| Author |
Message |
    
Harry Simenon
Awareness Member
Post Number:
26
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 11:41 am: |   |
This is a description of a scene from a book.
A maniac  in an office building is out to kill a lonely woman. She happens to find a lead pipe, and uses this to hit him in his face. She hits him again, this time she breaks his right arm. But then she loses the pipe. He uses her dress to strangle her, and while he does this, he removes her underwear to be able to rape her.
How would you rate this scene in the light of plausibility?
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Jennifer Lynn
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
867
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 12:21 pm: | |
so he's going to do all this with a broken arm? sure hope he's left hand dominant...
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Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
712
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 12:42 pm: | |
Harry,
IF she had a lead pipe and hit him in the face, wouldn't it have hurt him quite a bit (broken his nose?, hurt his eyes, broken out his teeth, lots of blood, and possibly gashed in his forehead?)? His arm is broken, how does he get her dress off of her to strangle her, IF he only has use of one arm, she would have to be compliant, and after hitting him in the face and his arm being broken, and hurting him with that lead pipe, I DON'T THINK THAT SHE IS COMPLIANT. I think that she would go to all lengths fighting and scrapping and trying to get the upper hand, for he is already injured. How does he get her underwear off of her, she is not going to let him get that close to her, without hurting him a lot more. I would assume that she still has shoes, she would hit him with them or kick him in the groin or some other place to make sure he stays away from her. Legs are pretty powerfull when they are used as weapons.
In other words, I don't really think the scene as you painted it, is plausible. |
Harry Simenon
Awareness Member
Post Number:
27
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 01:07 pm: | |
It’s a scene from David Baldacci’s book: “Office Hours”
I got the book as a small present in the bookshop. I decided to read it, thinking it would be wise to learn from the best, as the author wrote several bestsellers.
When I read it I was trying to picture this scene, but I had lots of problems with it.
Normally, office buildings are not littered with lead pipes, but for the sake of the story, OK.
I wonder if anyone can survive a blow with a lead pipe in your face, but maybe the maniac is the governor of California? I threw the book aside when I came to the part of him strangling her, AND ripping of her underwear with only one arm! How? Using his feet?
I just wonder, I am trying to write down scenes that might be strange or uncommon, but I think a scene should always be possible somehow, within the context of the story. Am I too precise? How plausible must a scene be, without getting boring?
Well, this guy Baldacci is a bestseller author, and I am not
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Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2419
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 01:11 pm: | |
The key word may be maniac. Maniacs can do things despite pain and debility, as can those high on certain drugs. In my years as an emergency room nurse, I saw maniacs and drug addicts do some things that seemed impossible despite horrific injuries.
But yeah, otherwise the scene does seem a bit of a stretch. |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
357
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 05:41 pm: | |
Oh, bushwa.
So many make maniacs into supermen, who can do anything. For some reason, folks idolize serial killers and maniacs. Go figure.
They can die as easy as the next guy.
Rape with a broken arm, huh?
Got a million one liners here, but better hold my mouth shut. |
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2420
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 07:28 pm: | |
I've never seen a maniac rape anybody with a broken arm.....but I have seen a maniac trash an emergency room and fight off doctors and cops and highway patrolmen and EMT's with an arm with two compound fractures sticking out through muscle and skin. He didn't even know his arm was broken. It was a rather icky sight. |
Olen Armstrong
Wandering Member
Post Number:
110
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 07:30 pm: | |
Can I go one step further with Mr. Shrewsbury's excellent observation?
She's dead so it must be some variant of old-fashioned missionary position, not her-on-top (sorry for the graphic depiction). How does he physically support himself to commit the horrid deed...with a broken arm..WITHOUT her cooperation?
And is "defiling a corpse" legally the same as "rape"? And if she hit him hard enough with the pipe, his eyes watered and swelled shut and she got away. But if she DIDN'T hit him that hard in the face, how did she hit him hard enough to break a bone in his arm?
Later,
>Olen A<
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Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
359
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 08:15 pm: | |
I have a theory about folks who write such silly rape scenes with supermen maniacs. Necrophilia with a broken arm...sheesh. My theory?
I doubt they would know what to do with real....um, a real woman.
Probably their fantasy, to have a woman like their fant realm...one that cannot fight back and must act as boring as their hobby...hence the silly, impossible stuff.
Am I trashing Baldaci?
Naw. Just telling him (and many others) to get a freaking clue.
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Fred Dungan
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
418
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 09:58 pm: | |
Although I do a lot of plumbing, I haven't come across a lead pipe in years. Nowadays, we use galvanized steel, copper, and PVC. A good solid blow from a length of 1 inch outside diameter Schedule 40 galvanized steel pipe would put an attacker in a world of hurt.
http://www.voy.com/102731
http://www.fdungan.com/well.htm |
mark dirschel
Hunger Member
Post Number:
59
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 12:04 am: | |
no. that's not a plausible scene and baldacci should be ashamed of himself.
- mark |
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