Margaret Atwood; Cat’s Eye Analysis- Refraction and Self Essay

Our e artistic creationhysensical explanations of the universe and ourselves argon problematised by Atwood by dint of and by dint of her novel. Nothing is so nonp atomic number 18ilr as it look outms, when we look at anything (in a mirror, in the past, at other(a)s) it is refracted as if finished with(predicate) water. Discuss the opinions and issues in the novel in relation to this claimment, paying particular solicitude to the techniques and narrative elements use to show this.Our cat valium hotshot explanations of the land be based on the out-and-out(a)s in our lives. Ways of leaveing extradite been soci everyy constructed embedded with values and attitudes that ferment our behaviour and intellection of the creative activity and ourselves. creation cannot be captured and is interpreted unlikely by every unmarried as if refracted through water. frames look is a work of influential English by author Marg art Atwood. The novels teleph adept exchange ara of exploration is of different versions of realism, and the accuracy and truthfulness of our own flocks of how we see the ball and ourselves. These visions are problematised by Atwood, as she uses respective(a) techniques that allow her to discretely hint her idea of null is quite as it seems to position the audience. This results in our own endorsement of these beliefs, and leads us to motility our own lives as just a version of verity, with a fag of disillusionment.Our world and our own lives are challenged by Atwoods novel, as in inquirying the idea of no absolutes and constants in our lives, we as well dumbfound to question the other constants in our confederacy such as religion universe just another version of humanity and not an absolute. This distresses many people and problematises our lives. Measurable, fuckable, constant, and absolute qualities of purport provide security measure in our beliefs and understanding of the world and our place inside it. Absol utes help us make sense of the world, and provide a connection to the world and our own inner selves generating a sense of belonging. Atwood challenges the concept of absolutes, fixed/ cognoscible identities, and common truths through various techniques.She uses narrative elements to proffer her ideas, such as autobiographic indite to encourage us to question the one and lone(prenominal) version of reality that is macrocosm told (through Elaine and her demeanor). Imagery/symbolism and intertextuality are repeat techniques, for example her repetitive use ruminative surfaces such a glass, water and mirrors are all symbols used to question reflection, and how we seeourselves is what we see what we get? These techniques are used in order to provoke self-distrust and insecurity, to unsettle and complicate the way we see ourselves and our world, through the provocative questions that it asks of us. Cats eye challenges the naturalized and socially constructed views and encourages th e contributor to question the dominant views of the world and themselves. warp is the distortment of unaffixed, as it travels, its broken-up as it changes and moves through different mediums. Atwood uses refraction as a symbol re bear witnessing the key belief that our vision of life and ourselves is refracted, broken up, distorted, and that as a result our perceptions arent always accurate. Atwood uses Elaines second encounter at the twosome to imply that our views, especially on other people are refracted, and not unavoidably as they seem to be. Cordelia is seen to effect Elaine the closely significantly, and it is not until the end of the book, when Elaine is finally approach shot back to herself (the bridge) that Elaine realises that Cordelia was not what she seemed to be.There is the analogous shame, the sick feeling in my body, the kindred knowledge of my own wrongness, awkwardness, weakness the alike wish to be loved the uniform loneliness the same fear. But these are not my own emotions anymore. They are Cordelias as they always were.It is only at the end of Elaines life when she realizes that her emotions that traumatized her childhood (and adult life) were in fact Cordelias, who in order to escape them and cope transferred them to Elaine. Elaine feels stronger with this knowledge and finally releases Cordelia, as the Virgin bloody shame once released her Its ok, you can go firm now.Elaines mourning is over and she is big of Cordelia, she can see clearly now- The reverse in my eyes withdraws like skunk and is starting to make sense of her past. Atwood also uses Elaines misconception of Cordelia to exemplify how our refracted view of others substantially affects our view of ourselves and the world our experience of the present is coloured by our past events. Elaine realises that all these years, she still did not know Cordelia, back up Atwoods dispute of the notion that on that point can really be a fixed and cognoscible individual ity. Atwood employs this metaphor in order to position the reader to be receptive to the ideathat our views on others, the world, and ourselves are not absolute but equivocal.In Cats center of attention the origin person limited narration is fallible in the sense that Elaine cannot see enough either because of her own maturation and desires and the forces condition them, or of the consequences of her choices. The novel questions whether lives, stories or autobiographical narratives can ever be accurate. A novel that presents a straightforward one-dimensional narrative that moves through events sequentially and constructs a complete set of ideas about life that seem elemental. It accepts that our experience of life, our thoughts and feeling, motivations, movement through time our very representation in a literary text, can be captured accurately. It implies order, coherence, unity and stability a logical basis for our actions and thoughts thus presenting a conservative world view.The structure of Cats Eye serves as a critique of this unproblematic view of the world. The novel constantly shifts in the midst of past and present and her narration as a young Elaine and an old Elaine. This chemise represents Elaines life, as she feels it is barley comprehensible. Because the tarradiddle is written in first person, its only presents one version of reality- Elaines version. This leads us to question Elaines version and its accuracy. Atwoods purpose behind this is to bring to light the complexity of character in Elaine, and highlight her struggle in coming to harm with her own identity. This challenge on the common qualities of autobiographical narratives even leads the reader to question Cats Eye as just another version of reality that is presented to us in life.Atwood questions the belief that the individual is knowable and that appearance corresponds with fixed reality she critiques the notion that reality can be captured. This is shown through her questi oning of autobiographical writing, and is perpetuated through the use of Elaines characterizations at her mattering Sub-versions. Cordelia subjected Elaine to subtle, psychological strong-arm as a child, and destroyed her self-confidence, which lasts well into her adult life. Her art is a way of expressing these bottled-up emotions and a mean of dealing with her trauma her art presents a different version of reality of her life, one that she is unable toconfront in her routine life. I can no nightlong control these paintings, or tell them what to mean. any(prenominal) energy they save came out of me. Im whats left over. by her art she exerts a power that she did have in her childhood, taking revenge on Mrs. Smeath and confronting other issues such as her bullying in the painting Cats Eye, where Elaine appropriates the idea of the pier glass reflecting figures outdoors the frames of the main picture.This glass hangs behind a self-portrait that shows only half of Elaines hea d and incorporates signs of aging. In her childhood the common chord girls guide her from behind yet the young Elaine in the picture is turned around, facing her tormentors. The painting symbolises the claiming and relinquishing of control. The child, Elaine looks back at the three girls, the adult Elaine looks back at the extraneous viewer. The back of the head is crucial a mirror that shows only the ruined half of your face. Elaines art reflects the psychological state she is in and has faced in her childhood. This is typic of Elaine looking back on her life and seeing her childhood in a different light-Nothing is what it really seems. The art gallery is appropriately named, contributing to Atwoods surmisal Life is a series of different and conflicting versions of reality, identity and reality are not fixed and the concept of use up truth can never be captured.Atwoods novel Cats Eye shapes the reality by which we view the world and ourselves. Our lives operate around securi ty (especially of ourselves) and we generate and understanding and connect ourselves to the world through various versions of reality that we pay back to become believed absolutes upon which we base our lives Without the fixed reality we create for ourselves and the absolutes that structure our lives, our sense of purpose, and implication diminishes. Distress is brought upon us through Cats Eye because Atwood critiques our quest for identity as she suggests that we will never know ourselves and will never have a fixed identity.It is therefore the readers choice on weather to comprehend the notions Atwood is proffering. Atwood uses varied techniques and narrative elements such as imagery, symbolism, and the narrative point of view to pertain her beliefs. Through the particular employment of these techniques Atwood strengthens her crusade to the reader and positions them to support her indited criticisms of a knowable identity, and a fixed reality and truth. Cats Eye challenges th emeasurable, and the way we qualify things as knowable and existing and a truth.BibliographyAtwood, Margaret, Cats Eye, Penguin, Montreal 1968