The Hotel New Hampshire (see separate entry) continues the themes of rape and sexual identity. John's sister Franny is raped as a young girl, and the rage Irving feels about this crime, which he has called "the most violent assault on the body and the head that can happen simultaneously," is objectified in the character of Junior Jones, a young black football player who catches and punishes the rapists and eventually marries Franny. The rape has left its scars, however, and Franny denies her sexuality entirely until a brief incestuous relationship with her brother John restores her self-esteem.