An Essay Concerning Alias Grace as a Major Piece of Literature

The book Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood is a beautifully articulated work of literature. The book presents a Victorian mode spiced up with spooky plot twists. Although the book presents a Victorian mode it is not entirely comprised of Romantic ideals. Atwood is a modern writer who was influenced by the major paradigms of both American and Canadian history. Since she was a child, she was fascinated by the true story of Grace Marks. Grace Marks was a teenage, Canadian domestic worker of the nineteenth century who was convicted upon the murder of her employer (Thomas Kinnear) and his mistress (Nancy Montgomery). In this novel, Atwood reimagines Grace’s enigmatic story. And in doing so, she embodies a signature theme, the injustices of women’s lives which also conveys the literary importance of the book. Also, she portrays the hypocrisy and ignorance of Victorian culture. Atwood also cleverly uses the characters’ conversations to convey topics such as prostitution, spiritualism, and treatment for the insane. This is one factor that makes Atwood’s style unique. Alias Grace has a style that is thoroughly logical yet complicated. This is not the case with the author’s tone which remains indifferent throughout the book. And so, this intriguing novel is one of unique style, indifferent tone, a signature theme that conveys the injustices of women’s lives that was influenced by all of the important eras pertaining to both American and Canadian Literature.

Atwood presents a style unlike any other in her book, Alias Grace. Throughout the novel, Atwood inserts excerpts from other literary works to help illustrate the very complex Grace Marks. This is not common amongst modern writers. Another aspect that makes Atwood’s style unique, at least in this book, is her change of perspective. The book constantly changes from one perspective to another. Most of the book is either a narrative or a conversation (mainly between Dr. Simon Jordan and Grace Marks). Sometimes the book is in first person omniscient as seen through the eyes of Grace, and at other at other times, the book is in third person in a series of letters (and this is what may seem complicated to the reader). This shows Atwood’s grand creativity. Another aspect regarding Atwood’s style is her creative and descriptive diction. A good example of this can be seen in the first chapter: “Out of the gravel there are peonies growing. They come up through the loose grey pebbles, their buds testing the air like snails’ eyes, then swelling and opening, huge dark-red flowers all shining and glossy like satin.” Every author has his or her own diction that is beyond comparison. However, another one of Atwood’s attributes within Alias Grace that goes without comparison is her ability to write clearly. It is not only clear but also logical and easy to understand. It is logical and easy to understand because it is a simple story of a doctor who is trying to uncover the truth and also because the novel uses simple words and sentences. This shows that she is familiar with the plain style used by Puritans in the Age of Faith. And this is why the book can be easily understood. The next characteristic of the author’s style that makes it so unique has to do with the character’s conversations. The conversations that take place between the characters creates an open forum to discuss topics such as prostitution, spiritualism, and treatment for the insane. Not many authors are or have been able carry this out so casually and to the extent seen in Alias Grace. And so, Margaret Atwood’s style in the book Alias Grace is especially unique.

Margaret Atwood produces a tone that remains indifferent throughout the book. She does however state that she was “accommodating all possibilities wherever feasible.” This gives us evidence that although the true story is never told, it lays an elaborate network of detailed assumptions. But in any case, it is up to the reader to truly say whether or not Grace is innocent. And although the author’s tone towards Grace is indifferent, her tone towards McDermott is clear, that he is guilty and a “great