Margaret Atwood
About the author: * Margaret Eleanor Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, Canada * Her father was a forest entomologist she spent her early years in the bush of northern Quebec. * In 1946 Atwood´s family moved to Toronto,Canada where Margaret attented school & went to the university. * She made her debut with "Double Persephone" (1961) * She is a Canadian poet,novelist,critic and noted for her feminism and mythological themes.Margaret Atwood´s most important books are: - " The Edible Woman " (1969) - " The Handmaid´s Tale " (1985) - " Cat´s Eye " (1989) - " Alias Grace " (1996) - " The Blind Assassin " (2000)
At the beginning of the book Elaine is already 50 years old and the setting is that Elaine returns to Toronto, the city of her youth , to attend a retrospective of her art. It nearly costs Elaine her life until a miracle, or merely the imagination of one,finally frees her from "Cordelia´s spell". --- " An eye for an eye only leads to more blindness " --- ( that means to achieve inner peace you must understand and forgive, although not forget)The meaning of the title: Elaine Risley discovers that she cannot move into the future as she is still trapped in the past because of the childhood trauma caused by Cordelia. And in Toronto she gets to know Cordelia who lives in one of the larger houses that have sprung up from the mud. Leaving Cordelia behind, Elaine begins to study drawing,has an affair with her teacher, marries then another art student and is caught up in a feminist movement. That´s the reason why Cordelia finds in Elaine a perfect "screen to project " all her own apprehensions. It will take hard work and a long time". Elaine´s first eight years are spent on the road with her family across Canada(because her father is a entomologist). So Cordelia an her friend Grace start surround Elaine throughout her day,pointing out her weaknesses,mocking the way she walks,the way she eats or laughs. They ostracize her,in a terrible bit of play-acting, and finally bury her alive. While Elaine rests in Toronto, Cordelia and she - both already 50years old- meet each other and it turns out that Elaine is now the one who is needed, stronger and who has learned the power of cruelty. aine Risley : a successful painter who returns to Toronto where she grew up, to attend a retrospective of her work; she was haunted by the memories of her "friendship" with Cordelia * Cordelia : When they (Elaine&Cordelia) were young,she was the tormentor and soul-mate of Elaine; she was cruel & nasty to her enviroment The plot : This novel portrays the inner development of the main character Elaine Risley,a successful painter. Cordelia´s mother paints and has got a cleaning woman, her two older sisters speak, as does Cordelia, in an "extravagant, mocking way".
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Acceptance Essays
