Analysis of the Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

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The Edible Woman was written in the 1960s, when males dominated society. At this period in time post-war feminist movements were trying to conquer and fight that women could do everything a man could do if only they could get the chance to prove so. In The Edible Woman there are three parts to Marian MacAlpin’s life that play a major role throughout the novel, all the parts have a common denominator, which happens to be food. Part one of the story is about how Marian is trying to identify herself in a male dominate world, while going through a sudden change dealing with her eating habits. Part two the narrator, Marian is beginning to refer to herself in third person, no longer using “I” but using “she” and letting her boyfriend pick and choose everything for her. The third and final part of The Edible Woman tells about how Marian’s appetite goes back to being normal and she also no longer refers to herself in third person but starts using “I” again taking back her identity. In The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood the constant theme is a woman who is unable to accept the roles provided to the female by a male-dominated society.
Marian MacAlpin is a young, successful woman, working in the market research field. Her job, private life and social relationships seem to be idealistic, but after finding out her boyfriend Peter is a consumer of nature during a conversation over dinner, she can’t eat causing her body is responding in a negative way. Marian’s rejection to food acts as a metaphor for her rejection to the male dominate society, she does not want her whole life to be ran by men or one man. When Peter proposes to Marian her body completely starts to refuse food and she is unable to eat. Marian begins to feel as if she is being e...

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... role he is expecting her to play but instead of accepting the facts Peter leaves offended by Marian. Marian happily eats the cake, sharing with Duncan who returns to the scene out of the blue. The cake is Marian’s way of coming into terms with the life she has chosen. Marian likes the fact that she can provide for herself without a man and she wants to continue to be independent and work.
The novel reflects on how Marian showed a lack of identity in the beginning but then Marian demonstrated a large amount of strength that was necessary in order to protect her own individuality which at one point started to disappear because the male dominate world she lived in was taking over her thoughts and moves. Marian came to face and accept that the role she wanted to play was not the role the male-dominated society agreed to but Marian was willing to do what made her happy.

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