"I finally figured out what my crime was. I lived. Big mistake"

Patty Hearst's quote is a reflection of her experience as a victim of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). She was kidnapped by the SLA in 1974 and cooped for almost 2 years. Throughout her captivity, she went through physical and psychological abuse, and was forced to participate in criminal activities. Her quote suggests that she felt her only criminal activity was that she lived, and that her captors punished her for it. This quote talks to the powerlessness and misery that Patty Hearst felt during her captivity, and the sense of guilt and embarassment that she experienced afterwards. It likewise shows the injustice of her circumstance, as she was a victim of a crime, yet was treated as if she had actually dedicated one. Patty Hearst's quote is a powerful reminder of the injury and injustice that victims of crime can experience.