I first posted this as a response to the comments on my previous blog, but after I hit submit, I decided it was worth a post of its own.
Geesh. I told you that people just read their expectations. All you can write about, now that no one can argue this chapter is about femdom, is that you thought it was squash (a great game in itself, and yes you can play doubles, if you're really coordinated, like Sara!)
It says racquetball, not squash. Pay attention!
And the purpose of the chapter was just as Angela detected. Thank you dear.
What happens when you put a competent woman in a man's environment and make her compete?
What a stunning surprise! One guy is a bully.
Another surprise, her male friend finds it hard to protect her from abuse.
Another surprise, she acts like a "bitch" and gets even in a way a relatively powerless woman can.
Another surprise, guys react to her sexually, even when she is only doing something as simple like taking off a top. Ever check out a woman's boy while you were at a meeting?
Finally, she analyzes the game rationally, and convinces her partner to leave his macho self-image at the door and do what it takes to win, rather than doing what satisfies his male ego (and the guy was a linebacker, who lived and died by aggression - somehow Sara led him to a better course, whata girl!).
Come one readers, it wasn't just a racquetball game, it was a metaphor for what it's like to be a woman in a man's world. I had really kinda hoped you would pick up on that. Please, pay attention when you read this, otherwise you'll miss the best parts.
Really.
Comments
New woman
I caught the point, even if I didn't analyze it as a metaphor. thats why I think the story is so good. It shows just how much of a woman he really is, since he did it without having to get all sneaky and detective about it.
Paying attention?
Now we, the readers, suffer from some kind of deficit disorder... What next, pillory the people who don't agree? FYI, the confusion may be due, in part, to this:
British racketball is played in a 32-ft. long by 21-ft. wide squash court (eight feet shorter and one foot wider than the U.S. racquetball court), using a smaller, less dynamic ball than the American racquetball.
They are rather similar and their usage appears in some cases as interchangeable (although they are 2 different games).
See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_%28sport%29
and here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racquetball
hugs
Diana
Pay attention?
Hmmm, let's see... "...squash, fairly similar to raquetball I think..." No confusion. I am not American, we do not play raquetball and as you may have gathered I don't play squash anymore either. Do read the comments, don't skim.
It is still a good story.
Kristina
Oops!
I have played squash; casually, after work with a colleague who was about the same standard as I was ie no standard at all. We rented a court and didn't even know the rules - at first we thought you had to hit the ball over the service line all the time. We had a good time and I cycled 13 miles home afterwards. I guessed racquetball was a similar game with scoring much like badminton (which I played a lot). I don't always feel the need for research to read a story, even one as good as this one.
Now imagine, as an American, reading a long chapter in a story which relied on a thorough knowledge of cricket, which is noted for its complicated structure and arcane tactics. Don't forget it's a game that can last for up to 5 days and still likely to end in a draw. Wouldn't you speed read it? Heck, I'd speed read it and I used to play the stupid game - under duress when at school.
Metaphors are fine but they rely on the reader's understanding the activity you're using to base it on. Even so I believe I grasped the purpose of the scene. I just felt it went into much detail for me. And, no, it's not femdom.
Geoff