Teena's experience as an allegory
Teena's experience is unfortunately not unique. The novelist is pointing to systemic issues that prevent us from treating rape victims appropriately, so therefore, Teena's tragic story can be seen as an allegory against modern complacency and misogyny. The novel then functions as a compendium of the various ways we hurt victims who are brave enough to be honest.
The lawyer as a symbol
When Teena pursues justice, she finds ridicule and rejection. This is never more true that in court when Teena is subjected to slander and insult. The defense attorney seems to have no humanity, and he seems as willing to harm Teena as the actual rapists, but ironically, there is no way of knowing the truth, so the lawyer represents the corruption of the truth by evil people. Teena's experience of courtroom justice is a symbol of the lack of justice around issues of sexual assault against women.
The motif of violence
Rape is one form of violence shown in the novel, but the implication of the novel is that once Teena became a real victim of violence, suddenly, violence is all the world seems to offer her. She is wounded by her unfair ostracism. She is re-traumatized when she recounts her experience. She is insulted by the court. Ultimately, the motif reaches its conclusion when Teena feels an urge develop within her—the urge to murder her assailants.
The symbolic daughter
One of the most difficult parts of this story to handle is that Bethie, Teena's daughter, is forced to watch her own mother being brutally attacked, raped, and left for dead. As a symbol, this might signify the fact that women who ignore rape are betraying themselves. It could also signify the fact that misogyny hurts everyone, not just the particular victims of sexual assault. She also signifies Teena's own childhood innocence. She's also a foil to the society. Whereas the society responds with skepticism, Bethie experiences Teena's rape as if it were happening to her (because that's how psychology works, if you witness something, your brain runs a simulation of it happening to you) so more than anything, Bethie represents the fact that Teena's tragedy was real.
The symbolic thirst for vengeance
The question should always be asked, "At what point does victimhood go too far?" Oates explains, however, that all Teena wanted was her own dignity and a sense of justice. When she is left without those for the length of the entire novel, eventually Teena feels the thirst for revenge. She wants to murder her assailants. Teena feels that she is the only person who really cares about the rape, and therefore, her urge for vengeance represents something like divine judgment against the criminals. Indeed, the rapists deserve to suffer for their crimes. This does not represent some kind of vigilante justice. It represents the failure of Teena's community to do their duty to defend the defenseless. It represents the complete hopelessness of Teena's desire for justice.
