Alias Grace Review Questions
Sections 1−3, Chapters 1−5 by Wednesday October 8th
1. How does Atwood’s decision to alternate between Grace’s memories, news accounts, and a historical poemin the book’s initial chapters impact the reader’s understanding of events in the text?
2. Grace has a vision of red peonies and of an incident at the home of Mr. Kinnear. What is her role in thisvision, and how does that role conflict with the poetic account of the same incident that follows?
3. What might the name “Grace Marks” symbolize?
4. Grace talks about “collectors.” What does she mean by this term, and who are the collectors around her?
5. What does Grace’s reaction to Simon say about her ability to trust others?
Section 4, Chapters 6−11 by Friday October 10th
1. What do the letters between Simon and others reveal about nineteenth−century social prejudices concerningmental patients?
2. How does Grace’s gender impact others’ perception of her?
3. It’s said of Simon that “he has never known much about flowers.” What does this observation foreshadowabout Simon’s ability to interpret Grace’s persistent hallucinations and dreams of red peonies?
4. What does Simon hope to achieve by showing Grace fruits and vegetables? What results from bringingthese items to Grace?
5. Simon observes that Grace hasn’t been able to voice her story, which is something Grace is also aware of.Who has told her story instead in these chapters?
Sections 5−6, Chapters 12−20 by Wednesday October 15th
1. Why is Mary Whitney an important friend for Grace? What virtues does she possess?
2. Superstitions are a part of Grace’s world. Name three superstitions and explain how they advance the story.
3. In Grace’s world, pregnancy is a difficult state. Explain why pregnancy is disgraceful or difficult, first inIreland and then in Canada.
4. How do the voices Grace hears and the amnesia Grace experiences following Mary Whitney’s death set thestage for the eventual discovery of why Grace can’t remember the murder at Mr. Kinnear’s?
5. Mrs. Alderman Parkinson plans to tell a lie to hide the source of Mary’s death. How has Grace seen otherslie or enter a state of denial to protect their status?
Sections 7−8, Chapters 21−31 by Monday October 20th
1. Who does the author imply Mary Whitney’s suitor might have been?
2. What does Grace’s initial belief about Nancy’s potential friendship say about her? What does Nancy’sbehavior say about her view of a relationship?
3. What signs of Nancy and Mr. Kinnear’s relationship does Grace overlook before McDermott explains therelationship to her?
4. How does the author introduce the idea that the cellar is of special significance?
5. How is the idea of popular truth versus “God’s truth” explored in this section?
Sections 9−12, Chapters 32−44 by Thursday October 23rd
1. Grace says that “my true voice could not get out” at the time of her trial. Now, many years later and withSimon listening, “the story must go on with me." What does this say about Grace’s role in her own story?
2. What does Grace’s dream about Mary appearing to her predict?
3. Is Grace a murderer or a victim of circumstances created by a murderer?Explain how she could be perceived as both partly responsible and also a victim.
4. What conspicuous clues do Grace and McDermott leave behind them as they travel?
5. What might Simon learn from his new affair with Mrs. Humphrey?
Sections 12−15, Chapters 45−53 by Wednesday October 29th
1. In the book’s earlier chapters, Jeremiah the peddler was known as a fortune−teller who knew the truth.What truths emerged from his predictions?
2. How do the accounts of Mrs. Moodie, the writer, and Kenneth MacKenzie, the lawyer, further complicatethe historical record surrounding Grace’s case?
3. How do Grace’s comments under hypnotism connect to her dream in chapter 35, or to the voices she heardimmediately after Mary’s death?
4. In what ways does Simon fail to help Grace? In what ways is it evident that he was able to help Grace?
5. Why is the novel’s title, Alias Grace, reflective of the story told? What does it say about Grace’s story, aswell as Mary Whitney’s?