Grace Marks, in Margaret Atwoods Alias Grace, is a young woman accused of murdering her master and his mistress, and is based on a true case. Grace Marks is a complex woman, as most of her personal traits are distorted because they are recorded by unreliable sources. These sources are mainly found in the media, such as newspapers, that tend to include inaccurate information rather than facts. Although the novel seems to be about the question of whether or not Grace Marks was guilty or innocent, it is truly about the Victorian notions of femininity. Women were seen as mortal, yet at the same time they were seducers and manipulators. The novels main idea is about the conflicts that women, who were influenced by the Victorian Age, suffered.
Graces identity is confusing, as it is made complex by her either trying to protect her innocence or by hiding her guilt. Atwood does an excellent job getting the reader to question this, but her main issue focuses on survival, and how the search for Graces true identity is symbolically the search that all women living in a suppressed environment are involved in. This theme is very true to Atwoods feminist pursuit, which is seen in her other novels as well. This leads to the ultimate question, as Joyce Hart states, Who was the Victorian woman? Was she the frail, lesser member of the two sexes? Or was she an equal in stamina and intelligence? Was she the epitome of virtue? Was she violent and capable of vicious crimes? Or, did she encompass all of these traits, and more? To gain a better idea of Atwoods feminist attitude, readers must take a deeper look at the novels protagonist, Grace.
At the beginning of the novel, Grace describes herself as a woman who follows the rules of her Victorian society. She is a maid, and this is represented symbolically by her chapped hands. She bows her head in humility, thus reflecting her lower status, both economically and that determined by her gender. Women, rich or poor, well-kept or not, were held in place by concrete walls, even if these walls were not visible. Many women, like Grace, grew to learn that silence brings more acceptance and favour. Other women choose to act unintelligent. Graces lawyer tells the court that she is an idiot and explains to Grace that this act would be her best chance for escaping death. Not only were Victorian women pretending to be unintelligent, they also often believed it. Education was said to be for men, and women who went to college were looking for a husband. Careers were not for women, as their place was the home. Women found acceptance and peace by playing this role, and Margaret Atwood puts an emphasis on this idea throughout the novel.
In the novel, Atwood considers all sorts of conditions of women, such as mothers, daughters, wives, lovers, aunts, abused women, old women, and the like. Atwood stresses the vulnerability of Victorian women, because essentially they were trapped, most often because of male domination and the lack of equality. We also see the attitudes of men towards women, and how they really misunderstood women at the time. There are several examples of this idea within the novel. This could be seen with Graces family, where her mother is dealing with a husband who no longer is compassionate nor caring, and she is struggling to survive and keep her children together. This man never truly understood what his wife was dealing with, and never will he feel the struggles that she had. Mary Whitney was deceived by a man into thinking he would marry her, when truly this man just wanted to fill his sexual desires for her. She deals with pregnancy and later abortion, causing her death. The other women who know the truth about her death judged her and their ignorance caused them to be blinded by the fact that her death occurred because of a mans cold actions. This theme is present throughout the entire novel, and very evidently through Grace herself.
As well, the theme of repression, especially of sexuality and violence, comes out strongly in the novel. Women, in particular, are expected to be modest, while the men tend to have a greater degree of sexual freedom. This sexual desire is exposed in Dr. Simon Jordan, who is dealing with his infatuation for women, and especially for Ms. Humphrey, his landlady. He experiences intimacy with her, as well as domination. Domination is seen when Dr. Simon Jordan takes control of Ms. Humphrey during their sexual encounters.
Overall, Margaret Atwood does a superb job of captivating her audience with an incredible array of characters and a well written plot. Grace Marks, a young girl at the center of tragedy and hardship, really comes alive. It is quite clear that Atwood has spent a great deal of time researching the real story but at the same time incorporating her writing talents to fictionalize the case in a believable way. I like how Atwood adds the fairy tale ending that comes to Grace at the end of the novel. It ties in with the earlier prediction of Grace marrying a man with a name beginning with the letter J, and unexpected to the reader, she marries Jamie Walsh, who was once the young boy who loved her before the murders occurred. For a novel so dark, this ending comforted me as I felt strongly for Grace and somehow, I felt that she deserved marriage and a life. It is satisfying in a certain way, that it is very dramatic, intense, and the perfect way to end the tale of Grace Marks. If Atwood was trying to solve the mystery, she provided a possible explanation. If her purpose was to entertain the reader, she certainly did that with the irony and satire in the novel. Or if the purpose was to perplex and spark your thoughts, she absolutely does this, as you are left wondering about the themes and characters within the novel.
Despite what she is sentenced for, Grace is an incredibly likeable character and it is quite easy for the reader to feel remorse for her. As a young girl, her father is good for nothing, her family life is horrific, she lives in poverty with many other siblings, and her mother is basically a victim of imprisonment in her own home. Grace loses her mother; she is forced into work, and evolves into the stage of Young Adulthood. Her life journey allows her character to develop from being just a child, to a grown woman who has seen the good and the bad, and the truths and the lies of life.
The other main character of the novel, Dr. Simon Jordan, is seen as a Young Adult. He is forming intimate relationships, dealing with sexual desires, and ultimately is discovering his true identity. He is a successful doctor who attracts women of the higher class, especially married women. This is evident in his sexual encounters with Ms. Humphrey, who makes attempts of getting close with him. He finds himself in confusion and realizes that their relationship is not right. From his self-discovery, he leaves everyone behind and goes back to his mother. We do not see such a drastic character development with Dr. Jordan because from his introduction in the novel to the end, he is the same man; a man dealing with sexual desires.
The novel Alias Grace had specific qualities that made it distinctly Canadian. Firstly, Margaret Atwood is a Canadian writer, and an incredible one at that. She uses nature and setting to really set the tone in the novel. On Graces way to Canada, she sees lots of land, trees, and water. This is a setting that we as Canadians can identify with. Canada has the largest supply of lumber in the world, and we have a huge land area. Our population is not even the amount of people living in the city of New York, so Grace and her family did not have much to look forward too, literally. The setting was mostly quiet, and somewhat lonely. This reminds me of our cold Canadian winters, looking outside and not hearing a sound. This type of weather was also seen within the novel, and specifically when Grace and Mary Whitney are freezing in their beds. Probably the most well-known definition for Canadian Literature is seen in Atwoods argument in Survival; that our literature is that of victims, while American literature is that of heroes. Grace is a victim, trapped as a woman with the Victorian expectations. I also personally feel that Canadian literature is about reflecting who we want to be, and how to get around our life struggles. Much Canadian writing suggests that failure is required because it is the only trait that will give the right ending to a novel. This is an idea interpreted from Atwoods Survival. This trait is seen in Grace, how she failed to succeed in life, but the plot was still spectacular. These qualities keep the novel Canadian, and in comparison to American novels, you can really feel for the characters, and get a sense of what they are going through.
Bibliography:
1) Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace. New York, Anchor Books, 1996.
2) Roberta Rubenstein, "Quilt and Guilt," inThe World & I, Vol. 12, No. 2, February 1, 1997, pp. 26267
http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/nfs_19/nfs_19_00012.html#Sources
3) Joyce Hart, Critical Essay onAlias Grace, inNovels for Students, Gale, 2004. http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/nfs_19/nfs_19_00012.html#Sources
4) Atwood, Margaret. Survival. http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/tbacig/cst1030/1030anth/survival.html
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