This paper discusses the life, philosophy and works, especially her novels "Cat's Eye", "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Surfacing", of Margaret Atwood, considered one of the most influential female Canadian writers of the last four decades.
Abstract This paper explains that Margaret Atwood is not merely a writer but also the author of a more formative treatise on Canadian literature, "Survival", which serves as a context for interpreting and understanding the work of Canadian authors, in which she claims that Canada has a distinct national literature, distinguished from American and British standards. The author relates that Atwood argues that the central organizing metaphor or "symbol" for Canadian literature is survival, not merely that act of living through difficult times but rather an entire mind-set, which pervades the people and literature of the nation. The paper states that Atwood, writing from her own experience, lived as a child in the deep bush and observed the difference between what the characters of "Cat's Eye" call the wild and the tame of the world and the characters of "Surfacing" call the natives and the Americans.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Atwood's Career History
Survival: The Theory
Nature and Meaning in "Surfacing"
Survival and Nature in "Cat's Eye"
The Influence of Atwood's Life
Conclusion
From the Paper "The challenge of surviving society and seeking legitimacy is perhaps the greatest challenge in "Cat's Eye", and yet the society of Toronto against which Elaine struggles is rather tame in comparison with the difficult situations of some of Atwood's other heroines, such as Offred. In "Handmaid's Tale", the great difficulties which patriarchy creates for women who wish to communicate with one another are made less subtle and more blatant. Offred spends months communicating with Ofglen before they begin to be able to communicate more than a few words at a time. She is likewise unable to truly communicate with Serena or with the Marthas. Here the Aunts inform and abuse their fellow women, and paranoia and backstabbing are the norm."
Abstract This paper analyzes and reviews "Happy Endings," a short story by Margaret Atwood about a couple named John and Mary. Atwood presents six succinct scenes, centralized around the couple, and illustrates possible avenues their relationship may undergo. The reviewer notes Atwood's feminist perspective in this work, and Atwood's cynical and satirical tone. The writer sees Atwood as using cynicism to convey her belief in the nonexistence of fairy tale endings.
From the Paper "Atwood's cynical attitude about the insignificance of life is evident in the third story when she explains the reason John purchased a handgun is "the thin part of the plot and can be explained later" (219). Atwood does not place impact on the events leading to death. Instead she concentrates on the "happy ending" itself, for all that matters is that the ill-fated lovers do die, it does not matter how. This reinforces Atwood's notion that life is simply a means to the "happy" end."
Abstract This paper deals with the life and works of Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author, who had a significant impact on various forms of literature; both internationally and in her home country. Her works include numerous novels, poems, and short stories on various themes and she is viewed by many as a champion of Canadian literature. The paper relates that, through her writing, Atwood has tackled many topics that are social or political in nature and that many of Atwood's works are decidedly feminist.
From the Paper "One of the more notable works along this line is The Handmaid's Tale, published in 1985. Set in Massachusetts, this novel deals with the subjugation of women in a futuristic, dystopian society. Christianity has taken over and a repressive social order is instituted. In a throw-back to archaic times, women are relegated to a position of insignificance apart from the purpose of bearing children. Dissidents of all varieties are routinely publicly executed, infertile women are banished to barely inhabitable lands, and all divorces are made retroactively void.
As the Christian Bible is peppered with sexist notions that women are second-class in nature, Atwood's depiction of a future that is devoid of secular control does not seem too far-fetched; though religion is certainly not the only aspect she draws attention to. Throughout the book, many issues are tackled. Generic fascism is explored to many ends, though mostly in a manner dealing with the subjugation of women. Methods of social control are present in almost every facet; something which Atwood draws attention to with the treatment of dissidents by the book's authorities; especially so with women who are controlled through various means such as color-coding their clothing to indicate a woman's status and class."
Abstract This paper analyzes these two poems by Margaret Atwood explaining that, in the nine years between the time that these poems were written, Atwood's focus in her poetry shifted from the observance of nature and contemplation of its place in the lives of people to acceptance of the natural mysteries and their refusal to be categorized in human terms.
From the Paper "In "Night Poem" she uses a free verse form with no consistent meter throughout. The poem is thirty lines long, with four verses, each one expressing one complete thought. She begins with the words said by parents to their children through the ages: "There is nothing to be afraid of". The entire first verse is this thought, with the last two lines drawing us into the mind of the child from the mind of the parent. She replaces the father and the mother of the daytime with the "father and mother" of the night, Thunder and Rain."
Abstract The paper describes how Margaret Atwood in "The Handmaid's Tale" suggests some of the failures in contemporary society by projecting these shortcomings into a future society. The paper explores Atwood's concerns about the nature of the family, the danger of pollution and the fear of women that the gains they have made will be taken away. The paper concludes that the novel highlights how much more has to be done to create the truly egalitarian society most people want.
From the Paper "Offred experiences not only the demands placed upon her to be a surrogate mother but also many other indignities as her society imposes its code upon her, forcing her to dress and behave in a certain way or be punished. Atwood develops a vision of the place of women in society today as well as in this future, using an extreme situation to comment on the secondary position women occupy in Western society today. The story is set in a future United States called Gilead. This new version of the U.S. came into being after the President was assassinated and the Constitution suspended, after which an authoritarian regime developed based on a return to traditional values and fundamentalist Christianity. Gilead has what amounts to a state religion and ruthlessly eliminates all who would take a different point of view."
Tags: Gilead, Christianity, religion, class, women
Abstract This paper will compare the novel "1984" by George Orwell and the "Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. By understanding the regimes that both of these people live under, a comparison can easily be made of the totalitarian governments that both these novels reveal in the characters and plot of their subject. The main essence of both of the books tell us the nature of a government that seeks to rule by complete control and does not let the human spirit be free, as in a democracy.
Abstract In comparing these two authors, this paper explains that, while the works of both authors affect children, the age groups affected are different. More specifically, the paper explains that Atwood's stories are directed more at younger ages whereas Berton's books and volumes of history are more for older children and teenagers.
From the Paper "'Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on November 18, 1939. Because her father was a forest entomologist, Atwood spent most of her childhood living in the Canadian wilderness. During the eight months of each year that her father did insect research in the forest, the Atwood family lived in a cabin with a wood stove and several kerosene lanterns. There were many wild animals such as bears in the area. While this lifestyle was exciting, she did not have most modern conveniences and technology. To entertain herself, Atwood read books. They became her only means for entertainment and escape. One of her favorite books as a child was Grimm's Fairy Tales. During this childhood of reading, Atwood also began to write. By the age of six, Atwood was writing poems, morality plays, comic books, and an unfinished novel about an ant. Ten years later, Atwood decided that she only wanted to write. She wanted "to live a double life; to go places she haven't been. Two years after this life-altering decision, Atwood entered Victoria College at the University of Toronto."
Tags: feministic, novels, children, television, scripts, the, national, dream, the, last, spike, up, in, a, tree
Abstract This paper explains that, in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", women find small ways to rebel against the overbearing society in which they live as a symbol of their desire to escape. The author points out that these small rebellions bring a certain feeling of power, which is essential for mental well being; the large rebellions have catastrophic ends, making the small rebellions the only way to gain any power. The paper relates that society controls many aspects of their lives, and even tries to take away the opportunity to die by removing mirrors and any other object with which the Handmaids could kill themselves ; therefore, killing oneself in this society is a rebellion in its own way..
From the Paper "Jezebels is a secret club for Commanders and high ranking officials. The club consists of prostitutes that wear costumes from "old times," such as bunny outfits and nurse attire. The presence of this brothel conflicts with the core ideas of Gilead, that sex was too easy and the prevalence of sexual promiscuity was causing men to loose feeling in their lives. Jezebels also serves another rebellious purpose, sneaking Offred out of the house. The commander gives Offred a tight dress with feathers around the thighs and sequins covering the top, a dress very different then the "tent of a dress" she is required to wear."
Abstract The paper explains the dystopian nature of Margaret Atwood's novel, "The Handmaid's Tale." The paper discusses the protagonist and title character from her perspective. The paper also compares the resistance movement of the novel to Orwell.
From the Paper "The protagonist and title character of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" says that what she wants most is to know and to know whatever there is to know what's going on. Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead where there is often no balm, is immersed in a dystopian universe that Lois Feuer sees as very similar from and yet unique with respect to George Orwell's world."
Tags: Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, dystopian
Abstract This paper reviews how Marlatt focuses on the idea that there has been a backlash against feminism because society has become complacent about the place of women in the world. Prior to the women rights movement there was a general belief that the workings of the world evolved around what men believed, what men wanted, and how men felt. The paper further discusses how women have historically only supported these needs of men, becoming secondary citizens in the scheme of all social orders. Yet, in the 60's women began to demand that society view them as individuals that were capable of all of the same things as men, with dreams and aspirations that had to finally be addressed as women entered the workforce by the millions.
Abstract The paper relates that these novels were written more than a century apart, yet both authors take a similar approach by speculating about the society of the future in order to comment upon the failures of his/her contemporary society. The paper discusses the content of both novels. The paper notes that the vision by Bellamy is more hopeful about what the future might bring, while the pessimism of the Atwood novel derives in part from the fact that it is set in the future and so shows a belief that the problems of the present may only get worse.
From the Paper "Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward was written in 1887 during the period of American industrialization, at a time when the cities were becoming more crowded, labor conditions were deteriorating, populations were shifting from rural to urban areas, crime was increasing, and other ills were being visited on society. The story tells of a man who, like Rip Van winkle, falls asleep and wakes years later to find himself in a new world, and he then looks back to his own era to see how forces in his time produced the world he finds himself in more than a century later--indeed, in our own time, the year 20000. The central character is Julian West, a young man from Boston who sleeps for 113 years. The world he experiences can be considered Bellamy's utopian ideal."
Abstract The paper examines the gender conflict of the main character in "Surfacing" by Margaret Atwood. The paper explains the ecofeminist position that allows the main character to integrate male gender role attributes into her own life. The paper illustrates the power of natural environments to reconstruct a woman's divided psyche.
From the Paper "The main issue for Atwood's Surfacing is the conflict between gender roles that are present within the main character. The novel is set within the Northern Quebec, where the main character had grown up in an isolated cabin. She has suffered a divorce, the death of her father by drowning, and an abortion. Atwood creates this past history to help build the character around a return to her childhood, which forces the protagonist to face her fears and family history. The central aspect of Ecofeminism within this novel is defined by the main character's victimization of patriarchal domination."
Abstract This paper looks at the symbolic aspects of Margaret Atwood's, "Surfacing" and argues that silence is something that pervades the entire novel and keeps people from saying what needs to be said. The paper also examines how the narrator's strange relationship with Joe reveals her inability to communicate and how she views him with silent disdain, never deigning to sit down with him to see if there is a way for that sentiment to be turned into something more positive.
From the Paper "The symbolism of the novel's setting is unmistakable. The story begins with the narrator returning to the remote northern Quebec hinterland to seek her father, who is missing and with whom the narrator is estranged. The opening line, "I can't believe I'm on this road again," (Atwood, 3) gains in significance when the full nature of the narrator's relationship with her dad is revealed. Quite simply, she had thought the tie between them had been severed permanently - only now she is returning once more to seek out the man she had, for all intents and purposes, left behind years earlier. "
Abstract This paper examines Margaret Atwood's novel "Cat's Eye" which depicts the powerful impact of girlhood on Elaine Risley, a middle-aged female artist who is incessantly haunted by her traumatic experiences as a young girl and her tormentor called Cordelia. It shows how Atwood has succeeded to capture the devastating effects of the traumatic girlhood and manages to presents convincingly the dynamics of the relationships forged between the young girls, which ultimately degenerates into something sinister and terrifying. It discusses how by vividly recreating the memories of the past through an artist's perspective, Atwood shows the lingering scars on the middle-aged woman who cannot shed her past.
From the Paper "From the very beginning, Atwood defies the chronological concept of story telling by thrusting the readers into the past and the present. By doing so, she recreates powerfully the experience of the middle-aged Elaine whose mind is suspended between the past and the present as she walks on the streets of Toronto. Obsessed with the image of Cordelia that she conjures and manipulates in her imagination (Atwood 6-8), she has the air of an eternal outsider looking at the world around her as though she were from a different planet. She is distanced from the people around her, deliberately "[looking] down at the sidewalk, like a tracker" (Atwood 9)."
Abstract The novel "The Edible Woman" by Margaret Atwood has clear themes relating to gender. In the novel, Atwood expresses the role that men and women play, while showing that women can rise above their role and be themselves, instead of taking on the role that society has prescribed for them. The paper shows that Atwood communicates this theme by having a strong female and male character, each representing their gender. She also uses consumerism as an effective symbol and cleverly shifts the pronoun in the three parts of the book. By looking at each of these factors in turn, the contribution each makes toward expressing the theme is illustrated in this paper.
From the Paper "The character representing the male gender is Marian's fianc? Peter. Like Marian, Peter's role has also been created out of what society communicates to him. Marian refers to this at one point when speaking of the places Peter has wanted to make love saying, "Peter's abstractions on these occasions gave me the feeling that he liked doing them because he had read about them somewhere? (Atwood 56). This shows that Peter's ideas on gender have come from society itself. Peter's ideas on the male is that he should dominate the female, while his ideas on the female is that the female is there to meet his needs. Based on these assumptions, Peter only really thinks about himself. He has little consideration for Marian while only seeing her in terms of what she does for him. This represents the typical male attitude and the role that society prescribes for men."
