Comparison Of Alias Grace And Through Black Spruce

In both texts, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden shows how one character from both texts have many problems to deal with. Like fitting into a new city, finding confidence, and they try to find themselves throughout the books to the extent of becoming the person they really are.

Fitting into the city is hard for everyone, having to fit in into a new place, finding new people to hang out with and a new schedule to get used to can be hard. It's just like switching schools. In Through Black Spruce, Annie goes to Toronto which is very different from where she is from; she is used to living in her small country life. When she reached the city, it was a whole new world to her. When Annie reached Toronto she said:
"The first time being drowned in a
sea of humans on a busy downtown street...People shove and smell like perfume or body odor, and so many look like they don't want to be there. The weirdest thing to me is how most of them never look you in the eye." (Boyden, Pg. 52)
Annie fits in to the city by finding her way with someone she knows and likes also who knows the city the best, which is Gordon. From Alias Grace, Dr. Simon Jordan had a different experience when it came to fitting in. He came from Belfast to Toronto with only one parent with him when he was young, while Annie came when she was an adult. When Simon newly moved to Toronto he said:
"At last we reached Toronto, which was where they said the free land could be obtained. The city was not in a good situation, being flat and damp; it was raining that day, and there were many men hurrying, and quantities of mud, except for the main streets which were paved. There was some gas lighting but not as grand as Belfast."
He thought of Toronto as a free land and which he felt safe in. He learned his ways in the city as he grew up and became successful as an adult.

In both texts, both characters have problems with confidence throughout the novels.
In Through Black Spruce, Annie, who is an insecure person, had to go find her sister Suzanne in a big city where and bring her back home. She had to go and hang out with people she never usually hang out with and did things which she never thought she would do. *insert quote about when Annie does drugs/drinks* In Alias Grace, Simon had to take of Grace and make sure that Grace lets her feelings out to help him for the case. The characters that I'm comparing both shows how both characters find themselves near the ending of the texts. In Through Black Spruce, Annie later on accepted herself for who she is and understood that she didn't need to change herself for people to like her. *insert quote of Annie accepting herself* People like Gordon, her uncle, her mom and Suzanne all surround her with love for who she is. In Alias Grace, Simon finds himself liking Grace who is a forbidden person to love since she is a criminal. As he thought: "It comes to him that Grace Marks is the only woman he's ever met that he would wish to marry."
But Simon understood that he couldn't be able to marry her so he let her
go.