Beyond “Do Not Disturb”: Alternatives and Possibilities of Feminism in Joyce Carol Oates's Babysitter

“Sympathize/don’t rage” was Joyce Carol Oates’s call as she concluded a tweet on the rights of people who are transitioning (20 February 2023). This statement could well be considered a prism through which we might see her work. Indeed, the author depicts a variety of characters handling situations very differently – and readers are left dealing with their own sympathy with them. Babysitter (2022) is a case in point in this regard: Hannah, the main female character, appears as a submissive figure replete with gender and class prejudice and lacking agency. As Oyinkan Braithwaite wrote in a review for The New York Times, “She has no discernible personality beyond being a privileged white woman, and she is content to look at the world through rose-colored glasses.” (August 22, 2022). Furthermore, she is obsessed with the mysterious man who brutally assaulted her and even comes back to him, leading to a second sexual assault. We might well say that it is not the first book that comes to mind when talking about feminism in Oates’ work. Yet “Babysitter” was first a short story published in 2006 in Ellery Queen, and Oates expanded it purposefully into a novel in the wake of the MeToo movement. In my presentation, I will draw on Oates’s call for sympathy and examine how this story encourages the readers to take the risk of crossing the threshold and leave their certainties and preconceptions behind, challenging as Hannah does the “Do Not Disturb” sign that punctuates the novel. Sympathizing is also about acknowledging the complexity inherent in characters and recognizing the different ways women can behave, thus opening up possibilities and moving towards acceptance. The car is an important feature in the novel as it is the epitome of the different directions people might take and alternatives they might encounter. Building on this symbol, I intend to analyze the blind spots around feminism and gender that readers must consider in this complex journey through a book that defies expectations on many levels.