Confinement, freedom, and men's role in the life of Grace Marks in Margaret Atwood's "Alias Grace"

Date

2019

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Tartu Ülikool

Abstract

The present thesis focuses on the study of confinement and freedom in Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace. The aim of this thesis is to find out whether Grace Marks, the novel’s protagonist, was truly free in her life or was she always restricted by something or someone. The thesis consists of four parts: an introduction, a literature review, an empirical part, the latter of which is divided into three sections, and a conclusion. The introduction provides a historical background to the novel. The literature review, based on the scholarship on Alias Grace, focuses on the gender roles, the issues of the silenced woman and madness in the Victorian era, and the prison narrative. The empirical part deals with the dynamics of confinement and freedom in the life of Grace Marks. The analysis follows her life in a chronological order and through her relationships with the men who had an important role in her life, with an emphasis on Jeremiah the peddler, Dr. Simon Jordan, and Mr. Jamie Walsh, who affected Grace the most. The conclusion summarizes the main findings of the thesis.

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Keywords

kanada, mehed, soorollid, vangistus, vabadus, kirjandusanalüüs

Citation