Susanna Modorie By Margaret Atwood

In Margaret Atwood’s poem, A Bus Along ST.Clair: December, written in Susanna Moodie’s perspective, presents an idea of nature against civilization; in addition, Susanna Moodie’s pioneering settlement. The title suggests that aboard a bus, a transportation for modern society which carries nemorous people to a new destination, along ST. Clair. In addition, bus on the ST.Clair street runs from east to west which associates with Susanna Moodie’s immigrant experience that she move to Canada from Scotland through a ship. Now, she is carried by bus on ST. Clair street from east to west. This poem is the last poem in The Journal of Susanna Moodie written by Margaret Atwood; it serves a backward looking on her past and interpretation to civilization

For instance, in “Further Arrivals”, Susanna Moodie arrived her destination; however, the nature around her is elusive and dark which she needs to face her inner darkness toward her identity and outside - the environment. Susanna Moodie was at a stage of transformation, physically and mentally. She needed to adapt the cold weather in Canada also her identity and challenges of facing this new land. Nevertheless, she reveals huge fear of being at this place where she was alienated from human, as she states, “My brain gropes nervous/ tentacles in the night, sends out/ fears hairy as bears,/ demands lamps; or waiting” To overcome this fear of nature, she believes she eventually needs the “wolf’s eyes” to adapt the nature and wilderness and her wish of civilization - the artificial light from “lamps”. In journal one, Atwood depicts Susanna Moodie’s fear toward the wilderness due to the unfamiliar nature and her desire of civilization through the motif - light. Conversely, even though, Susanna Moodie is still facing the wilderness and elusiveness brought up by it, as she said in the last poem, “Turn, look up/ through the gritty window: an unexplored/ wilderness of wires”. The unexplored and dangerous wilderness is no longer the

The “silver paradise [built] with a bulldozer”, “monuments of concrete slabs”, and “pyramid of cold light over my head” give readers a picture of modern infrastructure; however, a feeling of cold, isolated, and contradicted. As paradise is a place full of happiness but it is a place built by ugly bulldozer. Imagery such as “grey air” gives readers an impression of the polluted air. In addition, in stanza five, Susanna Moodie associates herself closer to the nature - the snow - than to the “grey air” due to