What Happened To Rachel Riley?

Content Warning: This section discusses sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment on school grounds lies at the center of What Happened to Rachel Riley? Through this occurrence, the book explores the sense of powerlessness and lack of agency that girls and women can feel over their bodies, the different ways that this manifests, what contributes to it, and how lasting change can happen.

Sexual harassment or the violation of boundaries can take on many different forms. Explicitly, there is the “game” in the book, where the middle school boys touch the girls inappropriately, without their consent, and despite their displeasure. There is also Nik’s experience of being harassed by Bronson, a boy who likes her and refuses to stop calling, texting, or sending her letters. In both situations, the boys center their actions based on their desires. It does not occur to them that the girl on the receiving end of their behavior feels discomfort. There is no insight into or empathy for the girl’s perspective. The complete sidelining of the girls’ right to set boundaries around their bodies is among the things that contribute to the perpetuation of harassment.

Just like there are different ways that harassment can manifest, there are also different factors that contribute to it. The girls themselves laugh off the “game” as something funny because they don’t know how to vocalize the discomfort they feel. This feeling is compounded by how the boys treat the one girl who vocalizes her discomfort, Rachel. They target her even further. As the theme of The Interaction of Social Pressure and Identity Formation in Middle School explores, social pressure also contributes to the perpetuation of harassment. The girls, despite feeling the same way as Rachel, don’t stand up for her or themselves because they feel pressured not to. Additionally, boys who don’t want to participate in the “game” like Cody facilitate it nevertheless because they feel pressured to support it.

However, another powerful contributor to the culture of harassment is the adults’ reactions and lack of responses to what is happening at the school. Principal Howe’s emails about other incidents that take place in school, like food fights and disrupted dances, receive more attention and criticism than the issue of harassment ever does. When Rachel brings up harassment at the dance, the school quickly dismisses it with no further investigation. Additionally, teachers who have witnessed problematic instances in the past have either disregarded it or laughed at it. These responses from the adults allow the continued violation of boundaries to occur while the girls still feel powerless and experience a lack of agency.

Recognizing what contributes to the perpetuation of harassment, both directly and indirectly, is key to driving change and girls reclaiming this agency. When Jordan wanted to switch out the names for the awards, Rachel disagreed because she knew that it would change nothing. Thus, once Anna learns the whole truth, the three girls decide on a plan of action that pushes the needle. Rather than name, blame, and shame, they involve the adults and engage in actual conversation with the boys in their class about what has been happening and how they feel about their misconduct. Along with the deserved consequence, the boys also receive an education, ensuring that they not only change their behavior for fear of punishment but also understand and change their attitudes because they understand that it is predatory behavior. This change manifests in the final chapter of the book; when a boy snaps a girl’s bra again, his friend immediately calls him out on it. Additionally, there is more empathy and space for the girls’ voices and perspectives to exist. This allows them to recognize the agency they have to exert boundaries over their bodies. Thus, the book explores the powerlessness that girls can feel, what contributes to this feeling, the problematic culture that it can create, and also how realistic change can occur.