On crossing boundaries and achieving identity a study of Margaret atwood s novels

Abstract

Margaret Atwood, an iconic Canadian writer, for more than five decades, newlinechampions the cause of marginalised and weaker sections of the society. The research newlinetitled On Crossing Boundaries and Achieving Identity: A Study of Margaret newlineAtwood s Novels has analysed the writer s novels as socio-political documentaries. newlineThe aim and purpose of this thesis is to decode Atwood s explications on newlineissues related to children, women and women writers. The novels chosen for the study newlineare The Edible Woman, Surfacing, Lady Oracle, Bodily Harm, The Handmaid s Tale, newlineCat s Eye, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and Hag Seed. The research is organised newlineinto five chapters. The Introductory chapter has surveyed Canadian socio-political newlineand literary history and has traced the place of Atwood in Canadian literature. The newlinesecond chapter Children with Broken Wings and Shattered Dreams has explored newlinechild abuse at home, school, work place and society. The third chapter Deception and newlineMarital Discord has studied the marital lives of the protagonists who are abused newlineduring the childhood. The fourth chapter Crossing Boundaries of Creativity has newlineexamined the professional lives of protagonists who are writers. The fifth and final newlinechapter Summation sums up the previous four chapters. In the final chapter the newlineresearcher has reinstated Atwood s perception about grave global issues which newlineincludes child abuse, women oppression and denial of freedom of expression. newlineGreatness of a nation should be judged on its treatment of children, women newlineand women writers. Atwood has attempted to lay a multicultural road map for the newlinefuturistic mankind. She persistently deals with contemporary socio-political issues newlineand strongly believes that multicultural and multiethnic coexistence can provide peace newlineand prosperity to the humanity. Atwood, a great ambassador of world peace, through newlineher novels relentlessly strives hard to create a secular world for the next generation. newline