Twin Peaks treats domestic violence and abuse with a creepy insensitivity. The incestuous relationship between Laura and her father Leland is almost ignored- being blamed on the possessive spirit, BOB. "After Leland's confession and suicide, Agent Cooper asks Sheriff Truman whether he would prefer to believe that BOB worked through Leland

Female sexuality is important to analyze when viewing Twin Peaks because it allows the audience to see both how women view themselves sexually, and how men view women sexually. The most apparent contrast of sexuality appears be between Laura and Maddy. "Laura and Maddy seem to illustrate the familiar patriarchal division of women into virgins and whores: Maddy is chaste where Laura is wanton, solicitous of her relatives where Laura brought them only grief, and is considerate of the teenage friends Laura exploited" (Desmet 100). This division reinforces to the male audience that they must see women as virgins or whores. The effect of this in society is that males will be less trusting and more prone to violence towards the women they see as whores, and to ignore the women they see as passive virgins.

The desensitization of violence and sexual abuse directed towards women, by men, is not without its consequences. "In the US a woman is battered every fifteen seconds. A rape is committed every six minutes. Three to four million women are beaten in their homes. Over half of the men in a survey of college students said they would rape a woman if they were certain they could get away with it. Furthermore, one out of eight Hollywood movies depicts a rape theme, and by age eighteen, the average American youth has watched 250,000 acts of violence on television" (Ms. 33-58). In the case of Twin Peaks, the violence towards women is extremely excessive. What is almost more disturbing than the actual violence portrayed, is that according to the viewer polls, the majority of the loyal viewers of the series were adolescent males. The viewing of Twin Peaks requires loyalty (most viewers who missed several episodes stopped watching the series), and therefore requires the audience to condone the violence directed towards women. Could it be a possibility that the violence in Twin Peaks has affected the conscious of young male viewers and had desensitized them to the actions and plots shown in Twin Peaks?

One main flaw in Cooper's judgment is his lack of understanding that he does not need to protect women, which eventually leads to his fall. "Stoically offering his soul in return for Annie's safety, Cooper engages Windom Earle in a masculine psychomania, so that he is finally undone by his chivalrous code of honor and by the patriarchy's drive to destroy, rather than accommodate the feminine" (Desmet 106). Rather than attempting to save himself as well as Annie, Cooper would rather become the martyr, than the actual protector. He offers his soul because he feels it is his duty as a man, rather than because he loves Annie. This may be the only redemption of the female portrayal in Twin Peaks- where part of Cooper's failure is based on the fact that he refuses the accommodation of women- however his failure is still due to a woman, as he would never have be put in that situation if Annie had not allowed herself to be captured by Windom Earle. The message of this aspect of the series is that although Cooper failed in the correct role towards women, it is still a woman's weakness that helped destroyed him.

Norma Jennings remains the only female character strong enough to resist the oppression that the male characters try to place on her. She begins the divorce process against her homicidal husband (who is arrested for parole violation before the divorce takes place), and further does not allow herself to be put into any positions where she will be forced to depend on a masculine character. Norma does, however, appear as a submissive female, working (but still owning) at the Double R diner. She only appears to the audience in her blue work uniform, which resembles that of a maid (the quintessential model of a submissive female). So even the only 'real' strong female character still appears as submissive, serving food to and cleaning up after the hungry men of Twin Peaks. Norma's character shows that the only way for a woman to succeed in soci

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3413
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)