Alias Grace: the Life of a Prison Girl Story

Alias Grace Rewrite Individuals have their own way of understanding and achieving their own justice which develops into our whole lives, shaping each of us for who we are, as seen with Grace Marks. In Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood, Grace Marks displays this after being put in prison for murdering Mr. Kinnear and his housekeeper, as well as, romantic partner, Nancy Montgomery. However, she cannot recall memories of these events and it is not known if she is actually guilty of these murders or just innocent and is being blamed. With her time in jail, Grace has her own understanding of justice that develops as she seems to entertain people more than be right; Grace’s search for this justice is also seen through her sessions with Dr. Jordan which have an unusual conclusion, and lastly, her search is very beneficial to the text as a whole as it brings in the theme of consciousness and unconsciousness, because the lack of righteousness in her stories. Grace, who has been in jail, since the age of 16, does not display whether she is guilty or innocent of the murders. Since the age of 16, Grace has been locked up in prison asylums and has been going back and forth between ones, until her memories came back to her. Once Dr. Jordan starts seeing her to help her with her memory, it is learned that Grace does not always want to be correct or right with what she is telling him, however, she wants to be a great entertainer and wants to say things that others want to hear, which is her understanding of justice. Instead of being right and telling the truth, she does what she can to entertain, especially with Dr. Jordan. When Dr. Jordan introduces himself and explains that Grace should speak to him about her past, Grace says, “Perhaps I will tell you lies” (41). Grace reveals an insight of her understanding of justice because she has been in jail for many years now, and is already used to the prison life. She does not feel the need to tell the truth about everything and her