Why did she make a move on him in the tent?
She's fleeing a sexually abusive man and she lashed out when another man (Bart) touched her (right after the bus left). Why would she make sexual advances?
shareMy interpretation of that scene is that McKenzie doesn't have a healthy sense of the kind of relationship between a man and a woman/girl. (I happen to believe that the uncle has abused her in the past, not just during her current visit).
I think that McKenzie figures that something sexual is going to happen between them and she wants to be in control of it. SHE decides to get undressed. SHE is the one who makes the first move.
It's also important to remember that many abuse victims are "paid" for their abuse by their abuser (such as the uncle offering to get her a dog, getting her the phone). McKenzie might partly see sex as a way that you pay someone for their kindness (such as with the boy in the hotel room). She might want to show Rene that he "needs" her--that she has something to offer him so that he won't leave her to fend for herself. Her uncle was happy to keep her around for this reason--so maybe she assumes that Rene thinks the same way.
I know that it might seem contradictory for a victim of sexual abuse to make such advances, but if you ever undergo training to recognize abuse, one of the things you look for is a child who makes inappropriate sexual remarks or advances towards other children or adults. People (and children) can react to abuse in ways that seem very illogical, but that's because being abused really messes with your head.
I think that McKenzie figures that something sexual is going to happen between them and she wants to be in control of it. SHE decides to get undressed. SHE is the one who makes the first move.
Now that's a fascinating interpretation. It's about reclaiming/regaining power after being abused. Her flirty behavior is even less surprising when we consider what you said about payment for kindness.
At first I thought she was attracted to Rene and the hotel room boy, but I guess it was more about reclaiming power and expressing gratitude. Though I still wonder if the boy or Rene sexually aroused her in any way.
But I understand her behavior a lot more now. You seem intelligent for your age if you were born in 1999 (i.e. your screename/username). Most adults can't do an analysis like your post above, let alone teenagers. share
But I understand her behavior a lot more now. You seem intelligent for your age if you were born in 1999 (i.e. your screename/username). Most adults can't do an analysis like your post above, let alone teenagers.
Well thank you for the compliment, but I am definitely not a teenager! I'm in my 30s and I have a mild-to-moderate knowledge of some of this stuff because of my training as a teacher and also as a special education teacher. I learned a lot about signs of abuse during my graduate work, and we are trained on it at the beginning of each school year.
I think that the main takeaway is that people don't always act in the "logical" way that you expect them to--children or adults. There are rape victims who will go out and immediately have sex with another person; there are people who will return again and again to those who have abused them.
McKenzie is definitely upset when Rene react negatively to her come-on, but it's hard to say whether that's because she's upset at being rejected or upset because he takes control of the situation.
McKenzie herself might not understand her actions or her impulses. Being a teenager is hard enough without the trauma of sexual abuse (and a recently deceased father, and a mother with her own issues) to deal with. I don't know for sure why McKenzie does what she does in that tent, but I don't find it surprising, nor do I think it makes her a bad or stupid person. (I do really feel for Rene, though, because it puts him in a very difficult situation). share
@Stovepipe99
but if you ever undergo training to recognize abuse, one of the things you look for is a child who makes inappropriate sexual remarks or advances towards other children or adults. People (and children) can react to abuse in ways that seem very illogical, but that's because being abused really messes with your head.
Excellent!
"Arguing with idiots is like trying to play chess with a pigeon..." share
Yes, she was kinda damaged by something... The way she does nothing after her uncle gets with her in bed, then all the confusion with a hiking boy, finally the scene in the tent.
share