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differently during our stay at the DeLande Estate, his fluid, effortless movements translating into jerky motions of a caged, restless animal. The
passion of the earlier part was gone, replaced with a different emotion, a different passion, a cold, hurtful intensity I could not share. 27
Montgomery is also a cruel husband. He becomes cruel when he has to
confront with his weird and mysterious family. His cruelty often appears when his family, especially his brothers are on his surrounding. Nicolette is the victim of
his jealousy. It needs time for him to return into the previous Montgomery, the sweet one.
He was more complicated than I had known. Perhaps even a little...... cruel. I was always honest with myself. Even when it would be safer to lie.
But the cruelty had surfaced only when he had to confront his family, that bizarre, erratic, somehow unbalanced group of people. And vanished when
enough time and space separated him from their influence. 40
Montgomery’s cruelty can be seen from the punishments he gives to Nicolette. It can be physical or mental punishments. He is a volatile man and
changes every time. He punishes his wife for whatever she does that displeases him and for unreasonable reason that Nicolette does not understand.
Montgomery’s cruelty appears many times during his marriage. His punishments make his wife never tries to disobey him, to disagree with him, and
to make him unpleased. It is because she knows that she can not rebel against him. Montgomery has the power to control everything, including to control his wife.
Over the years, the punishments began to appear at other moments, other times. When I displeased Montgomery in some way, or disagreed with
him, or failed him. I learned never to say no. Not over, over anything. 47
4.2 Montgomery’s Sexual Deviation
According to Rosen, Fox, and Gregory, sexual deviation is defined as a failure of development associated with anxiety and conflict, culminating in a
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persistent or frequent for, and does not terminate in, genital coitus with an adult of the opposite sex. 274
Montgomery’s sexual deviation that appears in Betrayal by Gwen Hunter deals with incest. We can see his sexual deviation from sexual assaulted he has
done to his daughter and his sister.
4.2.1 Montgomery’s Sexual Deviation to His Daughter, Dessie
Montgomery’s sexual deviation is uncovered by Nicolette lately. When she returns from her visit to Sonja, she finds that her daughter, Dessie, grows
thinner and stops to eat. Nicolette does not notice there is something wrong with her daughter, until her daughters tell her a secret that they should not say. They
tell the secret about their father’s behavior when there are only her mother and them, then, they think it is safe for them.
“Las’ year when you come back from A’nt Sonja’s, daddy said you was bleedin’ and not lable.”
Last year? Shalene had been only four… “Available,” Dessie whispered. “Bleeding and not available. And we had
to play.” 75 “Bleeding and unavailable” is Montgomery’s words, utterance, and
expression to say that Nicolette gets her period, then, she is not prepared for serving Montgomery. It means that Nicolette is unprepared to have sexual
intercourse with him. Nicolette exactly knows what her daughters say about the words. She understands what the wrong thing happened to the girls. She imagines
that what her daughters have said is related to sexual relationship.
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Nicolette interrogates the girls carefully using simple words understood by children. It hurts her to know her husband’s evil behavior. However, she does not
want to make the girls feel afraid or uncomfortable to tell the story. Therefore, she pretends to stay calm before them.
“What….” I swallowed past a suddenly dry throat. “What does Daddy do….when he….when he plays with you? Something
you don’t like? “He touches us. In our fannies. And he lickes us there.” 76
Montgomery gives the understanding to the girls that playing something
they do not like is an obligation for them. Montgomery’s behavior is not appropriate considering that Dessie is his daughter. He uses her as media to fulfill
his sexual desires, his sexual needs, when his wife is in the way unable to play the role as a wife.
“And chokes Dessie with his thing.” I suppose some women don’t understand the import words spoken by
children. And some have difficulty believing. Some simply never reconcile the two visions-the generous husband who gives diamonds and
toys, and the beastly man who…. who touches his children. But I did. I swallowed hard. 76
Nicolette does not realize that there is something off limit when
Montgomery is close to their daughters. She does not even notice that Montgomery has sexually assaulted her daughter. He spends the time telling story
to the girls before they sleep or he spends many nights sleeping with the girls after they see horror films. Nicolette does not think there is something terrible
happened to them. It is because all of Montgomery’s deeds to the girls seem to be usual as what a common father treats and loves his children. When Nicolette
spends summer holidays by visiting Sonja, her best friend, she does not even realize that Montgomery make use of the chance to assault the girls.
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I remembered coming home from Sonja’s two weeks ago and going into a rage because my girls had been playing dress-up in my nightgowns. My
beautiful silk lingerie. And I spanked both of them furiously, staying angry at them for days for such a willful disobedience and disrespect.
Montgomery had unexpectedly-and uncharacteristically-intervened on their behalf, claiming they had asked to play dress-up and he had let them,
not knowing that some things were off limits. He had apologized and soothed me, sending my chastised daughters away to play. 77
Incest which is forbidden by law, society, and religion really happen to her
husband and her sweet daughter. I still couldn’t call what it was. Incest happened to other people. Low-
class, white-trash, drug-addicted, alcoholic unwed mothers with skuzzy live-in-boyfriends with torn, dirty jeans and greasy hair and….. Oh God.
Not me. Not Montgomery. But… 96 Montgomery’s sexual deviation to his daughter tends to be forbidden.
First, Montgomery lives among the society that forbids incest to occur and it is taboo. Second, Montgomery is a Catholic. According to The Bible, primarily in
Leviticus, contains prohibition against sexual relations between various pairs of family members. Father and daughter, mother and son, and other pairs are
forbidden on pain of death to engage in sexual relations http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiincest-taboo; accessed on April 18, 2007.
4.2.2 Montgomery’s Sexual Deviation to His Sister, Bella Cecile DeLande
Bella Cecile DeLande who is stated as Miss X in the report of Nicolette’s detective is Montgomery’s sister. Montgomery’s sexual deviation, incest, does not
only occur to his daughter but also to Bella Cecile DeLande. DeLande families live on the weird tradition where sexual relation between the relatives is as a
responsibility, a duty, a punishment, and also a religion.
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“To the Grande Dame, sex is a responsibility. A duty. And punishment all rolled up into one. A religion almost.”
Bella’s voice came quickly now, almost gasping. “She talks about love and sex all the time. Love and sex are totally….. interchangeable…. to her.
But she doesn’t love us. Not at all. She hates us. All her girl children. Utterly and completely. A mother would have to hate children to give
them to one another. Wouldn’t she?” 314 Montgomery has a sexual relation with Bella, his sister. It happens
because The Grande Dame DeLande, their mother, has given Bella to her sons including Montgomery as a present for them. She has responsibility to please her
brothers by having sexual activity with them. X: When I was twelve, my mother, the Grande Fucking Dame, gave me to
my brother. It’s a DeLande tradition, you know, in that household. As soon as your first period comes, you are given as a present to one of the
bitch’s sons to play with and train. You get locked up in a room with him. You share his food, his bed, his sexual needs. And believe me, sexual
needs come first with a DeLande. Brother dear teaches you about your own body, how to give it pleasure.
How to give pleasure back. 281-282 Montgomery’s sexual deviation is uncovered when Bella and he have a
son who is not quite normal compared to normal children. In that time, Montgomery is supposed to be mature enough to decide what is right and what is
wrong. Bella can not do anything to refuse Montgomery’s need. It is because every DeLande has the power to control their sisters also.
ANN: Who was the father of your son? X: Montgomery. He was about twenty at the time. 282
Montgomery’s and Bella’s son was not born as a normal child. Biologically, incest is forbidden because the effect can be dangerous for the
children who are born by incest. Montgomery’s and Bella’s son is the proof that incest can cause harmful effect to the child.
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“I didn’t even know it was wrong until I saw my son and how……. how abnormal he was. The doctor tried to blame it on a birth accident. The cord
was wrapped around the baby’s neck as he pushed through the birth canal. He went without oxygen for a while. But I knew it was mostly because of
Montgomery and me.” 313 Therefore, we can see that Montgomery’s sexual deviation to Bella occurs
for a period of time, whereas, they should realize that they have done something wrong and forbidden.
4.3 The Influence of Montgomery’s Sexual Deviation on Nicolette’s Personality Deviation
