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Grace Markel

Mrs. Mann

AP English Literature Block 2

31 October 2017

Classic Literature Research Essay

In envisioning a classic novel, it is common to automatically think of the eloquent,

sometimes dull works of past centuries. However, a classic is not limited to a boring piece of

literature from the ancient era in fact, a substantial amount of classic novels are published in

contemporary times. Modern author Margaret Atwood has proved time and time again that

classic writing can be exciting, thought-provoking, and capable of evolving with every new

generation. For her novels such as The Handmaids Tale, Atwood is widely believed to have

created a current classic; her lengthy list of additional novels have been up for the debate of

being classic works as well. In the instance of Margaret Atwoods The Blind Assassin, the

dynamic composition of the novel certainly makes the work entertaining; however, the novel is

not a classic based on the books overall lack of meaning, overcomplexity, and excessive

reliance on plot.

Without question, Atwoods The Blind Assassin is filled with beautifully-crafted story

elements, a definite trait of classic novels. Readers are introduced to a plethora of lively

characters who add a special value to the piece. Of all the individuals in the storyline, Iris Chase

is the clear protagonist as an elderly woman, she battles against time to document her familys

history and share the life of her sister Laura, who committed suicide. In an interview about her

book, Atwood demonstrates just how much attention to detail she paid in designing Iris

character after several unsuccessful attempts to portray Iris perfectly, Atwood explained I
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[had to withdraw] to the starting line once more. This time I gave Iris full rein, and let her speak

for herself in the first person. I don't know why that didn't occur to me in the first place. It is

evident that much time and effort were devoted to the creation of characters in the novel; the

intricate manner in which Atwood designed each figure is painted brilliantly with the description

of Iris on her wedding day:

A young woman in a white satin dress cut on the bias, the fabric sleek, with a train fanned

around the feet like spilled molasses. Theres something gangly about the stance, the

placement of the hips, the feet, as if her spine is wrong for this dress. A veil falling

straight down on either side of the head, a width of it over the brow, casting too dark a

shadow across the eyes. No teeth were shown in the smile. (Atwood 239)

Atwoods fine attention to detail with her characters is undeniably demonstrated in this passage,

as she effortlessly displays Iris glum attitude toward her marriage. Atwood maintains a similar

dedication toward constructing the setting of the novel, as she also explains that The town of

Port Ticonderoga is in itself a character in the book. It is clear that Atwood would not settle for

a merely satisfactory setting; just as she displays with the creation of the novels characters,

Atwood poured her utmost care and thought into the backdrop of The Blind Assassin.

The Blind Assassin quickly loses literary merit with the inclusion of an entangled

storyline that convolutes any overarching meaning of the novel. Atwood organizes the book to

be a novel within a novel, an interesting concept in theory, but incredibly difficult for readers to

follow. Commentating on the layout of Atwoods piece, author Karen F. Stein notes that The

Blind Assassin is Constructed like a Russian wooden doll, the novel is a nested series of stories

within stories; and like the nested dolls, one story hides another until it is opened to reveal

another one surprisingly similar to it (135). The novels complex format is incredibly
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overwhelming the reader faces an excess of information, making any overall meaning of the

book nearly incomprehensible. Additionally, Iris point of view makes the novel even more

complicated; as an octogenarian woman, the trustworthiness of Iris narration is questionable.

The protagonist confesses her failing health multiple times throughout the novel: she first admits

that Once I drove, but no longer: my eyes are too bad for that (Atwood 57), and upon being

offered a ride instead of walking, Iris explains, Im ashamed to say I accepted it: I was out of

breath, Id already realized it was too far (Atwood 212). Iris obvious physical decline could be

indicative of her equally shrinking perception, and this is explored in a scholarly journal article

from Prairie Perspectives. This source notes that Iris withering age accounts for her decreasing

ability to form attachments to place (Cecil 247-248)-- Iris diminishing life capacity prevents

her from strongly connecting to her hometown of Port Ticonderoga as she was once able to, thus

distorting many aspects of her story that revolve around the setting. The notion that Iris entire

narration may be altered by her elderly state adds an entirely new layer of hindrance in

understanding The Blind Assassin. While complexity is not necessarily a negative trait when

considering a novel for the literary canon, classic novels need to be concise and comprehensible

enough to understand and evaluate. Unfortunately, Atwoods novel falls short of this. The story

quickly becomes overmixed with a novel inside of the book, and readers grow distrustful, as Iris

viewpoint could be deemed disreputable. These factors distract from any overall focus of the

novel and make it challenging to delve into; the works complexity detracts from a readers

understanding of the novel and its theme, making it an insufficient fit for the literary canon.

With this said, the tangled organization of the novel does not conceal the fact that The

Blind Assassin is composed almost entirely of surface-level plot components. In the first

sentence of the book, a major plot event is revealed Ten days after the war ended, my sister
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Laura drove a car off a bridge (Atwood 1). As Thomas Mallon critiques in his review of the

novel, every aspect of The Blind Assassins plot is relentlessly overproved. With Lauras death

revealed on the very first page, Atwood immediately sets expectations for the storyline to be

simplistic and too straightforward; as Mallon asserts, readers are left with nothing to analyze or

ponder because of the mere summarization of familial history taking place in The Blind Assassin.

In addition, the novel is slow to pick up momentum after the dramatic opening sentence, and as a

result, readers tend to skim to locations of eventfulness within the plot. This is precisely

explained by author Earl Ingersoll in a scholarly journal article:

The Blind Assassin seems to be self-consciously working with its narrator who has a

heart, ... and who therefore appears to be racing against time to end her storytelling

before death forecloses the possibility of further life for storytelling Accordingly, the

reader becomes implicated in the desire of this narrative to move quickly toward its end.

(Ingersoll 546)

With Iris declining state, she is ultimately striving to record the most basic of happenings in her

lifetime she is curt with the events that took place, yet stretches out the time it takes to piece

together her story. Iris retelling of her lifetime is largely a deep confession of the past

naturally, Iris takes her time in expanding on the painful circumstances she endured. With the

progression of the novel, Iris personal tragedies are slowly revealed Iris husband consistently

raped Laura, and Iris ignorance led to Lauras stay at a mental facility, which ultimately led to

her sisters suicide. The slow manner in which Iris eases readers into such serious life events is

realistic, yet the description of these dismal instances is often as blunt as the opening sentence of

the book that describes Lauras death. Considering that the sharp yet simplistic events of Iris

story are stretched out extensively in the novel, readers develop a sense of urgency to move
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through the plot, as there is not much substance to thoroughly investigate. The surface-level

content and prolonged telling of Iris story lessens the lasting impact of the novel, reducing the

possibility of the novel being considered a classic.

Even though the book is based almost solely off of plot, The Blind Assassin somehow

manages to leave too many loose ends untied, an issue uncharacteristic of a true classic. As

Atwood shares plenty of details in her work, readers are kept wondering how many plot

scenarios will wrap up. However, questions remain largely unanswered, and this is disappointing

in the perspective of a reader. For example, Lauras love interest, Alex, notably comprises a list

of faux gemstones, hinted to be a type of secret message for Iris and Laura to decipher. Most

readers would expect the meaning of his list to be disclosed at some point, perhaps in the novels

conclusion yet, there is no explanation presented whatsoever, and no greater significance is

evident. This is just one instance of Atwoods failure to wrap up details in her novel, and

eventually, the repeated absence of resolution makes the novel seem incomplete or hastily

written. While classic novels do not necessarily have to answer everything, some even being

enhanced by strategic lack of resolution, The Blind Assassin fails to settle basic details, and this

significantly deducts from the books impact as well.

Ultimately, The Blind Assassin is a delightful read the characters are fully-developed,

the setting beautifully illustrated yet, it cannot be deemed a classic for a wide array of reasons.

The storyline lacks proper substance, in that it is shallow and leaves readers unsatisfied with lack

of resolution. The plot and organization are far too complicated, making any general meaning of

the novel quite unclear. Considering all these reasons, it is clear that The Blind Assassin is simply

unfit for the literary canon. A classic work should be deeply readable and valuable to society

two traits the novel does not possess. Yet, this does not mean Atwoods novel is unworthy of
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being read; rather, readers should just be aware that The Blind Assassin is void of many classic

elements.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. Margaret Atwood on The Blind Assassin Guardian Book Club.

The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 Aug. 2013,

www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/09/blind-assassin-atwood-book-club. Accessed

18 Oct. 2017.
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Cecil, Ben P., and Lynn A. Cecil. Memory and Place-Based Identity of the Elderly in

Margaret Atwoods The Blind Assassin and Margaret Laurences The Stone Angel.

Prairie Perspectives, vol. 10, 2007, pp. 103-137. http://pcag.uwinnipeg.ca/Prairie-

Perspectives/PP-Vol10/Cecil-Cecil.pdf

Ingersoll, Earl. Waiting for the End: Closure in Margaret Atwoods The Blind

Assassin. Studies in the Novel, vol. 35, no. 4, 2003, pp. 543-558.

Mallon, Thomas. Wheels Within Wheels. The New York Times, The New York Times,

3 Sept. 2000, www.nytimes.com/books/00/09/03/reviews/000903.03mallont.html.

Accessed 17 Oct. 2017.

Robinson, Alan. Alias Laura: Representations of the Past in Margaret Atwood's The

Blind Assassin. The Modern Language Review, vol. 101, no. 2, 2006, pp. 347359.

JSTOR.

Stein, Karen F. A Left-Handed Story: The Blind Assassin. Margaret Atwoods Textual

Assassinations, vol. 1, 2003, pp. 135-140.

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cEomBiT6d9IC&oi=fnd&pg=PA135&d

q=blind+assassin&ots=xzR2fSLvOG&sig=YaHRM5PditdPe5mkKWrQ4i1fkds#v=onepa

ge&q&f=false