Final post
Hello readers!
It is a sad day because this is the final post I will be writing about Alias Grace. This book was definitely an interesting one to read. It was an organized mess that I couldn't help falling in love with.
Margaret Atwood yet again surprised me with this incredible tale by showing me just how good a heartbreaking story can be. I have only read one other Margaret Atwood novel (Handmaid's Tale), but having read it twice and having now read Alias Grace, I feel like I can see more themes in her writing and understand her more as an author.
Probably one of Atwood's most common themes is her topic of writing. Handmaid's Tale is a popular novel and surprisingly (or maybe not) a feminist one at that. The reasons as to why this may be unclear to some is simple, the novel holds many ideas that tend to contrast those of equality and feminism. The idea that a woman cannot have money to her name, or have her own job other than birthing many babies and that it is the women's fault if no babies can be had. The novel may show a society that has these ideas, but it also shows the reader why these ideas are wrong. The novel is from a female perspective after all, and a lot can be learned while reading about someone fighting against this society, even if she doesn't do much but rebel in thought. Offred (the main character and narrator) I swear could convince someone who believes in these ideas of inequality, that equality is the only way.
As I mentioned in my last post, there is also feminism in Alias Grace. The inequality when considering a woman and a man for the crime they committed together is a common occurrence in society. The man is almost automatically assumed to be guilty while it is more split for the woman. This brings into question whether it is fair for the man to automatically be considered guilty because he is a man and if it is fair for the woman to be questioned because she is a woman and she might not be capable of committing a crime because she is a woman and "weak" or "too kind." Maybe that woman worked hard to be the villain she is, only to be discredited like that? It's an unfair world my friends. Atwood shows us in this work that there is a lack in equality in ways no one realized before, and that it is unfair.
Another common theme that is seen in both of these novels is the way these stories are told. Both journal and conversation-like, and they both jump around between different time periods. Handmaid's Tale jumps between periods of Offred's life while Alias Grace moves from the present to telling her story in a chronological order. I think that Atwood uses this technique to make the reader understand more about the characters, but to do so, the reader has to read more. It's the best hook because she gives the reader just enough to want to know more but not enough to feel satisfied within the first few chapters, the reader then has to finish it. It's genius, really.
I love Atwood and I love these two novels. If these themes pertain to her other works, I must read them right away! Alias Grace is a great novel and I highly recommend it. It has romance (kind of), mystery and murder. Everything anyone ever wants to read about, right?
Thank you so much for reading my final post, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed comparing these two literary masterpieces!
It is a sad day because this is the final post I will be writing about Alias Grace. This book was definitely an interesting one to read. It was an organized mess that I couldn't help falling in love with.
Margaret Atwood yet again surprised me with this incredible tale by showing me just how good a heartbreaking story can be. I have only read one other Margaret Atwood novel (Handmaid's Tale), but having read it twice and having now read Alias Grace, I feel like I can see more themes in her writing and understand her more as an author.
The lovely Offred
From the Hulu Original TV Show
Probably one of Atwood's most common themes is her topic of writing. Handmaid's Tale is a popular novel and surprisingly (or maybe not) a feminist one at that. The reasons as to why this may be unclear to some is simple, the novel holds many ideas that tend to contrast those of equality and feminism. The idea that a woman cannot have money to her name, or have her own job other than birthing many babies and that it is the women's fault if no babies can be had. The novel may show a society that has these ideas, but it also shows the reader why these ideas are wrong. The novel is from a female perspective after all, and a lot can be learned while reading about someone fighting against this society, even if she doesn't do much but rebel in thought. Offred (the main character and narrator) I swear could convince someone who believes in these ideas of inequality, that equality is the only way.
As I mentioned in my last post, there is also feminism in Alias Grace. The inequality when considering a woman and a man for the crime they committed together is a common occurrence in society. The man is almost automatically assumed to be guilty while it is more split for the woman. This brings into question whether it is fair for the man to automatically be considered guilty because he is a man and if it is fair for the woman to be questioned because she is a woman and she might not be capable of committing a crime because she is a woman and "weak" or "too kind." Maybe that woman worked hard to be the villain she is, only to be discredited like that? It's an unfair world my friends. Atwood shows us in this work that there is a lack in equality in ways no one realized before, and that it is unfair.
Another common theme that is seen in both of these novels is the way these stories are told. Both journal and conversation-like, and they both jump around between different time periods. Handmaid's Tale jumps between periods of Offred's life while Alias Grace moves from the present to telling her story in a chronological order. I think that Atwood uses this technique to make the reader understand more about the characters, but to do so, the reader has to read more. It's the best hook because she gives the reader just enough to want to know more but not enough to feel satisfied within the first few chapters, the reader then has to finish it. It's genius, really.
I love Atwood and I love these two novels. If these themes pertain to her other works, I must read them right away! Alias Grace is a great novel and I highly recommend it. It has romance (kind of), mystery and murder. Everything anyone ever wants to read about, right?
Thank you so much for reading my final post, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed comparing these two literary masterpieces!
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