An Analysis Of Joan Didion's Santa Ana

“One in four women and one in six men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.”(The Alliance).While people might think that men are the only ones that commit these sexual offenses, they fail to recognize that women can sexually abuse men as well. Sexual predators are not easily found in a group of people. They look just like everybody else which makes it so hard to spot them. This paper will analyze a person after they’ve been sexually abused, and how that affects their human behavior and how it ties to Joan Didion's, Santa Ana. Sexual abuse is the act of forcing someone into sexual activity or taking advantage of a person sexually without their consent. This affects the victim’s psychological and emotional well-being, and no matter

In fact, many victims of sexual abuse tend to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and are not able to sleep, or eat, and can start having panic attacks when they had none before. This tension is relatively similar to the tension some people feel during the “hot, dry winds” of Santa Ana. During this heavy wind in Los Angeles, people are uneasy and feel as if something bad might happen to them or their city. The citizens are on edge and tend to isolate themselves from others for protection. An example given by Joan Didion is her only neighbor not going outside for multiple days, and the absence of lights in the night time. The eeriness of the wind generated a fear in the citizen's hearts, causing their behaviors to

All these drastic behaviors can be tied to some of the extreme acts that Joan Didion talked about in her paper about the Santa Ana wind. In 1957, the wind lasted for fourteen days and nights, causing, even more, fear and restlessness among the citizens of Los Angeles. Throughout those fourteen days, numerous murders and fires took place, for example, the fire in San Gabriels; the six people who lost their lives from car accidents; the man who shot himself, his kids, and his wife, and etc. Joan believes all these extreme acts happened because of the influence of the wind, and because of the state of mind, everyone was in. From these events, it is easy, if you live there, to fall into the belief that the wind is responsible and that the events are not just a coincidence. These examples show readers just how easily human behavior can be influenced and changed by other factors. There are countless different outlets victims of sexual abuse can use in order to cope with what they have been through. Going to seek help and trying to keep their mind and body right is a must. Keeping everything inside might end up causing, even more, problems for the victim in the future. It is said that one healthy way to cope is to stay active, and go for walks or go jogging to clear the head. In addition, it is also advised to join a team sport or take fitness classes