8 Weeks

I just finished reading chapters 14 and 15 and so far, those are my two favourite chapters in the book. The chapters reflect on Grace and her family struggles and their eight week trek from Ireland to Canada. I found the chapters compelling because the imagery used was very effective. In one passage, Atwood describes the sounds, smells and atmosphere of the old boat that Grace, her mother and aunt were on when they were on their way to Canada. I sympathized for the family and everyone else on the boat because the conditions were described and associated with harsh smells, poorly ventilated cabins, uncomfortable sleeping arrangements and storm they had to endure.I liked this part of the book because it gives a more detailed background story of Grace Marks' life and shows the emotion and physical suffering she had to endure while making her way over to Canada. While reading these chapters, I could almost imagine myself in that situation of being at the bottom of a rocky boat with what would feel like a hundred other people, some of which were also sick.

Grace is also given a more human and vulnerable attribute to her character when the story of her mother's suffering is being told. This humanized both Grace and her mother because Grace's mother had been put through a lot of emotional abuse from her family and her husband and Grace had to see her mother suffer because of it. For a split second while I was reading these chapters, I felt as if Grace was innocent of her crimes just because of what she had suffered in her childhood. I felt like this was like a turning point in the novel because in the beginning, Atwood had focused on the crime and her punishments, and by showing her tainted childhood, it portrays the fact that shes not a crazed killer, but she is just someone living a less than perfect life.