William Carlos Williams comments on the brutal persistence of patriarchy in "The Raper from Passenack." The title immediately conjures the imagery of rape, and the title fuses into the first line of the poem. "The Raper from Passenack" is written in a narrative format, describing a scene in which the titular character is driving home the nameless girl who he just violated. Most of the narrative takes place inside the girl's head, and the story is told from her point-of-view. This allows the reader to empathize with the girl, and see how the rape symbolizes the structure of patriarchy and its oppression. However, embedded in "The Raper from Passenack" is an equally disturbing theme of possible complicity of women in the patriarchal structure. Williams' poem "The Raper from Passenack" conveys a sense of moral ambiguity because it has imagery of murder, ample irony, and an ambiguous ending.

Moral ambiguity permeates...
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