How Does Margaret Atwood Portray Women in Alias Grace?

A woman, especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can-Jane Austen. Throughout Alias Grace Atwood explores the way in which women conceal certain aspects and modify others of themselves in order to ,quite literally, get away with murder. The preconception that women are stupid, harmless beings is one that leads to the downfall of many men in the novel. Atwood portrays women in many different ways as lovers, wives, children, friends but upon reading between the lines we can see that there is one charcteristic these women all share, from the very richest, most beautiful ladies 'Miss Cartwright' to the middle aged, working class spinster 'Jordans housekeeper' and that is the ability to manipulate.
A major theme that runs throughout the novel is that of the importance of reputation and how others view us in society. …