Alias Grace gratifyingly and shrewdly turns the power game upside down by giving a voice to a lonely maid girl, convicted of a possible murder case. Is she really a criminal?
Let’s swallow the hard fact. No matter how much we might want to deny, we all have prejudices. We must be aware of that. As a result, when dealing with events with heavy weight, such as a crime, we would like to hold ourselves fair and accountable so that our decisions won’t be heavily affected by our prejudices.
But how successful are we? Fact is, even if we genuinely put our best efforts to be objectively fair, when looking back later, we often find that our own frame of thoughts and judgment still heavily play us.
Grace Marks is a maid girl from a poor immigrant family from the 19th century of Canada. Though her life was challenging from very early on, she could be just one of many common maid girls if it weren’t for the scandalous murder case. Margaret Atwood wrote a beautiful novel Alias Grace based on this true crime. Grace’s narration is surely Atwood’s own imagination, and we should be reminded that Atwood’s observation, creation, interpretation, and judgement was done through her 21st century frame of thinking.
Before We Begin, Here Are The Facts:
Grace Marks was born and raised in Ireland until 1840 when her family came to Canada seeking a better life. She was twelve years old. Shortly after, she began working as an in-residence housemaid.
In July 1843, Marks along with her co-worker (a servant who was working in the same household) James McDermott murdered their employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Richmond Hill, a city located north of Toronto. Montgomery and Kinnear had been in a sexual relationship and Montgomery was pregnant at the time of the murder.
Marks and McDermott fled to the US but were apprehended in Lewiston, New York.
In November 1843, McDermott was hanged. Marks was sentenced to life in prison in Kingston Penitentiary (Kingston is a city east of Toronto, approximately 262 kilometers away).
Marks denied the memory of the murder. A number of efforts and petitions were made supporting her innocence or her redemption.
In 1872, after almost thirty years of incarceration, Marks was pardoned. She moved to northern New York, and soon after, she disappeared.
Meet Grace, the Most Famous Woman Prisoner in Toronto of the 19th Century
“If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged.”
When I realized that some novels categorized as ‘historical novels’ are heavily based on the authors’ imagination with minimal facts, I learned to appreciate novels that keep the high standard of keeping historical accuracy. Well-written historical novels built on strong historical facts provide non-historian readers just like myself a rich glimpse of how typical life looked like in that time period.
I admire Margaret Atwood for her remarkable, definitely outstanding writing. Her character building is none to second: As I flip each page, I meet the characters vividly as if I can touch them if I simply reach my hand out. Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace was my first read of Atwood and I immediately fell in love with the novel. Not the sorrowful, distressing times that Grace had to go through, but how this writing unravels (or mystifies further, depending on how you view it) a real scandalous crime that surrounds an Irish immigrant servant girl, Grace Marks (Hence the name of the novel).
The story behind Grace’s crime, the gist of this book, gradually and slowly unfolds through different media: a series of public and personal records (including Susanna Moodie’s), letters, journalism, etc. Among them all, Grace’s own narration undoubtedly takes the lead. Dr. Simon Jordan, an American medical doctor with an interest in cerebral diseases and nervous affliction, is brought to Grace’s cell by a civil committee to examine her, with the hopeful intention his report will lead to her pardon. Jordan invites Grace to tell him “her” story. Interestingly, Grace starts her story from her childhood before her family came to Canada, a part that feels unrelated to the crime.
And she is not brief to the point. If it weren’t for Atwood’s phenomenal writing skill that makes her quite long-winded narration of her memory interesting and engaging, she would be a person you would like to turn your back to for her chattiness. Her narration is remarkably meticulously descriptive. It feels like Grace has been keeping a form of the inner, unspoken diary of hers through her life and just reads that to Jordan.
Voice is Power. Let Us First Hear Her Story.
I think it is noteworthy to recognize the placement that is laid out in between Grace and Jordan, the speaker and the listener. Dr.Jordan is a well-educated young promising physician from a high-class family. In contrast, Grace is a poor servant girl from Ireland with no immediate family members to be contacted. Her childhood was gloomy with poverty as well as her abusive alcoholic father. The fact that she is from Ireland did not help her. In the early 19th century, Anglo-Saxons made up the majority in Canada so other ethnic groups faced prejudices. In addition, Grace’s family were Protestants and in the 19th century when the Catholics got the upper hand, the tension between these two denominations was tense. Only when Grace and her family were on the boat to Canada, mainly because of the hard life conditions on board, did Grace see people overcome the prejudices and help each other.
There was one good effect of all the suffering. The passengers Catholic and Protestant mixed, with some English and Scots come over from Liverpool thrown into the bargain; and if in a state of health, they would have squabbled and fought, as there is no love lost. But there is nothing like a strong bout of seasickness to remove the desire for a scrap: and those who would cheerfully have cut each other’s throats on land, were often to be seen holding each other’s heads over the scuppers, like the tenderest of mothers; and I have sometimes noted the same thing in prison, as necessity does make strange bedfellows. A sea voyage and a prison may be God’s reminder to us that we are all flesh, and that all flesh is grass, and all fresh is weak. Or so I choose to believe. (Chapter 14)
Certainly Grace is regarded as from a lower place. Jordan, however, naturally enjoys the privilege as an educated man from a respected family. The hierarchy between Grace and Jordan gets turned upside down as soon as Grace becomes the solo speaker. Grace’s got the microphone; under the stage, Jordan can only listen and transcribe
“I am the reason. So he does not wish our talk to be interrupted.” (Ch.8)
There is a different note in his voice; perhaps he is laughing at me up his sleeve. I should not speak to him so freely, and decide I will not, if that is the tone he is going to take …
Have I offended you somehow, Grace? He says. I did not intend to.
I sew in silence for a few moments more. Then I say, I will believe you, Sir, and take you at your word; and hope such will be returned in future.
Of course, of course, he says warmly. Please do go on with your story. I should not have interrupted.
Surely you do not want to hear about such ordinary things, and daily life, I say.
I want to hear anything you may tell me, Grace, he says. The small details of life often hide a great significance.
I am not certain what he means by that, but I continue. (Chapter 19)
Jordan’s success whether he will be able to bring the results that satisfy the committee that pays him depends on Grace. Now Jordan is put in a place that needs to please Grace in a way to get her story. Grace does not use her power to manipulate him, though she clearly asks Jordan for some vegetables to bring.
Grace certainly knows her place. She is well aware of her position not only as a woman but especially also as a female criminal: Being a woman does not empower her but being a female criminal is a totally different story as it catches society’s attention. People are more lenient toward her because women are supposed to be morally spineless, weak, undependable, and naive; People are interested in hearing her story and want to take any opportunity to free Grace, the victim of the crime.
Like most readers, I am used to trusting and interpreting all circumstances through the perspective of the first-person narrator. However, as I listen to Grace’s story, I need to remind myself of the fact that I am listening to Grace’s story as it is told by Grace and Grace only. There is no way to confirm if her narrative is all factual or not. Because Grace recognizes that Jordan sees her as an innocent figure and would make his best efforts to redeem the wrong and turn the clock back, there is a high possibility that Grace intentionally alters the story to seize this opportunity. In fact, there are several moments throughout the book where Grace drops hints of the manipulation of her story.
But I do not say any of this to Dr. Jordan. And so forth, I say firmly, because And so forth is all he is entitled to. Just because he pesters me to know everything is no reason for me to tell him. (Chapter 25)
Dr.Jordan is writing eagerly, as if his hand can scarcely keep up, and I have never seen him so animated before. It does my heart good to feel I can bring a little pleasure info a fellow-being’s life; and I think to myself, I wonder what he will make of all that. (Chapter 31)
Am I annoyed because, until the very end of the story, I cannot find if her story is all true or if she has really committed the murder? I am certainly not. I think this is when Atwood’s wit as a brilliant writer really plays out. As readers, we first begin to learn about her harsh, unfortunate childhood. Her mother died on the ship and her father was not a responsible father for his children at all. When Grace began her first job as a maid, because she was underage, she had to lie about her age. Her early days were certainly harsh and somber. Despite her mother and aunt’s heartfelt wishes leaving the land of Ireland, her life in Canada was reduced to insignificance. Well, that was so at least until the crime. But now, she finally gets her voice. She can speak for herself and when she does, everyone else just needs to quietly listen. Atwood empowers Grace, a poor lonely servant girl who had long been ignored and neglected, by giving her the voice.
How brilliant. How satisfying.
Review Written on October, 2021
Book Information
Title: Alias Grace
Originally published: September 1996
Authors: Margaret Atwood
My rating: ★★★★