Alias Grace Essay, Research Paper
Introduction Margret Atwood a long time celebrated author,
has most recently published Alias Grace. Atwood has taken
a different approach to this novel. Although fictional this
story has been based on reality. Grace Marks, the main
character is indeed, on of the mid-eighteen hundreds most
famous criminals. She was the celebrated villain of the
Kinnear-Montgomery murders. This novel has a terrific
sense of mystery but also enough interest to engage the
reader into its historical drama. Plot Summary Alias Grace,
begins in the main character, Grace Marks’, sixteenth year of
incarceration for the murder of Thomas Kinnear, her past
employer. Her supposed accomplice in the murders has
already been killed for the murder of Kinnear, although
Marks being a woman was handed a lighter sentence of life,
although originally sentenced to death also. The death of
Nancy Montgomery, Kinnear’s housekeeper and mistress,
was disregarded as both villain had already been sentenced
to death. Grace is around thirty years old, being accused of
the crimes when she was only sixteen. Grace is prison where
she has been mentally tortured during her rotation from
prison to asylum over time. Doctors who wish to "examine"
her frequently visit. She has now has a subconscious
aversion to these doctors and the world which she knows.
She has become accustomed to being silent and unseen. This
novel begins with the interest of a young doctor in Grace,
Dr. Simon Jordan. He is noted as being from a wealthy
family and of good name, but is more interested in studying
abroad about sanity and those enclosed in asylums rather
than interest at home. He has little experience in dealing on a
personal basis with the question of sanity of patients, but is
intrigued by this fabulously sensationalized murderess. A
group that has continuously tried for the pardon of Grace
Marks has recruited him. In hopes of discovery that she has
been found mentally sane and furthermore innocent on all
counts of murder. Dr. Jordan’s main purpose is to help
recover the lost memory of the time during the murders. This
memory which some to believe was conveniently forgotten
helped convict her during the trial; almost as if she had
admitted to the killings. During the course of his visits with
Grace, Dr. Jordan encourages her to tell of her life before
the murders. Grace begins her story with her family in
Scotland. Grace had been left with her abusive father and
the smaller children after her mother died on the passage to
America. A trip taken for necessity rather that need: for her
father was in a bit of financial trouble in Scotland. Grace is
sent out in Canada as a servant. Here is where Grace meets
her first true friend, Mary Whitney. Mary teaches Grace to
be her own person. Unfortunately, Mary has a horrible death
due to a bad surgical abortion and Grace is left alone and
trouble by the gruesome death of her friend. Grace travels
from house to house looking for the right setup for her
services. Finally, she meets Nancy Montgomery the
housekeeper of Thomas Kinnear. She takes a job under
Nancy mistakenly believing in their friendship. Soon Nancy
is overtaken with Grace in the house, she becomes
increasingly jealous of her role with Mr. Kinnear. This leads
to the obvious discovery of a romantic relationship between
Kinnear and Montgomery. With the proposed dismissal of
Grace and the hired hand McDermott, Grace is led with
McDermott into killing the two and robbing them for their
own escape. Although not long after, in a hotel, Grace and
McDermott, even though ironically using the alias Mary
Whitney, are arrested. At this point in Dr. Jordan’s analysis
of Grace months have passed. He has become more and
more involved in the Grace Marks story. This reaches the
point to where he believes he has fallen in love with her. In
return he has taken to his landlady to relieve his frustrations
of his untouchable desires for Grace. Dr. Jordan becomes
even more involved with the case and is determined to find
out the memory lapses in Grace’s story. The group who
hired Dr. Jordan has become restless for his slow process to
uncovering the truth. Dr. Jerome DuPont enters the medical
study of Grace Marks. Although Grace has known Jerome
before but as a peddler and friend named Jeremiah. Much to
the dismay of Jordan, DuPont is given the opportunity to put
Grace into hypnosis, in full view of her peers. During this
momentous scene, Grace is hypnotized into a state of
unconsciousness where she able to retrieve memories not
perceived during consciousness. Grace, after asked many
specific questions, uncovers the mystery of the night of the
murders. In fact, the time not remembered by Grace, is of a
personality not her own but that of Mary Whitney. Here
Mary Whitney declares her guilt, but states that Grace would
have no recollection of this time. After this scene, all goes
back to its original way for many years. Dr. Simon Jordan’s
affair with his landlady becomes too controversial and
abruptly leaves town and neglects to say goodbye to his
patient or his female admirers. The group dedicated to
Grace’s innocence still argues for her release but now basis
their reasoning on mental insanity of the Grace during the
murders. Grace is returned to prison for which she is still
hopeful for her release on account of her hypnotic trance
confession. Much time has passed and Dr. Jordan has no
longer been heard from. Only from letters of
correspondence with others do the readers discover he has
been injured in the Civil War. He has become engaged, but
the event is being postponed until his mental capabilities are
restored. Coincidentally, his mother questionably states his
reference to his fiancee as "Grace". Now at the age of
forty-five, almost thirty years after the murder, Grace, still
working as a servant outside of prison, is set free. With her
new freedom Grace becomes deeply disturbed. Prison has
become her life, and now she knows little of what else to do.
Grace with the help of the Governor and his daughter they
help her find her in this emotional transition. As a special
request they help her with her personal items and bring her
to the state of New York where a home has been provided
for her. In a surprise turn of events, a boy who used to also
work for Kinnear, who also helped convict Grace during the
trial, asks Grace to live with him. He is sorry for testifying
against her and asks her forgiveness. Grace eventually
marries the man and goes on to live a life with her husband.
The novel ends with the final correspondence to Dr. Jordan
from Grace an update from her of present life with her
husband. Setting The setting of Alias Grace is extremely
important in the story. The story takes place in the novel and
in actuality in the mid to late eighteen hundreds. The murders
of Nancy Montgomery and Thomas Kinnear occurred on
July 23, 1843. The crime and court proceedings are all
dated to their actual time and place. The murders took place
in Kingston a small town in Canada. This is important
because during this time in history their was little sense of the
American way of thinking "innocent until proven guilty"
theory. The judge, jurors, and the public had all decided
Grace Marks was guilty before she was even tried. There
was no sequestering of juries in those days to prevent false
accusations from tainting the opinions of those trying Grace
Marks. Also during those times, the sentencing was more
brutal than today. If a person was found guilty of murder the
sentence was death by hanging. This was true for the fate of
McDermott ended in this way. Almost as malicious, life in
prisons and asylums were considered inhuman or even
barbaric by today’s standards. In addition, the correct
diagnosis of mental disabilities was nearly nonexistent.
Therefore, in this case, the purpose of using hypnosis was
widely unorthodox, and its unveiling of multiple personality
disorders was a stunning revelation. Many cases of guilt by
insanity were tried and put to death while other mentally
capable convicts were entered into an asylum.