Abstract
In this chapter, David Tombs dwells on the tragic events in the popular Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, which culminate in the rape and subsequent suicide of high school student Hannah Baker. Tombs reads Hannah’s rape intertextually alongside the rape of the royal concubines in 2 Samuel 15–20, suggesting that each narrative invites readers to contemplate its intertext in fresh lights, despite the obvious historical and geographical distance that lies between these traditions. Reading both stories as a literary triptych, he focuses first on the victims’ initial abandonment by those who could perhaps have prevented their rape, then on the rape itself, and finally, their second abandonment in the aftermath of their assault. Tombs argues that this shared sequencing of events creates connections between these two very different texts. Acknowledging the impact of the second abandonment on Hannah Baker allows the reader to see new meaning in the silence surrounding the victims of Absalom’s rapes in 2 Samuel, thus contributing towards wider conversations about rape survivors’ secondary victimization. Tombs also raises questions regarding David’s initial abandonment of his concubines, asking whether this might have been more “intentional” than traditionally assumed. This interpretation opens new possibilities for considering the complicity of Hannah’s friends in her rape through their acts of abandoning her in a vulnerable situation. This intertextual exercise thus invites readers to shift back and forth between the biblical text and the contemporary cultural text, allowing both to inform the other through their shared discourses of rape culture and gender violence.
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Notes
- 1.
This chapter originated as a Bible study that was part of a Student Christian Movement (SCM) Otago series on sexual assault in 2017. I am grateful to the SCM group for the invitation to speak to them and for the many helpful comments on the material. Thanks also to Katie Marcar, Johanna Stiebert, James Harding , Judith McKinlay, and the editors for comments on an earlier draft, and to Tanya Findlater for identifying Stephanie in the Netflix series.
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For further details, see “13 Reasons Why” (2017).
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For similar work, which considers the sexual violence of crucifixion in the light of Latin American torture reports, and the death of Saul (1 Sam. 31) in the light of the violation of Muammar Gaddafi, see Tombs (1999, 2014). While both these works read the biblical text from a contemporary context, neither gives sustained attention to reading back from the text to the present, as attempted in this chapter.
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In recent years, faith-based organizations have become far more active in preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence; see Le Roux et al. (2016). Organizations like “We Will Speak Out,” (https://www.wewillspeakout.org), a global coalition of Christian-based Non-Governmental Organizations and church groups committed to ending sexual violence across communities around the world, are at the forefront of this work. Primary prevention of sexual violence is of utmost importance, but churches and faith communities can also make a crucial contribution beyond this. They are especially well placed to address secondary victimization and challenge negative attitudes and responses towards survivors. At present, however, this potential goes largely unfulfilled (Tearfund 2011).
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The language of 2 Samuel 16 does not unequivocally state that Absalom rapes the women by force, or that they did not consent. This is hardly surprising; in the Hebrew Bible, a woman’s right and ability to give or withhold her consent is rarely acknowledged. Many interpreters therefore fail to consider the presence of rape in this tradition. A common reading of the passage is that Absalom takes possession of the royal harem as a claim to the throne (McCarter 1974) and/or an assertion of his male prowess (Newsom et al. 1998, p. 162). There can be little doubt that this political symbolism is indeed central to his actions, but it is important to also name Absalom’s actions here as rape. Even if he did not use physical violence, there is nothing to suggest that the ten concubines granted their consent, especially given the huge disparity of power between themselves and Absalom, the king’s son. The passage thus presents sexual decision-making and agency as entirely a male concern. Furthermore, reading these passages in light of the rape of Absalom’s half-sister Tamar in 2 Samuel 13 , and Nathan’s prophecy in 2 Samuel 12 , offers a clear context for reading 2 Samuel 16 as a narrative of rape (Stone 1996).
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This forms the basis of episode twelve in the Nextflix series, and Chap. 12 in the book.
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These rumours were compounded by the fact that Bryce shared a photo of Hannah taken by Justin on their date while she is coming down a slide in the playground. Although entirely innocent, Justin misrepresents what is happening in the photo to his friends, and given Hannah’s pose (she is lying supine on the slide, her clothes dishevelled), they are quick to believe his version of events.
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Justin and Jessica go back to the house to find a room where they can make out. A little later Stephanie leaves the hot tub to find a bathroom in the house, and Zach offers to show her the way because “it’s like a maze in there.”
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Hannah’s slightly hesitant reply, and Mr Porter’s interpretation of her reply as expressing doubt, are strange given the way the rape is depicted in the series. The discrepancy is best understood as a plot device which allows the meeting with Mr Porter in the series to remain reasonably close to the version in the novel, despite the two slightly different depictions of the rape. In the novel, the rape is depicted as involving less explicit use of force, and at the meeting, Hannah tells Mr Porter: “You mean rape? No I don’t think so ” (Asher 2007, p. 276), which makes his response easier to understand.
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The story forms part of what is often referred to as the Succession Narrative (2 Samuel 9−1 Kings 2). This narrative focuses on David’s reign (including the events unfolding in his household and court), and ends by describing how his son Solomon came to succeed him as king. Absalom has already featured in 2 Samuel 13 , when his sister Tamar is raped by their half-brother Amnon (Absalom and Tamar are full siblings, and all three are children of David). David’s role in this event is critical for understanding the unravelling of his relationship with Absalom. Amnon draws his father into an enabling role in the rape by asking him to instruct Tamar to go to Amnon’s house and cook some heartening fare for her “ailing” brother (v. 7 ). It is when she is there that Amnon rapes her. When David learns what has happened, he becomes angry with Amnon but does not punish him (v. 21 ). From this moment, Absalom hates Amnon and stops speaking to him (v. 22 ). The honour-shame values of the day mean that David’s inaction leaves the responsibility on Absalom to exact revenge to satisfy (his) family honour. Two years later, Absalom entices Amnon to a feast where he has his servants kill him (vv. 23−9 ). There are interesting similarities and echoes with the earlier incident. Absalom requests that David send “my brother,” which echoes Amnon’s earlier request that David send “my sister.” Once again, David plays a crucial but unwitting role, and sends Amnon to his death. Absalom then flees Jerusalem for three years, until David eventually allows him to return. A further two years will pass, however, before David agrees to a reunion with his recalcitrant son (14:28−33 ). For further discussion on the rape of Tamar , see Trible (1984); Keefe (1993); Yamada (2008).
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2 Samuel 15 opens with Absalom seeking to endear himself to the people of Israel, thereby building up his power base in Jerusalem (vv. 1−6 ). After four years, he travels to Hebron in order to develop his support further. When he summons David’s respected counsellor Ahithophel to join him in Hebron, it signals that a tipping point has been reached, and a revolt against David is imminent (v. 12 ). The opportunity to take the crown may have been Absalom’s primary concern here, yet the story suggests that he still has a keen sense of the great dishonour done to him by Amnon and his father, and that this dishonour and shame require revenge.
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David was first married to Michal, daughter of Saul; he then married six further wives during his time in Hebron (Ahinoam, Abigail, Maachah, Haggith, Abital and Eglah). 2 Sam. 5:13 says that in Jerusalem “David took more wives and concubines.” This included his marriage to Bathsheba, after arranging the death of her husband Uriah. He also made provision for Saul’s widows, and may have married them.
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As Scholz argues, “Even if it were true that the Israelites did not recognise rape as a sexual violation, contemporary readers bring contemporary vocabulary and sensitivity to the interpretative process” (2017, p. 81).
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There are probable echoes of the Bathsheba story, including David seeing Bathsheba from his roof (2 Sam. 11:2). The prophet Nathan had denounced David for taking Bathsheba and killing Uriah, and warned of God’s punishment (2 Sam. 12: 11–12 ): “Thus says the LORD: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” This passage offers the particularly troubling suggestion that the rapes are part of a divine plan to punish David. In addition, Ahithophel appears to be Bathsheba’s grandfather, and may therefore have been motivated by avenging his own family honour (2 Sam. 11:3 and 23:34 ).
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For a discussion about the necessity to recognize and acknowledge gender violence in biblical texts, see Scholz (2005).
- 22.
Commentators often fail to see the problem in David’s action, and some ignore 20:3 completely. Arnold Anderson (1989, p. 240) does not offer any comment on v. 3—his discussion jumps from v. 2 to v. 4. McCarter (1974, p. 423) merely acknowledges but does not question or challenge the action: “Now that these women have been illegally claimed by Abshalom (16:21–22), they must be put away.” Graeme Auld (2011, pp. 561−2) presents David’s action as benign, and his comment on 20:3 mainly discusses whether or not there is an allusion between the ten women and the ten tribes.
- 23.
Martinez (2017) offers a thought-provoking interpretation that although 13 Reasons Why appears to be told from Hannah’s perspective, it is actually Clay’s perspective that shapes the overall narrative as a tale of unrequited love.
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Examples include the use of “comfort women” by Japanese troops during the Second World War, the trafficking of women in Bosnia in the 1990s, and recent stories of sexual slavery by Boko Haram and Islamic State. See , for example , Stiglmayer (1994), Chang (1997), Sancho (1997), Yang (1997), Barstow (2000), Tanaka (2002), Callimachi (2015), Global Justice Centre (2015).
- 25.
There is some support for this from Hannah herself, who says at the start of the cassette: “No, this tape is not about Courtney … though she does play a part. But Courtney has no idea what I’m about to say because she left just as things got going ” (Asher 2007, p. 259).
- 26.
Even before the previous week’s party at Jessica’s house, Hannah had seen Bryce’s true character. On cassette 3 side B, Bryce and a girlfriend come to the cinema where Hannah and Clay worked. About halfway through the film, they see the girl run out, clearly distressed (p. 146). After the film, Bryce stays to talk to Hannah. Clay warns Hannah against Bryce, and Hannah replies, “I know who he is Clay. I know what he is like. Believe me” (Asher 2007, p. 147). Even more importantly, at Jessica’s party the previous week, Hannah witnessed Bryce rape Jessica, but had not intervened. In the novel, Hannah describes this on cassette 5 side B (pp. 220−31), which is included in episode 9 of the series (cassette 5, side A). Hannah’s previous experience with Courtney also gives her good reason to be distrustful. On cassette 3, side A, Hannah warns that Courtney’s sweet persona is misleading: “And you … are … just … so sweet. Right? Wrong” (p. 94). She goes on to explain how Courtney used her to get a lift to a party, only for Hannah to discover that Courtney was spreading rumours about her (p. 113).
- 27.
Courtney’s awareness of the threat of male predatory behaviour has already been confirmed earlier, when, at another party, she warns Hannah against spending time with a guy who gives Hannah a drink and then invites her to stay and talk to him (p. 103). Moreover, Hannah is likewise familiar with Bryce’s predatory reputation among their fellow students when she notes on the cassette, “Everyone knows who you are, Bryce. Everyone knows what you do” (p. 263). Clay, too, seems familiar with Bryce’s reputation; when he hears Hannah say on the cassette that Bryce calls her name in the hot tub, he exclaims “God no. This can only end one way” (p. 260).
- 28.
In some ways, such a charitable reading of Courtney’s character would fit with Hannah’s perspective in the book: that her (Hannah’s) problems often stem from people genuinely not understanding how their behaviour impacts her. There is, however, enough evidence in the book to suggest that Courtney’s decision to abandon Hannah with Bryce in the hot tub may have been more intentional than Hannah realizes.
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Tombs, D. (2018). Abandonment, Rape, and Second Abandonment: Hannah Baker in 13 Reasons Why and the Royal Concubines in 2 Samuel 15–20. In: Blyth, C., Colgan, E., Edwards, K. (eds) Rape Culture, Gender Violence, and Religion. Religion and Radicalism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70669-6_8
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