 Research Articles: Naming the Unspeakable: Representing Rape in Thai Literature to forget her, Jon names his new born daughter Ang in memory of the woman he loved most. Jon is not only a narrator but also an interpreter of Angs story. His narrative focuses on Angs physical appearance: Besides her beautiful name, Ang possesses an unforgettable beauty. Her face is oval, her nose is high, her cheeks are full, her eyebrows and chin fit in with the other features on her face (p. 14). However, he finds that there is something sinister about Angs beauty. Her eyes, Jon warns us, are molded not from sweet honey but from the boiling water of melted iron (p. 15). Encountering this ambiguity, Jon splits her into the stereotyped opposition of good girl / bad girl. In Jons imagination, Ang appears to be an innocent girl when Jon desires her: Ang is standing humbly, wearing a shirt and a cream color long skirt. She looks like a sweet, lovely girlwith rosy radiant cheeksholding a pure white rose That day I became a greedy pig devouring its food although Ang surrendered her body to fulfill my hunger. (p. 55) However, the image of an ogress substitutes for the image of a naïve girl when Ang expresses her excessive sexual desire: We are attracted to each other again. But this time it is Ang who is the initiator. She stripped me off naked and pushed me to lie down on the bed and have sex with meAs I lay down looking deep into her eyes, I felt shocked because it seemed that through those mirrors I saw an ogress smiling back with its watery mouth before jumping out to devour my flesh and bloodan image that caused my hair to stand up suddenly. (p. 68) Jons depiction of Ang reflects the traditional Thai belief that a good woman has no sexual appetites. While it is possible for Thai men to boast about their sexual adventures, women are forbidden to speak about sex or to express their sexual feelings. Those who violate these norms are highly stigmatized and are frequently discussed in
34 terms of disgust and abhorrence. As a result, when Ang expresses herself as sexually active, she is compared to an ogress who devours food disgustingly. Though the story ends with Jons abandonment of his lover and her tragic death, the ending is justified by narrative devices that support the readers identification with the male protagonist. Jon reads Angs confession as an expression of truth rather than paying attention to the contradictions embedded in her account. For Jon, Ang reveals through her narrative the truth of who she is: a whore, an ogress, a seducer. Since its focus is on the dark force of Angs sexual desire and seduction, Jons reading denies the reader an interpretation of childhood abuse that might otherwise be denoted. Jon consequently allies himself with those who, he believes, were seduced by Ang, and sympathizes with them: I think of her stepfather, her grandmothers driver, her female schoolteacher, hundreds of Angs lovers including meEach of them will know very well as I did that those eyes have the power to turn a man into an animal. No matter where or when they find themselves, each knows very well that neither a god nor any sacred being can save them for even a single moment when left with the person who possesses those eyes. (p. 152) Though Jon reveals a moment of his doubt about Angs stories, he quickly dismisses it. By reading Angs story as one of her sexual desire, Jon also claims his own innocence. After all, like others, he is a sympathetic victim of seduction. Jons narrative demonstrates what happens to the heroine when she transgresses sexually. Ang was found dead and her body bears the evidence of rape and torture. Her death is a logical end to the patriarchal plot in which a fallen woman has only two choices: redemption or death. In Angs case, she has fallen and does not repent her sin. She rejects the bond of marriage Jon offers and insists on writing her own plot. Since Ang is beyond redemption, she logically deserves a violent death at the end. Thus, what the narrative highlights is not Angs pain but rather Jons pain and suffering from the loss of his lover. However, his loss is redeemed at the end by having Ang return to him in the image of an innocent child. Jons narrative is brought to a satisfactory closure by the violent erasure of the womans story and her body. Not only is her death
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Page 4 and 5: 3 On the Inaugural Issue 3 CGS200
Page 6 and 7: 5 On the Inaugural Issue On the Ina
Page 8 and 9: : : Research Articles:Representin
Page 10 and 11: : : 9 Research Articles:Represent
Page 12 and 13: : : 11 Research Articles:Represen
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Page 31 and 32: 30 The poisonous lesson of my child
Page 33: 32 to uncover. It is the name that
Page 37 and 38: 36 opposition to the real one fasci
Page 39 and 40: 38 1999; Hooks, 1989). By narrating
Page 41 and 42: 40 her traumatic experience. Howeve
Page 43 and 44: 42 event (p. 205). As a rape victim
Page 45 and 46: 44 received positive popular accept
Page 47 and 48: 46 In Behind a Cloud-Patterned Scre
Page 49 and 50: 48 Suwannee Kalayanasant (1993). A
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Page 55 and 56: 54 In fact, a working woman may hav
Page 57 and 58: 56 The concept of Arthanareeswara (
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Page 65 and 66: 64 Kauravas: Sons of King Dhritaras
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Page 77 and 78: 76 The Politics of Gaze: on the Rel
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2005 CGS CGS Activity Report AY,
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175 Notes CGS CGS editorial staff
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177 Notes KIBE, Takashi Normative
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