The allegory of the rejected victim
Unfortunately, Marianne's experience is not unique. Her story helps to illustrate the emotional journey a woman must endure following instances of violence or rape. For instance, she is rejected by her father, a psychological indication of her newfound sense of shame and experience. Also, she is perplexed by the question of justice, since she prizes her privacy and knows that making the issue public will bring even more pain.
The motif of alcohol use
Alcohol isn't exactly the hero of this story. Marianne's father, Michael, in his own limited, traumatized way, tries to understand the event in terms of Marianne's actions. But that means that Marianne would be guilty for her own violent rape, just because she was drunk. That would be hypocritical, given that Michael turns to the bottle to deal with the confusion. His full-blown alcoholism is an indication that alcohol usage is a complicated issue that must be treated with the utmost care. That is not to suggest Marianne's drinking played a role in her rape; the proper punishment for a night of heavy drinking is the hangover that comes the next morning. The attacker alone is guilty for his evil actions.
The motif of injustice
The rape is complete unjust. The father's rejection of his daughter is another act of injustice against her. When her brother takes things into his own hands by murdering the rapist, he also robs his sister of her autonomy. It seems that the misogyny behind Marianne's rape is echoed by many of the other men in her life.
The motif of homelessness
Marianne's life following the tragic rape is a life of wandering, rejected by her home. The sons also leave for similar reasons, after the father runs the family into the ground with his own sense of restlessness (which drives him to drink). The title itself is a reflection of the fact that Marianne's account of the rape was so intense that it rendered the family apart.
The symbolic murder
When the brother murders the attacker, there is a complex issue expressed in the symbolism. First of all, it's an act of misogynistic violence, because the brother decided that Marianne's judgment wasn't good enough, and he took things into his own hands in a very masculine way. Plus it's violent to murder someone. So in a way it represents the temptation to handle other people's traumas in a wrong or selfish way. That doesn't mean the brother wasn't also victimized by the event—the argument of the novel seems to be that the whole family feels the weight of the incident. But the hateful judgment is an element that needs to be explained.
