Privacy, Self Esteem And The Violence Of Violation

9 Pages 2291 Words

s in the case of Paulina, there is an obstacle in the way of ever achieving any happiness then he/she must remove that obstacle.
Let me give a brief recount of the story on which this essay will be centered. In the film Death and the Maiden, the story is told of a woman, Paulina Lorca in post-Pinochet Chile. The movie starts by showing how absolutely encompassed her whole mental state is with fear, anger and countless other emotions. Paulina remembers being raped and tortured, and is so mentally scarred that normal life is impossible. At the time of the story, she is living with her lawyer husband who is being considered by the new president to head up a commission in charge of to investigate the hundreds (thousands?) who were murdered or disappeared under the old regime. The commission however, is not interested in those who were tortured and survived. The couple lives on an isolated and rugged shoreline, neighbors are not common here. The immensity of her feelings of violation is apparent in by her being scared of unexpected lights, eating by herself, and an obvious gloominess and pent-up anger. It can also be seen in her lack of enjoyment from anything, most especially when making love to her husband.
In a crazy twist of fate, the husband is rescued from a flat tire in a torrential downpour by another driver. After driving the lawyer back to his house the man then leaves. Unfortunately, the man leaves with the flat tire still in his trunk. Later that night the man returns to drop off the tire and it is at this time that the husband invites the man in for a drink. Instantly, the wife recognizes the visitor as the doctor whom had tortured and raped her all those times in her memories. Out of sheer need to appease her thirst for revenge, or out of fear, or for requirement to rid her mind of the torment...