"We were praying for my soul. I stared at Father Breuninger's crotch. Thought about what he was under all that black. He was a man. He had a dick like every man did. What right had he, I wondered, to pray for my soul?" (Sebold 125). First off, in order for this thought to be publicly presented, it requires audacity. Many individuals perceive a priest as a person who has a unique connection with God; and if they chose to disagree they are mostly too fearful to express it. However, Alice Sebold who comes from a family that has a skeptic view towards religion does not understand why her parents had called upon Father Breuninger to pray for her. He is no different than anyone else in this world of sin. He too is born with the same body parts as her rapist and in reality there is no prime difference between him and any other man. She cannot grasp the idea that a man who is more similar than different than any of us has the capability to connect with a higher spirit and to heal someone from their pains. Alice, compared to her family, is handling her experience well by maintaining her usual demeanor. When people are exposed to torturous experiences, they are more prone to either become more religious and more dependent on God or to become more skeptical and irreligious. However, Alice Sebold possesses such a strong personality that she does not feel the need to be treated differently and does not need to change her mentality to feel comforted. This offers the readers a sense of reality and portrays her independence as a human being who will not seek help from others to overcome her obstacles in life.
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