I’m reading Hunger by Knut Hamsun. I just finished Part III, going to start Part IV. But the scene I just read with the narrator and the woman, whom he names Ylayali, honestly left me a bit disturbed. They have a weird, awkward date/sexual rendezvous. But when I first read it, the impression I got is that the narrator forced himself on her and was not listening to her verbal and non-verbal signs that she wasn’t interested. He goes on a monologue about how lonely and sad and rejected he feels, and she shows interest in him again. But eventually he leaves.
Am I right in thinking that this scene amounts to sexual assault, or am I totally wrong and overthinking this scene too much?
by Ok_Needleworker_4950