Introduction
Alias Grace is a historical, narrative approach to exploring themes of cruelty and redemption within the context of class distinctions and gender norms, particularly within the 1820s-1860s Canada. In Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood takes the audience back to a time when women were not seen as human beings; they were objects and things. Back then, the females of society were used for whatever purposes the men could think up. In 1843, in Canada, a female prisoner named Grace Marks was accused of murdering her employer and his mistress. She was convicted without any evidence and imprisoned. This book’s analysis explores the reality of what justice means to people in society and how this concept conforms to their culture’s values, beliefs and laws.
Notes of Character Development
When Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace begins, the audience is introduced to a young Irish immigrant named Grace Marks. She is frail, suffering from sickness and poverty, and she has been accused of murdering her employer Thomas Kinnear so that she could steal his money. In the first third of the Novel, Grace is submerged in the world of prison life and legal proceedings. She is constantly under the watchful eye of guard James McDermott, who acts as a kind of surrogate father to her. He takes care of her in ways that no one else does, even though he is not legally related and teaches her how to read and write.As the reader learns more about Grace’s life before she went to prison, it becomes clear that she was raised by an abusive mother who did not want her around at all times. This fact becomes more important later on when it appears as though there may be some connection between Grace and the murder victim Thomas Kinnear.
In the second third of the Novel, Grace understands herself more clearly. She becomes more confident about herself and what she wants out of life for herself and her family. She also begins to understand how her actions have affected those around her. This understanding allows Grace to make better decisions, from how she interacts with others to how she raises her children. In the final third of Alias Grace, the audience can see Grace grow as an individual who can make informed decisions based on experience and present circumstances. Her character change mirrors this growth in maturity, she becomes able to make decisions based on what is right for herself rather than blindly following others’ opinions. Ultimately, after reading the novel, one understands how much Grace must have suffered over the years. In addition, one learns how resilient and determined she is despite the hardship she has faced thus far. It becomes obvious that she sees herself as a victim who deserves justice more than anyone else around her ever could.
Notes on Resilience
Resilience, in Alias Grace, is an important concept for the characters. They demonstrate resilience by overcoming obstacles and coming out on top. The Novel focuses on the true story of Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant imprisoned for murder. Her resilience is essential to her survival in prison and on the gallows. Her ability to survive made her a prisoner who could not be killed until she had been hanged.
In the Novel, Atwood uses several different methods of demonstrating resilience. One example is how Grace manages to survive by pretending that she has gone insane, which allows her to avoid being abused by other prisoners or harmed by guards or doctors in prison. Another example is when she pretends that she is deaf; this allows her to avoid being forced into hard labor or punished for trying to escape prison. The author also shows Grace’s resilience by ensuring she does not give up hope throughout her time in prison and on death row: “That’s what I’m going to do,” Grace said determinedly (Atwood 45). This determination helps her overcome any obstacles put in front of her and keep going when things get hard and hopeless.
The concept of resilience is linked to themes in the Novel because it helps illustrate that people can change their lives for the better if they are willing to work hard enough. It also illustrates that a person’s actions do not define them, other factors can change their actions outside their control. The author seems to say that resilience is important because people need it to make changes in their lives. Resilient people can overcome obstacles and improve their situation despite these obstacles being at odds with what they want for themselves or society, for example, crime prevention.
The Novel’s biographical and historical context
Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace is a novel about the life of 18th-century Irish immigrant Grace Marks. She was convicted of murdering her employer and lover, Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. The story is told from the perspective of Grace Marks’ lawyer, James McDermott, and his wife, Sarah. The Novel takes place in 1843, Canada, when Canada was still a colony of Great Britain (Atwood 33). It is written in first person narrative form and follows Grace Marks’ life from childhood to adulthood. It begins with her escape from Ireland to Canada with her family and ends with her being sentenced to death by hanging for murder.
The setting of this Novel is also very important because it helps tell readers what they need to know about how things were back then. The setting is supposed to be during the period when people knew nothing about female rights or how society treated women. It also helps one to see how people lived their lives back then. There were not many options available for them if they did not want to marry someone who already had children or someone who was not rich enough for them.
Analysis
This Novel uses a psychological lens to examine the mindsets and motivations of each character in this story. Atwood uses a psychological lens to explore how these characters’ mindsets have changed over time and what factors lead them to commit these crimes in the first place. For example, one can see that James McDermott’s wife, Mary begs him not to go out alone because she fears for his safety (Atwood 48). However, he ignores her pleas and goes out anyway with Grace Marks. This leads the audience to think about what motivated James McDermott to do what he did during this period. He must have been motivated by money or power or something else that would affect his decision-making process at this point in his life, such as fear.
Conclusion
At this book’s beginning, the audience learns about Grace Marks’ life and her background. They further learn how she became one of the most wanted criminals during a time when new scientific developments were changing modern society. Many have interpreted the book to be a feminist critique of the legal system and the idea that women are easily manipulated into evil actions. One can believe that judging this Novel from just one viewpoint is unnecessary: whether to condemn Marks’ behaviour or celebrate her as a protagonist. Instead, readers should consider both sides and make their judgments. Overall, Alias Grace is framed as an investigative real-life criminal case study. Therefore, the reader can look beyond the history to the literary device employed.
Work Cited
Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace. S.L., Virago Press Ltd, 2019.