Themes and Characters
The Moral Conundrum
To what extent should individuals wield the power to dictate the destinies of others? And when they do seize such control, who is to judge whether their intentions serve the greater good or undermine society's best interests? This moral quandary is deftly explored by Murphy in his tale of two contrasting girls: one a leader, the other a follower. Jessica Elizabeth Wyman is hired to tend to Mrs. Hayword's house and cats during the latter's absence. She seizes this chance to invite Kirsten Richards over, hoping to earn her friendship. "There was something about her [Kirsten's] personality, its power really, that made Jessica feel important." This dynamic between the girls is steeped in irony; the audience is privy to more than the characters themselves. While Jessica is entranced by Kirsten's commanding nature, Kirsten's actions might trigger alarm in the perceptive reader. Jessica's skewed moral compass leads her to justify Kirsten's wrongdoings—such as stealing a marble—with weak excuses. "Oh, Kirsten could be a little bossy, but that was okay with Jessica." Despite any surprise at Mrs. Hayword's observations post-Kirsten's transformation, the truth of her words echoes throughout the narrative: "She [Kirsten] never was your friend and never would have been. People like her only use other people." This power imbalance raises questions about Jessica’s willingness to be manipulated.
The Complexity of Responsibility
Mrs. Hayword declares that "her [Kirsten's] heart was as black as the night," prompting a reflection on Jessica's own character when she forsakes her moral principles to indulge Kirsten's whims. Jessica muses that "Kirsten was capable of doing bad things, had, in fact, led others to do them, too," yet this recognition does not absolve Jessica of her responsibility. Nevertheless, Jessica's acuity allows her to discern the flaws in Mrs. Hayword's solution to Kirsten's influence:
Eliminate evil before it has a chance to do evil, Jessica thought. That was like finding people guilty and sentencing them before they actually committed a crime. It didn't seem fair.
The Unsettling Conclusion
Thus, the conclusion of "The Cat's-Eye" leaves its questions unresolved. Mrs. Hayword's actions appear as arbitrary as Kirsten's, leaving us to wonder about her authority to decide who deserves to mature and who does not. This unsettling closure enhances the story's impact. Murphy might have ended it with clear-cut justice, showcasing Kirsten’s inevitable malice and her transformation as a fitting retribution. Yet, he opts instead to provoke thought. What right do Mrs. Hayword and her coven have to shape others' destinies? Are they truly different from Kirsten, or do they too wield their influence over others' choices? It seems that not only Kirsten's autonomy has been stripped away, but Jessica’s as well. The decision to comply or rebel was hers alone until the witches intervened, potentially stunting her growth into an independent moral agent. As the story concludes, Jessica faces the opportunity to assert her individuality and moral judgment. Yet, Mrs. Hayword appears confident that Jessica will merely transfer her allegiance from Kirsten to her, continuing the cycle of influence.
Characters
Elaine Risley, a painter of remarkable vision, encapsulates a fascinating paradox often found in Atwood's characters. Her childhood, filled with the shadows of victimization, contrasts sharply with her adult life, which boldly displays the triumph of her rebellious artistic spirit. Her return to Toronto stirs within her a need to confront unsettling memories and reconcile with the fame she's recently acquired. Elaine, much like Atwood's other sharp, witty, and astute narrators of life's absurdities, resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, far removed from the emotional whirlwinds of her youth, university days, and first...
(This entire section contains 1258 words.)
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marriage. Now remarried to a comfortably mundane businessman, she grapples with her conflicting desires for bourgeois anonymity and a daring artistic break from tradition. As she navigates the complexities of her newfound recognition, Elaine is steeped in ambivalence about her identity, her achievements, the significance of her past, and the peculiar comforts of her present existence.
Elaine's childhood serves as a foundation for her character, opening a window into her enigmatic nature. The elder Risleys lead their family on extensive journeys into the Canadian wilderness, studying natural entomological calamities, and remain charmingly indifferent to the fabric of "typical" Canadian life. This unconventional upbringing means the children miss out on the usual social indoctrinations. While adhering to traditional gender roles as parents, they raise their son and daughter without imposing strict gender identities. However, these familial influences wane under the new social demands that arise with their move to Toronto—a shift profoundly felt by Elaine, who views her parents’ quirks in a unique light.
Mr. Risley's "exotic" introductions, such as the Indian graduate student Banerji, resonate with Elaine, echoing her sense of alienation. Her father’s scientific perspective subtly permeates her worldview, emerging in the vivid imagery of her art. Yet, the novel's complex gender dynamics are mirrored in her mother's marginalization due to Elaine's new social ties. Mrs. Risley's distinctiveness becomes a source of unease for Elaine, who finds her mother ill-equipped to guide her through conformity's demands or to shield her from the cruelties she endures. Decades later, this failure remains an unspoken, palpable tension between them.
The Complex Web of Friendship
Cordelia, the de facto leader of the girl group Elaine finds herself drawn into, captivates Elaine's thoughts throughout the narrative. Elaine believes that by understanding this friendship as an adult, she might unravel her persistent insecurities and doubts. Carol and Grace, Cordelia’s loyal followers, each embody different aspects of the pressures young girls impose upon one another. Cordelia’s arrival heightens the stakes, her charismatic flair for rebellion compelling the others to vie for her approval. This dynamic demands a complete assessment of Elaine’s worth, subjecting her to relentless scrutiny and ostracization "for her own good" to correct her deemed insufficiencies. Elaine is subjected to harrowing ordeals, including being "buried alive" by the girls and retrieving a hat from a freezing stream, rumored to be infested with danger. This latter challenge leads to a severe cold but also a "vision" of an imagined Virgin Mother, which begins to free Elaine from the grip of these toxic relationships.
An Artistic Redemption
Throughout the remainder of the novel, Atwood shifts the power dynamic between Elaine and Cordelia, offering Elaine a measure of retribution. As adolescence unfolds, Elaine achieves academic and romantic victories, accentuating the widening cracks in Cordelia’s persona. Cordelia spirals into instability and self-destruction, moving frequently to new schools and eventually succumbing to mental illness. Their paths cross intermittently during Elaine’s college years, with each encounter revealing Cordelia in a progressively more pitiable state. Elaine comes to view Cordelia's earlier cruelty as a reflection of her inadequacies, born as the youngest and most flawed of three daughters in a family bound by high expectations.
As time marches on, Cordelia evolves into a symbol rather than a tangible presence for Elaine, representing a profound fear of vulnerability and imperfection within herself. The history shared by the two makes Elaine’s journey back to Toronto a quest for a lost personal wholeness, one disrupted by Cordelia's entrance into her life. Yet, this lost sense of self cannot be reclaimed simply through encounters at an art gallery or walking the old neighborhood. True resolution for Elaine lies within her artistic pursuits, deeply nourished by the childhood scars she continues to navigate.
The Artistic Journey of Elaine
The evolution of Elaine's artistic journey weaves itself intricately into the fabric of the novel's narrative, serving not only as a reflection but also as a revelation of the profound impact her past experiences have had on her character. Elaine's struggles as a feminist figure echo the challenges faced by Atwood herself, despite the author's insistence against interpreting her fiction through a biographical lens. The parallels between Elaine's tale and Atwood's own early life, her encounters in Toronto, her forays into the fine arts, and her rise to fame are striking and cannot be easily ignored.
More importantly, the novel underscores the past as a rich source of inspiration for Elaine's current artistic endeavors. Her paintings, rendered with a vivid and poetic precision, vividly illustrate how deeply personal memories and experiences transform into their own artistic purposes when brought to life on canvas. A curious irony emerges as Elaine resists the intricate interpretations her imagery provokes from critics, reluctant to relinquish control over her creations once they enter the public realm. A recurring theme in her work draws on the haunting memory of Mrs. Smeath, the mother of a childhood antagonist, channeling Elaine's disdain for bourgeois conventions that judged her. Yet, she also morphs Mrs. Smeath into an emblematic symbol of the psychic distortions these conventions inflict on women who practice them.
Elaine's Relationships and Their Impact
While the pivotal female figures in the novel leave indelible scars on Elaine, the men she encounters are portrayed with greater empathy, reflecting their existence as less complicated, albeit less self-aware, individuals. Elaine grows up overshadowed by her gifted older brother Stephen, yearning to recapture the emotional clarity she once shared with him. Stephen's offer of "honorary male" status, a recognition of her refusal to engage in the cultural self-diminishment expected of girls, presents yet another complex lens through which Elaine grapples with her womanhood. Atwood's surprising narrative choice for Stephen—who becomes an internationally renowned physicist only to meet a tragic end as a hostage—may serve as a form of authorial retribution against characters whose influence has long hindered Elaine's womanhood. Through Stephen, Elaine acquires a longing for male validation, rooted in her perceived "difference" from other women, which shapes her subsequent relationships with men.
The deceptive and exploitative nature of such validation is starkly unveiled through her college art teacher, Mr. Hrbik, who entangles her in a series of student affairs. Elaine ultimately outgrows him as she uncovers his own crippling emotional needs, mirroring the power shift that liberated her from her dysfunctional bond with Cordelia. Her later entanglement with Jon, a fellow artist, begins with his recognition of her as a more "serious" student compared to her female classmates. Their casual relationship progresses towards pregnancy and marriage, only to crumble under the weight of Jon's discontented affairs with other women, as Elaine frantically balances the demands of motherhood, employment, and her artistic calling.
The tumultuous end of this marriage, culminating in Elaine's suicide attempt, is a pivotal moment, yet she eventually finds a reconciliatory peace with Jon. During a stay in his Toronto loft, their nostalgic intimacy offers a therapeutic contrast to the unresolved tensions lingering in Elaine's relationships with women by the novel's conclusion.
