MovieChat Forums > Hud (1963) Discussion > Did Alma want to be raped?

Did Alma want to be raped?


I saw this movie with my parents when it first came out, and they both said, “She wanted to be raped, and she was irritated when Lon stopped it from happening.” A few years later, my girlfriend said the same thing.

I dismissed their remarks without argument, because I’ve always believed that No means No. But I just read Pauline Kael’s essay in her book I Lost It at the Movies, in which she argues that Alma wanted to be raped. Her reasoning is that Alma wanted Hud, but if she had simply given in to him, she would have been just one more woman he had sex with. But if he had to take her by force, he would feel all guilty about it in the morning and realize she was something special. This would lead to a permanent relationship.

So, I would be interested in the opinions of others on this matter.

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No, Alma did not want to be raped. Of course she did not..She was attracted to Hud, yes..he was a sexy heel and they had chemistry. But she'd been around the block a few times and understood exactly what kind of man he was. She even remarks at one point that she'd been with his type before and knew he was nothing but trouble.

She tried to keep her distance becasue she was aware of her own attraction to him and knew there's no way giving in to it would end well. Plus she loved the family...specifically the nephew...and I think for a time her presence kind of kept some of the tension between Hud and his father a little at bay. And I think she feared Hud affecting the nephew too much too.

But Hud raping her was never what she wanted or had in mind. Trust me...as a women rape just isn't sexy or fun or enjoyable .....even if one had previously been attracted to the predator. (maybe those into D&S may feel differently but that's an act of consent that Alma wasn't giving)

The fact that she had been attracted to him doesn't make her guilty. That's a strange mentality about the act of forced aggressive sexual assault that still lingers today if the victim is sexual.

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If you want to be "raped," doesn't that mean you're giving your consent, therefore it isn't really rape?

If Alma gives a "no" with her common sense, but may still be turned on by that loser, that doesn't mean she "wants to be raped." It means she doesn't do her thinking with her lady parts, however much they might "itch." Thinking below the waist is what brings people to desperation and remorse, and she had enough sense to know that, whatever mere biology might be screaming at her.

In short, you're right -- "'No' means no."

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FACT: It is impossible by definition to want to get raped. Prove me wrong.

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she was attracted to Hud.

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