The Little Prisoner (Pgs. 91-130)

Summary

    In the following pages, Jane continues to mention the sexual abuse that she had to undergo under the hands of Richard. She mentions how he created sheds, and how he would have to "help him sort out his tools", but in reality, after they got in there, he would lock the doors and he continued his abuse form there(pg.91 92). She mentions how Richard's grandmother seemed to dislike her as much as he did, and her mom would do what she could so she wouldn't to anything. But, because she lived about five miles from their house, he would take her with him and from there he would get carried away with continuing his abuse(pg.92). He also would take her with him for when he went to buy something, and in the car, she would have to, "Masturbate him in the front while he drove"(Elliott 95). Jane summed up the rest of chapter four by telling the reader the other means of torture Richard thought of to hurt her, most being ways to sexually abuse her, but also painful things in which she would have to hold heavy books in her arms without dropping them, while standing without clothes.

    In the next chapter, she mentioned how she became a "young lady" when she first had her menstrual cycle, and how at first, it seemed to work as an advantage for her because she got pampered, but it was also used against her because then she had to stay home longer when it got really bad. She then went on to mention how she loved school, because it served as mean to escape the torture she lived through at home (pg.105-107). She also never showed that she was an abused child, because she was always a happy child in school. But, she had to deny the abuse she ever had if she went to school hurt, because Richard would show up, and so the people in school dropped it. The chapter finishes by her explaining how she couldn't do homework because she wasn't allowed, and how, as she turned into a teen, Richard seemed to have an interest in her(pg.111). Education was seen as a bad thing, but she was allowed ro work so she could help pay the expenses of the house.
    To summarize the rest of the pages read. Jane explained how she fell in love with a boy named Nick. At first, Richard seemed to be okay with it, but after a while, she was forced to dump him because Richard seemed as if he were jealous of all the time she spent with him, and how she couldn't cry because then she would have gotten beaten.

Quote

    "Despite all the things that he did to me physically, Richard still seemed to have a fantasy life about me as well"(Elliott 118).

Reaction

    In this summary, the author seems to recall more the sexual abuse she experienced. She explained everything she was forced to do in detail, which shows how she seemed to remember the most disturbing moments with vivid detail, when she wanted to forget it all. She just seems to be going back into her past, as if she were reliving everything, and it's as if it is hurting even more in the present than it did in the past. She also shows how she had no control over her life, how her life was controlled as if she were a puppet that had to obey every order.

    It is important to understand the quote that was chosen because it shows how twisted Richard was. He abused her in every way he could, and yet he still would fantasize about her, when he would tell her that he hated her. Because of his twisted mind, it gave him more ideas in how to torture her, because he hated her yet he wanted her in an inappropriate way. This quote is also important to understand because it helps readers see that the reason why she could have constantly been abused was because he was attached to her in an odd way, and that could have been why she never was able to stay with her first love. She even said Richard was "jealous", which shows that he could have had very sick thoughts of them actually being together, and that's why he constantly sexually abused her, and wouldn't let her go.