Picture Credit - Domain
“If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged.”
- Margaret Atwood
A tumultuous account of a real incident ‘Alias Grace’ is the story of a woman who was convicted for double homicide in 1843 Canada. If Margaret Atwood’s two other books ‘Mindhunter’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ had a lovechild, it would be this book and the creators have done a great job narrating the story and putting it into motion.
Introduction
Name of the Show - Alias Grace
Name of the Writer - Margaret Atwood
Genre - Historical Fiction
Language - English
Cast - Sarah Gadon (as Grace Marks), Anna Paquin (as Nancy), Edward Holcroft (as Dr. Simon) and Zachary Levi (as Jeremiah)
Platform - Netflix
Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!
The six-part miniseries entails the real life story of Grace Marks, a young woman who was imprisoned for nearly two decades for a violent and bloody, double homicide in Canada in the year 1843.
Despite the gruesome nature of her crimes, Grace cannot be made to confess because she has lost her memory and has no recollection of the murders. It is here that Dr. Edward Jordan enters into the story and tries to help his patient rediscover her memories- but does she want to revisit them.
About the Author
Picture Credit- Brain Pickings
Born on 18th November, 1939, Margaret Atwood is a Canadian poet, essayist, novelist, literary critic, teacher and environmental activist. She is also the inventor of the LongPen device that facilitates remote robotic writing of documents. She is one of the most important feminist writers of our times.
Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, 9 collections of short fiction, eight children’s books and two graphic novels. Atwood has won the Booker Prize twice.
Her works encompass a lot of different themes of gender identity, religion and myth, climate change and power politics. She is one of the most versatile writers of our times and a personal favourite.
About the Show
Grace is hired as out of prison to work as a servant in the house of the governor of the prison and a number of methodist churchgoers are working towards her release and pardon from the crimes that she doesn’t even remember committing, that is, the gruesome double murder of Thomas Kinnear and the housekeeper Nancy Montgomery.
They hope that the doctor can prove that Grace is just hysterical rather than a criminal and a murderer. As Jordan proceeds with his treatment, he becomes more and more involved personally.
It perplexes him how a mild and gentle woman like Grace can commit the gruesome acts that she is convicted of.
Grace tells Jordan her story in extreme detail. She talks to him about her difficult childhood in Ireland. She then describes her first job as a servant and the circumstances that led to her working for Kinnear, who was having an affair with his housekeeper and the events leading to their deaths.
But throughout the story, Grace continues her claim of not remembering the events of the murder.
Failing to reach a coherent conclusion, Dr. Jordan abandons Grace’s case but claims that the only explanation is that Grace might have a mental disorder. He goes on to join the army.
Returning from the army he becomes very sick and later dies. Grace Marks is later pardoned, changes her name and moves to the United States where she leads a happy married life.
Themes Involved
Probably the most important theme in the show is that of inequality and the position of women in the society at the time, especially if they belonged to a certain class. Grace experiences a lot of violence and is even assaulted physically and sexually in the asylum where she’s kept.
Moreover, the people that demand justice for her, also show this kind of discriminatory behaviour towards her.
There’s also this theme of time and memory. Dr. Jordan makes numerous attempts over time for Grace to gain back her memory and prove or disprove the crime that she has been convicted of, but nothing really happens.
Famous Quotes
“For if the world treats you well, Sir, you come to believe you are deserving of it.”
“Gone mad is what they say, and sometimes Run mad, as if mad is a different direction, like west; as if mad is a different house you could step into, or a separate country entirely. But when you go mad you don't go any other place, you stay where you are. And somebody else comes in.”
“If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it’s not easy being quiet and good, it’s like hanging on to the edge of a bridge when you’ve already fallen over; you don’t seem to be moving, just dangling there, and yet it is taking all your strength.”
“Because you may think a bed is a peaceful thing, Sir, and to you it may mean rest and comfort and a good night's sleep. But it isn't so for everyone; and there are many dangerous things that may take place in a bed. ”
The Bottom Line
If a show or book is primarily related to Margaret Atwood, I must tell you that it is going to be mind-blowing and Alias Grace is no exception. It is a short series, so you need not waste a lot of time, but trust me you will love the show. I recommend it one hundred percent.
My ratings for the show - 5 on 5
Written By - Sakshi Singh
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