The predictions of the apple peels from early on in the story remain an ever-present factor as it progresses. Whilst reading, it is hard to shake the habit of making a mental check mark each time a character with the initial J is introduced. In fact, Mary makes it a point to immediately start listing possible candidates after Grace peels her apple. Grace recounts, “And Mary began to tease, and to tell over the names of the men she knew whose names began with a J; and she said I would marry Jim from the stables, who had a squint, and stank horribly; or else Jeremiah the peddler, who was much handsomer, though I would have to tramp the country, and would have no house but the pack I carried on my back, like a snail” (166). After this, it becomes increasingly more noticeable just how many characters with the initial J begin to appear. We already knew of Dr. Jordan, Jeremiah the peddler, and James McDermott, but later there is also Jeremiah’s other persona, Dr. Jerome DuPont, and of course Jamie Walsh. The story does a great job in keeping the reader guessing as to which character Grace will inevitably marry. In particular, considering Jamie Walsh’s testimony at Grace’s trial, he is substantially taken off the list of choices for quite some time. Near the end, Grace reflects, “I think of Mary Whitney frequently these days, and of the time we threw the apple peelings over our shoulders; and it has all come true after a fashion. Just as she said, I married a man whose name begins with a J” (457). The mystical aspect of whether or not the prediction was legitimate, or simply a coincidence coincides well with the other similarly mystical aspects presented throughout the story. 

Throughout chapter 35 and 36, Grace recollects her version of events from the night of the murders. I do feel extremely sorry for Grace and the position she has found herself in, and it does seem pretty likely McDermott had a heavy hand in how the murders took place. But the way Grace tells the story to Simon makes it seem like she was completely innocent of the whole affair. There are so many instances where she admits she wanted Nancy dead, but then follows it up with, “but not at that moment.” She paints the entire murder as if she is completely helpless to do anything about it, citing her fear of McDermott. Every time she is faced with a question that indicates her involvement with the murder, she claims she couldn’t remember that particular instance. This is particularly egregious when Simon brings up Jamie’s recount of the day of the murder. He notes that Grace was fine and dandy when he happened upon her. She was better dressed than usual, and all Grace could come up with is “I cannot account for it, Sir.” (p.320) It feels like she is playing the victim to Simon.

“…my Penitentiary nightdress. A square of blood-stained petticoat. A strip of kerchief, white with blue flowers. Love-in-a-mist.”

In chapter 46, another example of flowers used as a symbol is put into the text. Flowers are used throughout as a symbol of a women’s death. Also, the three most important women in Grace’s life are Nancy, Mary, and her mother whom are all linked by flower imagery suggesting the importance of the power of women.

Alex Lotti

Now that I have finished reading the novel, I am quite unsure how to feel. The ending is sort of peacefully bleak, where it only seems “happy” by comparison when considering how much more depraved, hopeless, and depressing it could have been. Therefore, I cannot say for sure what Atwood’s point was. Alias Grace is a good read, to be sure, in which Atwood exposes the treachery and lasting effects of the patriarchy, but is that all this was? An exposure piece? As Grace says, beggars can’t be choosers, and at the end she has more than ever before, and less to put up with at that, but she was still forced into settling on Jamie, who she calls Mr. Walsh, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This reaction is of the sort undoubtedly intended by Atwood, but I still feel as if I am missing something. Admittedly, I am also lost on the significance of peonies.

The question I would like to pose is why is the title of the novel Alias Grace? An alias is known as an assumed identity. Maybe the title could reference the fact that Grace struggles with finding and understanding her own identity. Memories are heavily linked to your sense of self, and Grace struggles to recall several memories. Grace’s struggle with her own identity could also reference the feminist themes of the novel. In the 19th century, women were seen as docile, submissive, domestic, helpless and quiet. If a woman committed a crime, she could always claim insanity as a defense. Grace figures that she is insane because that is what society has told her. Claiming women were insane was a way to keep them in line since women were stereotyped to be overly emotional and hysterical anyway. Simon works with Grace to “cure” her insanity since he believes that Grace’s so-called insanity is just a cover-up for a deeper issue.

In our group discussions on Monday my group discussed the theme of memory and found an interesting quote related to  that.

“A prison does not only lock its inmates inside, it keeps all others out. Her strongest prison is of her own construction.”

I had thought, perhaps she’s no longer aware of which truth is the truth because she’s constructed so many lies and new identities. She has constructed her own prison of lies. She was trapped in this subconscious trauma prison, trying to refute her beliefs of what happened because she doesn’t want to tell this part of her story, its easier if its forgotten. She’s trying to disassociate, to trick herself.

Now this quote holds a tinge of irony in relation to the end of the book. Grace becoming Mary’s outlet for murder, was locked inside but Mary was not kept out. And Grace held no memories of what happened because she wasn’t aware of what happened. Only holding context of the event from accounting’s of others she had to forcibly construct her prison to separate herself from something she had no idea about. 

One of the things I think Atwood did especially well in Alias Grace was maintaining ambiguity. Because the novel was based off a real story, it is historically unclear what the true events were, and that delicate uncertainty could easily have been destroyed by a less skilled author. But by framing the entire narrative as Grace’s testimony, Atwood preserves historical plausibility. The real life Grace Marks could have experienced (roughly) the same things as Atwood’s portrayal; they could be completely accurate or completely inaccurate, but by leaving it plausible that Grace could be either lying or telling the truth in her narrative, Atwood maintains the possibility. I thought on a whole that it was expertly done, especially considering the significance of storytelling in the novel.

The ending of the novel is very intriguing because it represents how Grace continually chooses to challenge power. This is evident in when Grace interprets the Bible to show how sophisticated she is in her thinking. She writes down this interpretation by weaving it into her quilt, which shows how women use the materials that they have available to them in order to remake the dominant institutions that would give them a less powerful role.

The possibility of Grace’s pregnancy could highlight the way that women’s bodies are used as metaphors of both life and death in comparison to the bodies of men. Grace is unable to know whether she is pregnant or ill from the abuse of physicians, which shows how society tries to take away the power that women have in the ability to bear a child. 

Grace’s quilt also represents how important Nancy is to her, despite the fact that Grace seems often to have disliked her while she was alive. In this way, Graces’s quilt also represents the collective solidarity of women, and the fact that women- especially those who would buck the social constraints imposed upon them, should come together if they have hopes of freedom and happiness. 

Ness, Brianna, Alex, Bonnie, Anna

Quote 1:

“To my surprise, he thought that was a fine idea, and said it would give him great pleasure to sleep in Mr. Kinnear’s bed, where Nancy had so often played the whore; and I reflected that once I’d given in to him, he would hold my life very cheap indeed… he had often said a whore was good for nothing but to wipe your dirty boots on, by giving them a good kicking all over their filthy bodies” (Atwood 330).

This quote takes place after Nancy has been killed and McDermott comes to receive the sex Grace “promised” him. This quote points out the backward and contradictory logic of McDermott, to create a stepping stone exposing the contradiction of his overall understanding of women. A situation of this degrading grandeur is surely not the first of its sort and points out that he only sees women for their bodies. This encounter brings to mind the concept of high-class women objectification in that if a man cannot have control over a woman’s body then the body must die. The problem here is that not he, nor any man, can have their cake and eat it too. He cannot have a woman sleep with him without her body becoming filthy and worthless – thus the root of Grace’s fear.

Quote 2:

“She was afraid that Mr. Kinnear would come to like me better than her…. they’ll change from a woman in that condition to one who is not, and it’s the same with cows and horses; and if that happened, she’d be out on the road, her and her bastard” (Atwood 309).

This quote takes place during Grace’s explanation of Nancy’s jealousy and decision to fire her. Here the most important factor is the chosen diction. Grace immediately assumes that Mr. Kinnear will send Nancy out with “her bastard”, defaulting the possession of the problem to Nancy. Which is ridiculous considering that he too assisted in making the baby and that he played a part in the situation that would lead to him losing interest in her. It also points out that the only way a man would care about a “problem” like this is if he was married to “her” and thus her problem. Grace also refers to Nancy’s pregnancy as “that condition”, separating everyone from the reality of the situation. It is also interesting that taking away the term pregnant takes away the significance of that word’s secondary definition: full of meaning, significant. This also brings to light the issues of class, the main thing is that Mr. Kinnear’s choice to sleep with Nancy disrupts the man-made social structure and ruins what could have been a great professional relationship.

“yet such is his perversity that he would rather be in London or Paris. There he would be anony­mous, and would have no responsibilities. No ties, no connections. He would be able to lose himself completely” (366). (Chapter 11).

This is when he takes his excursion to Toronto and demonstrates how he has moved from fantasies to wishing he could almost lose himself completely. Can be tied back to how Grace recounting her own past is bringing up memories of his own. Trying to detach himself from Grace and her story as he is becoming more and more immersed in it. He is beginning to see Grace as just his and becoming possessive of her and her story, he doesn’t Dr. DuPont to even try to hypnotize her.

“He wakes, or dreams he wakes. He knows he must still be asleep, because Grace Marks is bending over him in the close darkness, her loosened hair brushing his face. He isn’t surprised, nor does he ask how she has managed to come here from her prison cell. He pulls her down – she is wearing only a nightdress – and falls on top of her, and shoves himself into her with a groan of lust and no manners, for in dreams everything is permitted. His spine jerks him like a hooked fish, then releases him. He gasps for air.

Only then does he realize he’s not dreaming; or not dreaming the woman. She’s really here, in the flesh, lying motionless beside him in the suddenly too-quiet bed, arms at her sides like an effigy; but she is not Grace Marks.” (Ch. 11, 360ish)

This demonstrates  how Grace has begun to pervade his life. Grace’s influence on Dr. Jordan has steadily increased and this is showing some of its culmination. Several times Dr. Jordan has turned down Mrs. Humphrey but in this moment as he believes she is Grace, he gives in to his desires.