The Other Side of Simon

When I began reading “Alias Grace”, I had many hopes for Dr. Simon Jordan’s character. I was hopeful that he would be the won to win Grace’s trust and use his power to help, rather than hinder, Grace’s development. I hoped that he would show himself to be a gentleman who had good intentions for Grace’s recovery and to help her come to terms with what happened in her past. I did not expect him to heal her or fully discover the truth, but at least treat her with civility. However, I was wrong. Jordan showed his disrespect for women by starting an affair with Rachel Humphrey and allowing for that relationship to make him jaded and divide his attention from his work with Grace.
In the chapter Falling Timbers, Jordan’s attitude is described. “He’s coming to hate the gratitude of women. It is like being fawned on by rabbits, or like being covered with syrup: you can’t get it off. It slows you down, and puts you at a disadvantage. Every time some woman is grateful to him, he feels like taking a cold bath. Their gratitude isn’t real; what they really mean by it is that he should be grateful to them. Secretly they despise him.”
Jordan was raised in a family with money and good social standing, which entitled him to a “good” woman to marry. Throughout “Alias Grace”, we see Jordan struggling to understand where he ranks in society now that his family has lost their money. For a woman, this fact would be devastating to their future, yet since Jordan is a man he does not have to deal with such a tragic fate. He could easily marry a women from a well-off family, yet he chooses to become involved with a married housekeeper. He is pursued by women from different social classes, yet he disregards all of them due to the fact that he is tired of their gratitude. I believe that this directly relates to his doting mother, who concerns herself with her son’s life. I believe that these factors led to Jordan’s disgusting behavior and ultimate dismissal of Grace in her time of need.
Simon’s inability to assert his right to choose his own wife and profession eventually leads to a domineering mother, who is unable to distance herself from his private affairs.