Desire and Emotional Leverage

Black Water (Joyce Carol Oates Edition)

This flow examines how Kelly Kelleher experiences desire, hesitation, and the pressure to please during her encounter with The Senator.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A New Man’s Attention A New Man’s Attention from "Black Water". Feeling Chosen A powerful presence The Senator’s size, fame, and focused attention impress Kelly Kelleher.

A New Man’s Attention from "Black Water". Feeling Chosen A powerful presence The Senator’s size, fame, and focused attention impress Kelly Kelleher.

Feeling Chosen A powerful presence The Senator’s size, fame, and focused attention impress Kelly Kelleher. His interest makes her feel selected from among the other young women at the gathering. A charged imbalance The apparent ease of their conversation exists alongside differences in age, status, and experience. Kelly’s excitement develops within a relationship that is not socially equal.

A Touch on the Beach A Touch on the Beach from "Black Water". The First Physical Signal A charged gesture The Senator touches Kelly Kelleher’s arm and shoulders before kissing her.

A Touch on the Beach from "Black Water". The First Physical Signal A charged gesture The Senator touches Kelly Kelleher’s arm and shoulders before kissing her.

The First Physical Signal A charged gesture The Senator touches Kelly Kelleher’s arm and shoulders before kissing her. She feels a jolt of desire but also notices that the intensity seems to come chiefly from him. Desire’s uncertain ownership Her response is not simply refusal or consent without qualification. She enjoys the encounter while trying to understand whether her own wishes are leading or following his.

The Quieted Warning The Quieted Warning from "Black Water". Fear of Offense A passenger’s caution Kelly Kelleher notices the poor road and says they may be lost, but she does so tactfully.

The Quieted Warning from "Black Water". Fear of Offense A passenger’s caution Kelly Kelleher notices the poor road and says they may be lost, but she does so tactfully.

Fear of Offense A passenger’s caution Kelly Kelleher notices the poor road and says they may be lost, but she does so tactfully. She worries about annoying The Senator and hesitates to insist that he turn back. Silence has a cost The Senator’s reassurances replace discussion rather than answer her concern. Her fear of offending him becomes part of the sequence that leaves them on the hazardous route.

A Claim of No Later A Claim of No Later from "Black Water". Pressure Behind the Yes An unspoken belief Kelly Kelleher thinks that if she does not do what The Senator wants, there may not be another chance.

A Claim of No Later from "Black Water". Pressure Behind the Yes An unspoken belief Kelly Kelleher thinks that if she does not do what The Senator wants, there may not be another chance.

Pressure Behind the Yes An unspoken belief Kelly Kelleher thinks that if she does not do what The Senator wants, there may not be another chance. She is embarrassed to express this thought even to Buffy St. John. Consent under expectation The fear is not presented as a spoken threat from The Senator. Instead, it reveals the pressure Kelly experiences internally as she tries to reconcile desire, approval, and the possibility of refusal.

The Wreck Changes Everything The Wreck Changes Everything from "Black Water". A Physical Crisis Desire overtaken The car’s plunge replaces flirtation with terror.

The Wreck Changes Everything from "Black Water". A Physical Crisis Desire overtaken The car’s plunge replaces flirtation with terror.

A Physical Crisis Desire overtaken The car’s plunge replaces flirtation with terror. Kelly Kelleher’s body is trapped beside The Senator’s, and her earlier hesitation can no longer protect her from the situation he controls. The final power imbalance The Senator escapes while Kelly remains caught in the wreck. The contrast turns a private negotiation over desire into an immediate struggle over whose life can be saved.

Afternoon on the Fourth of July

Late afternoon during their walk

During the drive across Grayling Island

As Kelly remembers the choice to leave

Around 8:15 p.m. at Indian Creek