Women on the Margins: Silenced Voices in Hilary Mantel's Bring up the Bodies and Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace PDF Free Download
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The Criterion: An International Journal in English Vol. 16, Issue-V, October 2025 ISSN: 0976-8165
www.the-criterion.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10448030
Women on the Margins: Silenced Voices in Hilary Mantel's Bring up the
Bodies and Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace
Simmi Bano
Research Scholar (Ph.D.),
Reg. No. PHD202400000485
P.P.N. P.G. College,
C.S.J.M. University, Kanpur,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
Prof. B.D. Pandey
Head,
Department of English,
P.P.N. P.G. College,
C.S.J.M. University, Kanpur,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
Article History: Submitted-29/09/2025, Revised-09/10/2025, Accepted-15/10/2025, Published-31/10/2025.
Abstract:
Recreating the narrative of women throughout history has been a crucial goal for feminists.
Contemporary female authors also strive to depict the experiences of women from the past, and
historical fiction serves as an ideal category for these representations. The present paper
examines how silence and marginalized female are depicted in Hillary Mantel's 'Bring up the
Bodies' (2012) and 'Alias Grace' (1996) by Margaret Atwood. Each work is a thorough critique
of the way history frequently recorded and interpreted through a male dominated perspective-
neglects or represents female narratives Mantel re-imagines the Anne Boleyn against the back
drops of Henry VIII male dominated court, while Atwood particularly entrusts the narrative of
Grace Marks, whose perspective is constantly questioned and influenced. This paper will
explore how both authors reveals the conflict between voice and silence, dominion and defiance,
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reality and storytelling particularly, the women of Henry VIII court and Atwood’s 'Alias Grace'
within the context of the historical double homicide of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery,
for which Grace Mark was found guilty. Furthermore, this analysis will explore how Hilary and
Atwood employs their creative process to articulate the suppressed and powerless existence of
both character (Anne Boleyn) and (Grace Mark). Mantel and Atwood employ their fictional
narrative 'amplify' the perspectives of marginalize women, but to analyze the dynamics of
gender, power in Alias Grace and Bring up the Bodies. It will discuss the male perspective on
women's subjectivity; with the way in which female characters challenge and overturn societal
norms. We will also go into the factors like race, social, class and other intersecting identities
affect their experience. Additionally, it will analyze the narrative techniques employed by Mantel
and Atwood including the fusion of reality and fiction as well as the use of multiple perspectives
to highlight feminist concepts and norms.
Keywords: Marginalized, Patriarchy, Gender, Power, Voice, Imposed.
History, as it is recorded frequently suppresses women's voices particularly those overshadowed
by influential males. Historical fiction, especially, presents a platform to revisit and reinterpret
the experiences of these women, contesting the gap and inaccuracies produced by patriarchal
narrative. In Hillary Mantels Bring up the Bodies the second book of her trilogy alongside
Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, which fictionalized an actual Canadian murder trial from 1840's,
the focus shift to women whose stories are shaped and reshaped by male authority. Both novels
may differ greatly in theme and writing, technique both stories profoundly explore the issues
related to gender authority, and how women are portrait. Anne Boleyn, a queen from sixteenth
century and Grace Mark, a servant from the 19th century experience, destiny influenced by
societal perceptions judgment and the control exerted by male dominated systems in each
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narrative the female form becomes a subject of social political and personal discourse regarded
as proof emblem and spectacle while the authentic voices of these women are frequently silenced
or co-opted.
This article explores how both novels articulate the marginalized and silencing of female voices
through narrative structure, historical fiction, revisionism and characterization. Using critical
theory particularly, Feminist thoughts and Poststructuralist framework, it will argue that Mantel,
Atwood are not simply resurrecting "lost" women but are revealing the very process by which
women are silenced and the fragility of voice itself. This research incorporates a range of
scholarly articles and critical lenses to enact a feminist interpretation. The paper will examine the
dynamics of gender, power in Alias Grace and female character in Bring up the Bodies, Anne
Boleyn, focusing on the impact of male perspective on female identity, how female characters
challenge and undermine these narratives, and the limitation on women's agency and
independence. By exploring the real life experience of marginalized women through and
intersectional lens we will analyze how factors like class and other intersecting identities
influence their lived realities. It will shed light on how Mantels and Atwood’s work with feminist
concerns, challenge established norms, and amplify the voices of the marginalized.
Alias Grace is regarded as a post modern fiction that delves into the inconsistencies and gap in
historical narratives, anchored in a true story. It examines how Grace's narrative interacts with
our dramatic past, countering any assertions of a definitive historical representation. The novel
provides a voice to the disregarded and addresses the often- ignore experiences of women
igniting ongoing conversation about how their circumstances have evolved or remain static.
Within this work, Atwood reveals the influence of various sociopolitical and cultural ideologies
on Grace, conducting a deep exploration of her psyche. The narrative paints a nuanced and
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morally complex portrait of the historical individual Grace Mark. Atwood's portrayal of Grace
provides insight into her behavior which is deeply influenced by trauma and the oppressive
circumstances she faced. The novel exemplifies the power imbalances that were prevalent in
nineteenth century Canada, portraying grace as a figure capable of navigating the patriarchal
expectation she had come to accept.
The story draws inspiration from a real life crime incident, presenting a narrative that is
inherently limited and dubious. This portrayal showcases Grace marks from various perspective
which results in minor alterations to the actual details the author is well aware of the multiple
interpretation surrounding Grace Mark has crafted her unique version She observes: “For each
story, there was a teller, as well as a audience both were influenced by politics, crime, nature of
women, insanity, and about everything that has a bearing on the case”(Alias Grace p.35).
Thomas Kinnear, a gentleman engaged in farming, along with Nancy Montgomery, his house
keeper and lover, were brutally kill in a small area close to Toronto. The servant, James
McDermott and the other known as Grey Mark, are accused of the crime and subsequently
convicted. McDermott was executed, while Grace Mark had sentenced a life imprisonment.
Nevertheless, the extent of Grace Mark involvement in the murder remains a topic of debate.
According to McDermott, her motive was jealousy fueled by her resentment towards the
privileges that the housekeeper enjoyed as a mistress of Thomas senior. Grace was sentenced to
life imprisonment .Grace suffered a breakdown during her time in prison and was later
transferred to a psychiatric facility. After spending eight year incarcerated, she eventually
emerged as a reform individual and began working as a skilled house made for the effluent Mrs.
Palmer. By the conclusion of the story, reality is revealed, ultimately, shocking those who believe
in Grace’s innocence from the outset. In reflecting on her own experiences Grace Mark considers
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herself a woman with multiple Alia and Atwood observes: "In my fiction Grace too whatever
else she is, is a story teller, with strong motives to narrate, but also strong to withhold. The only
power left to her as a convicted and imprisoned criminal comes from a blend of these two
motives" (Atwood p.36).
In Bring up the Bodies, Anne Boleyn is depicted not just as a historical person, fated for death
but as a woman entangled in the deceptive workings of authority, gender, dynamics, and the
eraser of her narrative. Despite being the queen of England Anne’s perspective is consistently
marginalized, distorted, and ultimately silence by a patriarchal resign that merely sees her as a
tool for political advantages. For numerous historians, Anne continues to be a puzzle. Elizabeth
Norton in her work Anne Boleyn: Henry VII observations, discusses the conflicting personas
attributed to her throughout history, such as a nefarious killer, a religious reformist, and a
Protestant martyr among others some have labeled her a notorious harlot. Others consider her the
primary victim of her time. However, Mantel does not show any uncertainties regarding Anne's
ambitions .Her Anne Boleyn "is a calculating being, with a cold slice brain at work behind her
hungry black eyes"(BUB p.35).
Anne Boleyn plays a vital role in the political and emotional dynamics of the tale, yet her
presence is notably minimal in direct narrative terms. The uncertain surrounding Anne’s
character remains and answered by the thought presented in the novels being narrated through
Cromwell, a fervent enforcer of the King’s desires sought strategies to accuse her rather than
absolve her. To him, ‘Anne was a source of suffering for everyone for her own sport while she is
arranging her career in the way it suits her.” (BUB p.350)
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Historical and Literary Context
The term “Women on the Margins”, carries both a literal and figurative significance in the realm
of historical fiction. In Hilary Mantel's Bring up the Bodies and Margaret Atwood Alias Grace
,the author investigates actual historical occurrence and characters to examine the way in which
women's perspectives have been muted, misinterpreted or entirely erased within narrative
dominated by men. Both stories delve into the societal perception and evaluation of women such
as Anne Boleyn and Grace Marks through prevailing institutional lenses legal, religious,
psychological that afforded scant opportunity for them to define themselves. To grasp how
Mantel and Atwood approach this theme, one must reflect on the historical contexts surrounding
their main characters as well as the literary movements that influence their storytelling decisions.
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England, has consistently captivated
historical interest. Her downfall has charged with adultery, incest, treason is frequently
interpreted as politically driven. Scholars like Eric Ives asserts that "The charges against her
were fabricated as a pretext to remove her and allow Henry to marry Jane Seymour
(Ives,2004).In Bring up the Bodies, Mantel aligns with this historical analysis, depicting Anne as
a woman whose political presence was problematic in a court fixated on lineage and authority.
However, Mantel intentionally channels Anne's narrative through the perspective of Thomas
Cromwell emphasizing how Anne's voice is over shadowed even in historical recollections.
Grace Mark was an actual domestic servant, sentenced in 1843 in Canada for her supposed
involvement in the killings of her employee, Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Naincy
Montgomery. Her trial becomes a sensational news story. At the time, Grace was only 16 while
her accomplice James McDermott was executed and Grace's punishment was reduced. Over
times, she has come to embody both victimhood and shrewdness, depending on the observer’s
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viewpoint. Atwood drew inspiration from the incomplete historical documentation such as
newspaper, articles, medical report and judicial records and the words within this information
which allowed her to craft a narrative that changed the feasibility of historical accuracy. Atwood
has remarked, "When there are gaps in records, fiction can step in." (In Search of Alias Grace,
1997) Her goal was not to determined Grace’s guilt or innocence but to investigate how female
identity is shaped through the narration created by others. Both Bring Up the Bodies and Alias
Grace originated from a feminist literary framework that questions the marginalization of
women narratives in classic literature and historical account according to Susan Bordo,
"[Mantel’s Anne] exudes the nervous energy of a modern day anorexic, her true self and laser
focus carefully, hidden away, constantly calculating how to keep up appearances lest her secret
be exposed." (Bordo, p. 236)
Although Hillary Mantel does not explicit identify as a feminist author she incorporates are
gender conscious perspective in her depiction of Tudor affairs. In Bring up the Bodies she
prioritize the external political and cultural dynamics impacting Anne rather than dealing into her
psychological state as Mantel noted in interviews, “I aimed for Anne not to be martyr or a saint I
intended her to be a woman molded by and ultimately consumed by power.” (The Paris Review,
2012) Anne was a female figure that is narrative has been constructed by men: husbands,
advisors, clerics and historians. On the contrary, Atwood has been a notably feminist author for a
long time. In Alias Grace she examines not just the mail perspective but also the expectations
placed on readers wanting to “solve” a character like Grace. As Atwood stated, “I sought to
investigate what occurs when individuals are insistent on interpreting you in ways that align with
their own agendas alongside the power of a woman who refuses to be confined,” (CBC
Interview, 1996). Mantel and Atwood confront the belief that historical fiction should aim to
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“recover” the authentic voices of women. Instead they reveal how challenging and frequently
unfeasible that recovery can we in Bring up the Bodies Anne Boleyn’s silence transcends mere
absence and becomes a critical part of the narrative Mantel reference from allowing readers to
access her thought instead she enables us to observe how Anne is systematically deconstructed
through political exigency. In Alias Grace, Grace’s voice is audible, yet intentionally unreliable.
Her silence during crucial moments evolves into a form of resistance a refusal to confirm to the
roles that others imposed upon her.
Anne Boleyn: Bodily politics in Bring up the Bodies... Hilary Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies deals
into the way in which authority devours and distorts the female form under the pretense of
justice. That trajectory of Anne Boleyn's accent and decline is traced through her physical
attributes to her ability to captivate, to bear children and ultimately, to be annihilated. Within the
context of Tudor England, the queen's physique represents more than mere flesh. It embodies a
national asset a menace on emblem and in the end, a disposable product. G.W. Bernard in his
book Anne Boleyn Fatal Attraction argues that all the charges of adultery laid against the Anne
Boleyn may be true. But Ridgeway opposes," to do think of any kind of harlot or sexual predator
who stole the king's heart from the true queen is to do her might injustice .There is absolutely no
evidence at all that Anne was sexually immoral that she had sexual relationship before her
relationship with Henry VII or that she was un faithful to him. Plowden states that "Anne's real
crime was her failure to produce a son, compounded by the fact that she had been the cause of
the King making of lovesick fool of him-self before the world." (Plowden, p.42)
Mantel illustrates how Anne's form transforms into the platform where male aspirations are
fulfilled and patriarchy established its dominance. The political dynamics surrounding the female
form become strikingly prominent during her trial and execution, with her sexuality and silence
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turned into weapons. From her initial appearances, Anne Boleyn depicted as both formidable and
dangerous. Her dark gaze and sexual allure disturb those in the court. Thomas Cromwell who
serves as the narrative focal point comments on her fluctuating presence;" She had wit, and she
has a body; she uses them as a man used as sword." (BUB p.107) .This metaphor- turning the
body into a weapon not only showcases Anne's tactical acumen but also highlights the peril her
feminist presents in a court where women are anticipated to be passive and fertile .Anne's ability
to bear a male successor becomes the essence of her political fragility the queen's body is
anticipated to fulfill a productive role and her failures are viewed not solely on a biological level
but rather in moral and political terms. "She was supposed to give the king sons," Cromwell
states," Instead, she gives him quarrels miscarriage, and anxieties."(BUB p.155)
Within Mantel’s depiction of Tudor society, the female body is an entity whose worth is gauged
by its contribution to patriarchal lineage. When Anne’s body does not meet these expectations, it
shifts from being an asset to our liability- and consequently becomes a target. There is a court
gossip between Lady Rochford and Cromwell, the Lady asks: “Have you ever observed that
when a man gets a son he takes all the credit, when he gets a daughter he blames his wife? And if
they do not breed at all, we say it is because her womb is barren. We do not say it is because his
seed is bad.' It's the same in the gospels .The story ground gets the blame.' The story places the
thorny unprofitable waste.... (BUB p.503-504)
The pregnancies are subject to intense scrutiny and politicization each miscarriage or
unsuccessful attempt at conception is regarded not with empathy but suspicion her ability to
conceive or the leg there of is perceived as a matter of national significance. A courtier murmurs
“The queen has blood again.” (BUB, p.167). Mantel’s wording underscores how Anne’s womb is
considered state property. It is observed, gossiped about and ultimately serves as an excuse for
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her executions. She is on trial for being too much too vibrant too sexual too powerful. During her
trial Anne is not afford the opportunity to speak at length. Cromwell notes, “Anne’s silence is
unnatural as through her tongue has been removed by degree.” (BUB p.292) Her voice which
was once her most formidable weapon’, is intensely silence. This tale of bodily violation of
laughing too openly gazing too intensely serves as a foundation for Anne’s total destruction. Her
body is depicted not as a mere victim but as a formidable force. As Susan Bordo asserts, in The
Creation of Anne Boleyn, “Anne’s legacy has proven to be more disruptive than her actual role.
Her execution did not silence her; it liberated her.” (Bordo, p.03) Masculine hierarchy, with the
female form acting as either a tool or an impediment. Anne's initial clarity and political inside
gradually erode as her downfall and force even her statement in the tower recall through the lens
of male interpreter are questions or this regarded. Her claims are labeled “hysteria” and her
loyalty interpreted as "treason" Mantel state "what is the nature of the charges? Something
slippery, invisible: a spider web of conjecture, rumor and official malice".(BUB p.243).The
spider's web metaphor indicates a crafted narrative designed to ensure.
Grace Mark--A Celebrated Murderess
Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, released in 1996, revolving around Grace Marks. Atwood
probes the themes of female erasure, historical exclusion and the authority over storytelling. By
presenting Grace as both a topic of discussion and an entity subject to it. Alias Grace critically
examines the systematic means by which the voices of women particularly those from the
working class have been left out of conventional historical and legal accounts. The narrative
stands as an act of literary defiance, striving to reclaim the voices of the silenced while
contesting the systems that have restricted them this study uses a variety of research and
academic paper to come the or perform a feminist reading. In this book the author unmistakably
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reveals how different social political and cultural beliefs contributed to the shaping of horror
narratives.
Although Grace Mark might not have been a traditional storyteller but allowing her to express
herself she embodies are divine perspective infused with the anxiety's of late 20th century trauma
she represents a thought provoking interpretation with alias Grace Dr. Jordan plays a role in
conditioning the Grace narrative, despite his genius Canvas where she can articulate her
unfiltered truths. Grace implies that a rigid narrative framework primarily serves as a means to
organize her tale. Right from the beginning Atwood’s endeavor is one of reclaiming narratives
grey mark based on a real person tends to be overlooked in historical documentation appearing
solely in documents crafted by men court records news articles and psychiatric assessments that
largely fail to convey her perspective directly. As Grace herself articulates, "It's not easy being
quiet and listening and watching. But I have had time enough to learn it. (AG p.25)
This statement highlights her acquired silence are strategy for survival patient by the forces
authority confinement and class related facility as the narrative and folds at wood complicated
the readers understanding of Grace in a thoughts grace story is relayed through the
correspondence and reflections of Dr. Dimon Jordon, a psychiatrist striving to unravel the truth
about her actions.This presentation places Grace in a state devoid of agency ,trapped in an
endless cycle of interpretation.Simon,embodying the principles of Enlightenment thinking and
patriarchal science ,perceives Grace merely as a puzzle to decipher rather than as a individual
with her own reality. Literary critic Carol Anne Howells Said, "Atwood's Grace is trapped in
layers of text and male interpretations. Her story becomes a contested site of
knowledge."(Margaret Atwood p.107) Simon's perceptions are consistently challenged by
Grace's ambiguous manner of storytelling which alternates between honesty and avoidance. In
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analyzing the mechanism of Grace's silence, it is vital to reflect on the historical frameworks
influencing her existence.
As a financially disadvantaged Irish immigrant, she occupies a space where multiple forms of
marginalization intersect; class, Gender, and identity .However Atwood does not portray Grace
as a mere passive victim instead she reveals Grace awareness of societal expectations imposed
upon her the performative aspects of grace speech becomes apparent when she states," They say
I must be a good girl and fell the truth, but that truth is the truth only when it is
convenient."(Atwood, p.139) The suppression of Grace is also emphasized by the manner of her
captivity. Both the Asylum and the prison serve as a mechanism of ethical and psychological
enforcement, aiming to correct and eliminate behaviors in women that do not confirm. Michael
Foucault's ideas regarding institution power is valuable in this context. In Discipline and
Punishment, he writes that “contemporary authority operates not only by punishing the physical
body but also by influencing the inner self.” Grace's adoption of anticipated submissiveness-
shown in her gentle demeanor and careful responses illustrate how effective this disciplinary
framework is.
However her narrative pushes back against conclusive interpretation, exposing flaws in the
system's efforts to completely confine her..As critic Susie O' Brien, "When reconstructing
Grace's perspective, Atwood does not purport to present a definitive narrative, instead, she
underscores the challenges of fully grasping the truth of a life that has been silenced .This
recognition resonates with feminist historiography, which as "Acknowledge the impossibility of
total objectivity and accept that the very language of history is infused with power "(Gender and
Politics of History,p.32) Atwood's work embodied this principle by granting Grace the
opportunity to express herself while also maintaining the complexity of her inner experience is of
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marginalized women to sum up alias Grace represents a significant literary challenge to the
historical suppression of women through the intricate narration of grace at wood conference the
dominance of institutional narratives and highlights the political dimensions of storytelling Grace
is a mystery not due to being impossible to understand but because those who claim to
understand her never genuinely paid attention we as readers find ourselves in a discount
partnership conscious of our longing for narrative authority while simultaneously being deprived
of its fulfillment are tale of a woman on fringes; It critics the very systems that create and
suppress such marginalization.
The Crown vs. the Body: Patriarchal structures in Mantel and Atwood
In both Hilary Mantel's Bring up the Bodies and Atwood's Alias Grace, the female body becomes
the central site upon which Patriarchal authority inscribes guilt, desire and control. Although the
novels are set century apart. Mantel's in the Tudor court of the 16th century and Atwood in mid-
19th century Canada both expose how women are silenced-and marginalized with legal, medical
and historical institutions that privilege male authority. The "Crown" in Mantel and the judicial
scientific apparatus in Atwood serves as symbols of power that aim to dominate and re narrate
the female body, reducing complex women to objects of spectacle, suspicion and sacrifice. In
Bring up the Bodies, Anne Boleyn is the queen in title but becomes, by the novel's end, a body
stripped of political agency, her downfall orchestrated by Cromwell in the name of royal
authority. Despite her position as consort to Henry 8, Anne's significance is reduced to het
reproductive utility. Het failure to beat a male heir becomes a political liability."She has
miscarriage of her saviors" and he will not come again."(BUB.p.117).This chilling proclamation
defines Anne not as a mother, woman or queen, but as a failed object- a body that has not
fulfilled the states requirements. The 'crown' signifies a masculine hierarchy, with the female
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form acting as either a tool or an impediment. Anne's initial clarity and political insight gradually
erode as her downfall unfolds. Even her statements in the Tower recalled through the lens of
male interpreters, are questioned or disregarded. Her claims are labeled "hysteria", and her
loyalty reinterpreted as "treason". Mantel states, "What is the nature of the charges? Something
slippery, invisible: a spider's web of conjecture, rumor and official malice."(BUB P.243) The
spider's web metaphor indicates a crafted narrative designed to ensure.
Similarly, Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace narrates the tale of Grace Mark, an Irish maid from a
working class Although Grace is alive and engaged in dialogue throughout much of the narrative,
her words are never completely believed. Instead, they are analyzed and contorted by male
figures like Dr Simon Jordon, whose psychological assessments seek to unveil a truth that
remains perpetually out of reach. “I think of all the things that have been written about me,”
Grace says, "That I am an inhuman female demon, that I am an innocent victim of libertine ...and
that I was too ignorant to know what I was doing."(AGP.25)
This list of contradictory roles illustrated that patriarchal tendency to impose meaning upon
women rather than listen to their self definitions Although Dr. Jordon appears somewhat more
compassionate than as the judges and prison officials, he still aims to be categorized Grace
according to a psychological framework that adhere to patriarchal logic He is perturbed when her
narrative fluctuates between transparency and obscurity. Het quietness is not merely passive; it is
deliberates."I have acquired the skill to remain silent or if I do speak, I do not express my true
thoughts."Grace said. (AGP.73) This mastery over her words born from fear and defiance
questions the notion that authority can entirely "understand" the female experience.
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Comparative Analysis: Silence, Testimony and Narrative Authority
Even though they differ both novels Bring up the Bodies, Alias Grace differs in genre, location
and era these two novels examine the mechanism through which female silence is created
weaponized and paradoxical reclaimed. By delving into the characters of Anne Boleyn and
Grace Marks Mantel and Atwood truly engage with the dynamics surrounding gender based
testimony and narrative power illuminating how authority distorts women's stories while also
showing how women skillfully navigate and challenge these operation forces through challenge
these oppressive forces. Through the interaction of speaking and remaining silent, both works
highlight the shortcomings of male interpretations and the strength of female subjectivity .In
each narrative, silence transcends the mere absence of words; it is an arena where power operates
effectively. Although Anne Boleyn is depicted as historically out spoken and politically engaged
in Bring up the Bodies. She is systematically silenced. Her orations as seen through Cromwell
perspective become faint whispers by the time of her arrest .The narrative details how her words
are taken out of context and stripped of their original meaning Cromwell said ,"she made too
many enemies and her words are now weaponized against her, line by line."(BUB p.310)
The patriarchal justice system orchestrates Anne's silencing, wherein testimonies are pre crafted,
rehearsed, and enforced to meet demands of the state. Her voice is only acknowledged within the
confines of her trial, where guilt is assumed before evidence is presented. In a similar vein,
Grace Marks in Alias Grace possess voice through the novels framework, yet lacks social
validation. Although she articulated her account, her testimony is questioned, mediated by Dr.
Simon Jordon's male perspective, and often medicalised “I don't know whether I am telling the
truth ” she writes, “I only know what I remember.” (Atwood 87).This revelation complicates the
connection between voice and honesty. Grace's expression remains dynamics yet tenuous in an
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environment that demands definitive truth. Her identity evolves into a disputed narrative- one
that other figures (doctors, journalists, clergy) attempt to control, but are never able to
completely finalize.
In each of these books the physical form transforms into a narrative a script that people interpret
miss interpret and alter and his physics is altered for indications of betrayal and conspiracy with
her actions being perceived through a lens of moral failing mean while Grace Body undergoes
through medical examination hypnosis and evaluation. This scrutiny turns the women's body into
mere proof, and inert object however Atwood and Mantel push back against the simplification by
bringing these bodies in life through their voices, thoughts, and act of defines even when they are
muted these women persist as ghostly figures Anne haunting Cromwell’s mind, and Grace
remaining beyond the grasp of complete understanding. Bring up the Bodies and Alias Grace
demonstrate that patriarchal authority functions not just via legal or violent means, but also
through the control of the narrative surrounding the female form. The monarchy can demand
submission, and the judiciary can insist on honesty, yet both Mantel and Atwood illustrate how
women on the periphery learn to resist not throughout right revolt, but by undermining discourse,
navigating the nuance of silence and rejecting total exposure. While their bodies may serve as the
ground upon which power exerts itself, their voices fragmented, veiled, and strong context the
conclusiveness of judgment. These works ultimately raise the question: who possesses a
woman's body, her narrative and her silence?
Testimony and Politics of Legibility
Mantel and Atwood both underscore how gender shapes the clarity and trustworthiness of
testimonies. Anne Boleyn's remarks are reinterpreted as seduction or vanity "A Women cannot
serve two masters, "Cromwell muses, "but Anne served herself (BUB p.287).The damaging
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viewpoint negates Anne's political agency, transforming her resistance into mere hubris, poignant
and filled with desperation, yet ultimately ineffective in altering her destiny. Alias Grace,
testimony takes on the form of performance influenced by authority and audience perception.
Grace is promoted to confess, to recall, to narrate yet every expression she makes is met with
skepticism."They say I am calm and quiet, but inside I may be screaming (Atwood p.36).The gap
between external appearance and internal reality, between speech and silence emphasizes how
women truth often remains elusive to male dominated systems. As critic Carol Ann Howells
point out, "Grace’s story serves as a sort of ghost narrative, replete, with absence and presence,
where history itself assumes the role of an unreliable narrator." (Margaret Atwood, p.112)
The legal and medical institutions illustrated in both pieces seek not only data but also coherent
stories that align with their own knowledge structures. The interpretation of Anne Boleyn's
culpability needs to be framed within the concept of treasure and adultery. Similarly Grace's guilt
or innocence ought to fit psychological or ethical paradigms. Within these confines, neither
woman can express herself completely without distortion. As John Scott articulate in "Gender
and Politics of History" Dismissing women accounts amount to accept them without critique is
to perpetuate the harm of over simplification."(Scott p.33) Mantel and Atwood reject both pit
falls permitting complexity and contradiction to thrive. Both Mantel and Atwood frame their
narrative through male view points. Thomas Cromwell and Simon Jordan acting as interpreters
and narrative lenses. This approach critiques the very power it leverages.
In Bring up the Bodies Cromwell embodied both the creator and dismantles of Anne's story.
Mantel said, "He is the architect of her demise although he would never articulate it in that
manner." His legal strategies reinterpreted Anne's ambitions and discourse as perilous. In
contrast, Simon Jordan is depicted as a well meaning yet ultimately faulty narrator in Alias
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Grace. His psychological method falls short of reaching Grace's inner thought and his desire
often skews his perceptions. "He wanted Grace to be innocent, and also to be guilty."(AG
p.291)Atwood said," because that made for a more captivating narrative. Grace also reclaims
influence through vagueness. Her manner of storytelling is this discerning filled with intentional
emissions and irony. "I never claimed to be innocent, she conveys to Simon, "I stated I was not
the one to fault."(Atwood 365) As scholars Susie O' Brien posits, Grace silence, "operate not as
the absence but as empowerment, a rejection of finality".(Canadian Literature p.165)
Hilary Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies and Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace reveal how systems,
rooted in patriarchy shape distort and control women's testimonies, often relegating them to mere
ghostly observers of their own realities or obscure figures lost in the pages of history. Through
the characters of Anne Boleyn and Grace Mark, both writers deliver a compelling critique on the
mechanism of institutional power be it through royalty legal frameworks, psychiatric practices or
narrative dominance. What connects these figures across different times and cultures is not just
their marginal status but their quite yet definitive push back against that status. Both Anne and
Grace skillfully manipulated the element of silence, leveraging ambiguity not as a sign of frailty
but as a strategy for narrative endurance. In both narratives, the female leads are not silenced by
their lack of voice, but rather by the encompassing systems that choose not to recognize them on
their own terms. As feminist historian John Scott notes "experience is not the origin of our
explanation but that which we see to explain." (Gender and the politics of history p.25) Both
Mantel and Atwood acknowledge that women's experience especially when recounted
retrospectively or mediated through male perspective are inherently political. Instead of being
neutral they are influenced by structures of power, societal expectations, and intricate politics.
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Mantel present Anne Boleyn as seemingly powerful as a reigning Queen; however her closest to
the throne intensified the threat faced by her physical form. After Anne can no longer produce a
male heir in her primary role as monarch she becomes politically expendable. Her trial is
depicted not as a calculated display of culpability. Mental depicts, that" the evidence is not the
point it is a performance."(BUB P.274) In the similar vein Atwood's character Grace Mark exists
in a society note, "when you are in the middle of a story it is not a story at all but only a
confusion of a dark roaring."(AG p.5)This statement highlights particularly, as it serves as a
means of subjugation. The Silence portrayed in these novels transcends mere passivity or
imposition. It emerges as a form of resistance, a protective arena from which Anne and Grace
exerts subtle influence. Anne's decision not to go back for mercy prior to her execution,
alongside Grace choice to with hold straight forward responses in her interviews, illustrated,
their defiance against government sanction narratives. Susie 0' Brian inside fully remarked that
"Grace controls through ambiguity disturbing the readers craving for a singular truth"(Power and
repetition p.65) .This ambiguity disrupts institutional authority which relies on that definiteness,
confession and resolution. Through the figures of Anne and Grace, Mantel and Atwood re state
dignity to women who were once relegated to the status of mere footnotes or caricatures. They
not only empower their protagonist with the right to voice their thoughts but also endow them
with the authority to decline to resist being spoken for over simplified or transformed into moral
symbols. Their silence thus involves a distinctive form of expression- one that communicates
profoundly about power resilience fight for self ownership over one's narrative
Works Cited:
Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace. Anchor Books,1997.
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Atwood, Margaret," In the Search of Alias Grace: On Writing Canadian Historical Fiction."
American Historical Review, Vol.103.no.5, 1998, pp.1503-1516
Bernard, G.W. Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions, Yale University Press, 2010, p.40-42
Bordo, Susan.The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen.
New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Butler, Judith. Precarious Life: The Power of Mourning and Violence. Verso, 2004
Butler, Judith .Gender Trouble: Feminism and Subversion of Identity. Routhledge, 1990
Howells, Coral Ann. Margaret, Atwood. Second ed. , Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
"Hilary Mantel Talks about Anne Boleyn" online video clip.Youtube.Youtube.26 April.2012.
Ives, Eric. "The Life and Death' of Anne Boleyn" Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2004
Mantel, Hilary. Bring Up The Bodies. Fourth Estate, 2012
Mullen, John."The Strange and Brilliant Fiction of Hilary Mantel: The Guardian.17, 2015, the
guardian.com/books/2015/jan/-sp-hilary -mantel-profile-adaptation-Wolf Hall.
O' Brien, Susie."Power and Repetition: Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace."Canadian Literature, no.
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Plowden, Alison.Tudor Women: Queen and Commoners .History Press.2010.
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Scott, John W.Gender and Politics of History. Columbia University Press, 1998
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Showalter, Elaine. The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture,1830-1980.Virgo
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