What Are The Similarities Between Grace Marks And Borden

Feeling sympathetic towards a suspected murderer, or murderess, is a rarity. Ted Bundy, Whitey Bulger, and Lizzie Borden didn’t receive a lot of sympathy after they killed multiple strangers and family members. Rather, they were thought of as notorious monsters. While their crimes were more recent, the feelings of animosity and fear towards murderers has remained the same throughout history. One does not need to be convicted of a crime to face this hatred but only a suspect. In 19th century Canada, there was a girl by the name of Grace Marks and she, like Bundy, Bulger, and Borden, was a suspected and then convicted murderer. Unlike Bundy, Bulger, and Borden, Grace skillfully portrays herself as the victim of her own life. She, through each
By doing this, Grace gains sympathy from the reader and defer the conversation away from talk of the murders.
Throughout the recollection of her upbringing, Grace paints a sorrow, unfortunate picture of a girl who was lost from the beginning and was repeatedly let down as to sway the reader away from visualizing her as a murderess and garner their compassion. Growing up in a large family of eight other siblings, Grace’s home environment consisted of her having to take care of her younger siblings. She notes, “…there was never enough room for me, at home or anywhere…” (Atwood 33). By saying this, it highlights how Grace perceived herself as an outcast. She felt as if she needed to make herself smaller in order to finally fit into the house, figuratively and physically. This depiction of a lonely childhood would prompt the reader to give sympathy to Grace because typically, a childhood should be filled with laughter and love. A few years later, at age 13, Grace and her family emigrated to Canada aboard a ship in hopes of finding free land. The promise of a better future was,
While imprisoned in Toronto, Grace worked at the governor’s mansion and was transported back to the prison after her work was finished. Keepers, also known as the guards, took Grace back to the prison, spitting crude words along the way. With the news of Grace allegedly being James’ paramour, the keepers saw her as an easy score: “…come now, confess you’re longing for a tumble, you was ready enough with that runty little James McDermott…” (Atwood 63). By including this direct conversational memory in her session with Dr. Jordan, Grace illustrates the sexual objectification she faced all because of a simple news rumor. This foul language elicits sympathy from the reader because over time, women have grown to fight for more independence and power. Now, women have a zero tolerance for mistreatment from men. Consequently, they would have mercy on Grace and terminate the idea that she is manipulating them to neglect the murder. These cruel acts by the keepers didn’t only occur when they were transporting Grace but also when they brought in her food. Graces recalls, “And one of them tried to take advantages, and said I might as well enjoy it while I had the chance, as where I was going I’d never have no fine brisk lover like himself between my knees…” (Atwood 355). With this vivid