Margaret Atwood's "Surfacing"

Paper Summary:

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. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1972.

More papers on Margaret Atwood's "Surfacing":

• Book Review # 131936 : "Silence in Margaret Atwood's "Surfacing"
• Book Review # 131900 : "Narrative in Margaret Atwood's "Surfacing"
• Analytical Essay # 63562 : "Margaret Atwood"
• Term Paper # 100904 : "Surfacing" by Margaret Atwood"

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