Is Grace Guilty?

Margaret Atwood leaves the readers with that question at the end of “Alias Grace”.  Since Grace Marks was a real person and this novel is a piece of historical fiction, Atwood could have made the decision to give her version of Grace a sentence.  Atwood could have led the readers to believe that she was guilty of assisting McDermott in the murders of Nancy Montgomery and Mr. Kinnear.  Or, she could have invented pieces of Grace’s memory or evidence that proclaimed her innocent.  That is why fiction is so great; the author has the power to construct the lives of their characters to fit the overall meaning.
With that said, I now understand why Atwood left the status of Grace’s guilt ambiguous.  Overall, the story is not about whether Grace had any part in the murders.  It is a perspective on Victorian culture and Atwood gives the readers her insight to the time period.  “Alias Grace” covers themes like the role of women in society, gender constructs, class systems, freedom, madness, and physical and psychological imprisonment.  The attempted discovery of Grace’s guilt plays a central role in the plot, but is not the most important factor driving the story.  I enjoyed the interactions between the characters (particularly Grace and Dr. Jordan) and the parallels in Grace’s life (the deaths of power female role models, different types of imprisonment) much more than solving the “mystery” of whether or not Grace murdered Nancy and Kinnear.
I really loved this novel for many different reasons and I believe it deserves to be revisited time and time again.  Perhaps not to just enjoy the story, but to look for deeper meaning in our own lives as well!