Wrecked

The crux of the conflict of Wrecked is that, like in many rape or sexual assault cases, there is no hard evidence to support either Jenny or Jordan’s story. Maria Padian carefully portrays this complicated situation to highlight how difficult it is to identify and prove the truth. Through the different narratives presented by the multiple characters, Padian highlights the multiple subjective perspectives contained in one investigation.

Early in the novel, it becomes painfully clear that there will not be an easy resolution to Jenny’s filed complaint against Jordan. In response to her allegations, he immediately begins telling his peers that a freshman girl is claiming he raped her and asserting that he doesn’t “need to roofie some girl to get a little action” (88). Jordan’s bravado and tendency towards exaggeration are part of the same dysfunction that cause him to rape Jenny in the first place. Padian illustrates Jordan’s behavior not just to complicate the plot but to bring to light how the social dynamics of a rape case matter just as much as the facts themselves. Through Jordan’s insistence that he hasn’t done anything wrong, other students begin to misinterpret the story, thinking things like, “some freshman girl is upset because Bockus gave her a drink” (133).