Are they trying to say she was some kind of martyr?
Aren’t martyrs usually killed by their enemies?
Although Oates considers herself a feminist, “Her tragic and violent plots abound with incidents of rape, incest, murder, mutilation, child abuse, and suicide, and her protagonists often suffer as a result of the conditions of their social milieu or their emotional weaknesses. This is especially true of her female characters, who are portrayed as dysfunctional, passive, and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse in a male-dominated society. For this reason feminist critics consider Oates a controversial figure, because she has created few strong, independent female role models in her numerous works.” http://www.enotes.com/feminism-literature/oates-joyce-carol
So much for feminist writers and their thought processes...