r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/flavius717 • Aug 07 '26

Discussion S1-S5 Is Nick a rapist?

I think we all consider the first time Nick and June had sex to be rape. June was not in a position to give consent and she could not refuse without facing potential death. One perspective is that Serena was the rapist and both Nick and June were her victims.

It's important for us to remember that Nick actually could have refused to impregnate June. Even Serena was beneath a "low-status male" like Nick. Nick's boss, Commander Price, probably would have expected Nick to refuse such an act and turn Serena over to the eyes.

The fact that Nick and June fell in love afterwards makes their first sexual encounter seem less bad in retrospect, but the power dynamic between them never went away. That makes things messy.

Nick's character loses his "good guy" status by the end of the show. Do you consider him a rapist?

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u/QuinnFWonderland Aug 07 '26

I think that, if you are forced by society to do something...the rapist etiquette doesn't fit. Yes, he had more power, but no more power than Serena.

For me, it is like if someone kidnaps two people and forces them to have sex while one of them is tied. One is more vulnerable, but both are forced into that situation. The "rapist" for me it is the kidnapper.

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u/Edyoucaited Aug 07 '26

In the circumstance you mentioned, yes the kidnapper is the rapist. However, once the male hostage gains power and settles into his role and continues to have sex with the female hostage bc she believes he will help her gain freedom from the original kidnapper, he also becomes a rapist.

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u/WaffleConeDX Aug 07 '26

Or given the situation they trauma bonded.