The end of Alias Grace was definitely not what I expected; however, I am not really sure what I was expecting from the ending… I feel like Grace’s life has become a grand story that people are eager to hear about. Grace is no longer Grace—she is a story. Grace’s story is not even a happy one, despite its seemingly happy ending. On page 446, Janet is crying because “I (Grace) was to have a happy ending, and it was just like a book; and I wondered what books she’d been reading.” The ending of Grace’s story is far from happy—content, maybe, but not happy.

Later, Grace goes on to tell us (and Dr. Jordan) that she has married Jamie Walsh. Jamie still feels extremely guilty for his part in proving Grace’s guilt during the trials. During these times of guilt, Grace feels the need to say she forgives him, and then Jamie asks Grace to tell him something about her life in prison or in the asylum. Hearing these stories almost seems to put his mind at ease. I thought this whole scene was odd—why would someone wracked with guilt wish to learn more about the terrible life Grace lead while in prison? Grace compares telling her story to Jamie to telling her story to Dr. Jordan. Her story has become such a big part of her life, but in creating this story has the real Grace become lost? Is there no longer more to Grace’s life beyond this story?