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Australian 21/Female

most guilty to least guilty:
irvin (because he raped laura)
edwin (because he didnt believe laura and didnt trust her)
laura (because she took the action to kill herself, she didnt have to kill herself)
peter (because he wouldnt help laura, he was too greedy, he could have directly helped laura cross the river)
isabel (as above, but she was less directly related to it as she didnt control the method of transporting laura across the river)
oscar (the same as for isabel)

Australian 31/Male

Hi Hisako

My answers are
1. Irvin (Most quility)
2. Peter
3. Isabel
4. Oscar
5. Edwin
6. Laura (Least quilty)
First of all...no woman wants to be raped... ..there is NO reason or excuse for a man to rape a woman... The ferry man should have either refused to give the woman a ride on the ferry or should have simply taken her across the river for free...he knew she had no money so asking for her dress was unreasonable.. ..ie...its was demeaning to the Laura to take her dress off and further it made her even more vulnerable (than she already way) The rich woman..she could have helped ... ..so her decision not to help was contributed to Laura's rape Oscar should have realised the sex on the road is not the usual thing (although some people are rather adventerous!!) Edwin should have made more of an effort to see Laura and also his reaction to Laura's rape was wrong

Bye for now

Australian/English/Scottish descent 31/Male

A: Firstly, I think it is difficult to judge people on a single series of events, and even more difficult because the cultural assumptions are not specified. Presumably, they would all seem to have a Western-type value-system, because they all have English names (in fact, American!), so in that context, we can try to interpret their behaviours... Nevertheless, we don't know what specific background each person has, nor what their real values are (nor even what kind of day each person was having at the time!!) But, to answer the question asked, and based on the limited information available in the story, this is my order of guilt:

1. Edwin (estranged lover): he had no trust in Laura; and neither did HE try to come to visit her! And, even if Laura was not raped, and had sex with someone else for the fun of it (right there on the street!), it does not mean that she doesn't love him. And I don't understand why he concluded that not wearing a dress confirmed for him that Laura wanted sex with a stranger!

2. Laura (raped woman): what was she doing arriving with no clothes?! Quite irrational, impetuous behaviour! She could have planned some way to earn the money first, if she was serious about visiting her true love. She has to take responsibility for her own welfare. I just wish she could have received counselling to prevent her suicide.

3. Irvin (rapist). He is obviously guilty of a serious crime, and needs punishment. But it must be said that there will always be crime, and to be on the safe side, it is a good idea not to provoke or tempt such crimes in any way. Going naked is certainly NOT an invitation to be raped. BUT, by analogy, wouldn't leaving your bicycle unlocked be considered an open invitation to a bicycle thief??

4. Peter (ferryman), 5. Isabel (rich lady), 6. Oscar (witness): all are equally innocent. It would have been nice, but it is certainly not compulsory, to aid desperate strangers who are acting bizarrely. There is a common saying, 'never trust strangers', which is prudent in many cases. Thus, we cannot say that they are responsible for the series of events... And Oscar was not to know it was a rape he was witnessing.

May I comment further: if the characters had had a different cultural background to the one I assumed, my interpretation of these behaviours would certainly differ!! It all depends on the prevailing value system of their respective culture(s).

Australian/Irish decent 32/Male
Hi, I am answering this survey mostly because I find it intriguing. but partly because of the *Smile* bit at the end of your email.
Ethnic background? : I follow no mainstream religion, but believe in a universal goodness.
Age: (that's cheeky from someone who won't give their own!), 32yrs.

First my description;

The most guilty is Irvin, for rape is inexcusable.
Next is Peter, He was a pervert and the only payment he was after was a look at Laura's nakedness. Surely, a poor girls dress, would be of no value to him.

Now it becomes harder.
Perhaps Isabel, for showing no compassion to someone in need, when she had the ability to help.
Then Laura for, although in despair, giving away the sanctity of her own life.
Then Edwin for not believing in his beloved.
I cannot find any fault with Oscar as, in the story, he did not recognise or know Laura, and was only relating an interesting event of the day to his friend.

I hope that this helps your survey.

Australian/anglo ethnic background 38/Female
I am an Australian female, aged 38 and have an anglo ethnic background.

I think Irvin is the most guilty because he should not have taken advantage of a woman in this position. There is no excuse to rape a woman.

Peter is next.... he should never have asked a woman to sacrifice her clothing - it put her in a vulnerable position and she suffered for it.

Isabel is next. She was a rich lady who could have easily given a little of her money to help a poor woman. It was Laura's poverty which caused her to be raped in the first place. This should rest on Isobel's conscience that she turned her back on someone in genuine need... she did, after all, ask for a loan and not charity.

Laura herself is next. She should not have taken her dress off and exposed herself. It is a foolish and dangerous thing to do and made her look like she was making herself available.

Oscar is next. I don't attribute a lot of guilt here but still, he could have checked a little better to see if the woman was participating voluntarily. He made a quick assumption which turned out to be far from the truth and caused Edwin to misunderstand what had taken place with Laura.

Edwin is the least guilty - although when the truth becomes fully known, he will feel some remorse for having jumped to conclusions without asking Laura her side of the story.

Australian/ 57/Male

Dear Hisako,
I was born, without being consulted, in a place which is now known as Brisbane, Australia.. I am 187 cm tall, pinkish yellow and am 57 years old. I am not in the slightest way 'proud' of my 'heritage'. My cellular forebears, hundreds of thousands of years ago were black and long before that, slugs and amoebas. Through environmental and genetic mutations I am what I am.

I think all the characters in your sketch are equally guilty . . . of the ridiculous human crime of impatient Ignorance.

Edwin and Oscar followed the evidence of their ears and eyes and impatiently applied their ignorant traditional moral 'belief' systems to Laura's distress.

Laura was impatiently ignorant too. Firstly she could not control her impulses and sought to cross the river at an inconvenient time. She wanted something for nothing from Peter and Isobel and sacrificed her dignity by giving up her dress. Second, she was so impatient she took the path of absolute ignorance and stupidity and killed herself.

Peter and Isabel were guilty of impatient ignorance by not allowing Laura financial credit for her venture. They were so overcome by traditional expectations of value for value and mistrust that the idea of giving freely never entered their heads.

Irvin was guilty of impatient ignorance too. He was so disfigured by his own upbringing that he sought instant gratification. It is pathetic that tradition can produce such 'misfits'.

In conclusion, traditions breed the plagues of chauvinism, nationalistic fervour and religious intolerance. Ignorance will be rife until humans discover that nobody 'belongs' to 'groups' and 'classes' and that each is a subjective entity unto itself with its own universe. The term 'classless society' is a tautology. One cannot be classless and 'belong' to a mythical 'society'.



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