Analyzing Authenticity of Narrator's Style in Atwood's The Penelopiad

This essay, prepared by Kamalpreet Uppal, examines the authenticity and reliability of the narrator, Penelope, in Margaret Atwood's 'The Penelopiad'. The paper delves into the portrayal of Penelope's afterlife, exploring themes of fate, death, and life through her perspective and the contrasting narratives of her maids. It analyzes the trustworthiness of Penelope's account, considering her relationship with Odysseus, the unfaithful king, and the impact of her experiences, including her near-death experiences and the conflicts she faced as a queen. The essay assesses the critical reception of Atwood's work, the significance of the source material, and the portrayal of Greek gods. It concludes by evaluating the overall reliability of Penelope's narration, considering the impact of her perspective on the reader and the novel's overall impact.

PAPER ON THE PENELOPIAD
Student’s name: Kamalpreet Uppal
Students ID: 704543
Instructor’s name: Shannon Page
Subject: English 121

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Thesis statement...............................................................................................................................3
Version of Penelopiad......................................................................................................................3
Reliability........................................................................................................................................5
Critical description...........................................................................................................................6
Thesis statement...............................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Title: Discuss authenticity of Penelopiad’s narrator style in Atwood’s ‘The Penepoliad’. Is
version of narrator trustworthy or not?
Introduction
‘The Penelopiad' is the literature representation, which introduced the fact that the
mentioned lady possesses utmost knowledge regarding real-life factors. Based on the mentioned
literature piece, it can be found that the lady focuses on the transformation of society in Greece.
Moreover, the discussion also includes factors like fate, death, repentance, and many more with
respect to the lady.
The following discussion is concentrating on specific factors like the reliability of Penelope as
narrators with the concerned literature piece. The discussion also evaluates the facts like fate,
death, and other related factors with respect to the life of mentioned lady and then time Greece's
circumstances.
Thesis statement
Based on the thesis statement of the following discussion, it can be found that the
following discussion is dealing with the afterlife analysis of the lady, named as Penelopiad. This
discussion is based on the imagination of the mentioned lady. Moreover, the storyline also
includes the description of twelve maid's personal introduction and interaction with the potential
story for presenting the conflicting approach. Throughout the discussion, it can be found that the
mentioned discussion is dealing with the character portrayal of the narrator, and her husband
through various events of their lives. In a collective manner, it can be said that the mentioned

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description deals with the real-life aspects of certain personnel, hence; it is proved to be
influential for the readers.
After analyzing the first section of the discussion, it can be found that the process of
storytelling is much inspiring for readers, hence; the thesis statement also concentrates on the
characteristics of the overall study and its chronological presentation before readers.
Version of Penelopiad
Based on the mentioned literature review, it can be identified that the lady was presented
her life story after her post-life. In addition to this, it can be found that the description is
supported by the introductions of her maids as well. The maids, who associate with speaker,
were killed by the king, Odysseus, husband of Penelopiad. According to the remarks from the
narrator, it can be found that then time queen of Greece was tried to kill by some of her relatives.
As opined by Burrow, (127), this description of the mentioned lady and her numerous ladies are
proved to be effective for the readers to make them understand the circumstances of then Greece
as this relates royal behaviors of that time along with the social turbulence as well. In this
scenario, it can be found that the narrator of the discussion is delivered her presentation in a
retrospective manner. After analyzing all the relevant and evaluated sections of the study, it can
be found that the representation is found to be volatile in nature.
Significance of source
The mentioned piece of critical apprehension is proved to be authentic, as this evaluates
contradiction of presentation by the narrator. In this context, it can be said that the mentioned
piece of work evaluates the context of ‘death’, ‘fate’ for Penelopiad. This can clarify the view
point of the speaker before readers for better understanding.
Death

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Throughout the discussion, the stages of life have represented by the narrator in various
aspects and point of views. After analyzing the mentioned topic, it can be found that the lady
represents her afterlife by mentioning some of her life's events related to death. As opined by
Bhattacharya, Monali, and EktaSrivastava, (137), this representation also indicates the fact that
the lady fed up towards her life's events, hence; she rightly indicates that the life is over for her.
The detailed description of the representation also evaluates the frustration of the lady from her
life as she finds no friend of her similar to her class and royal status. This makes the process of
living more complex for Penelopiad. The discussion further continues dark sides of life, like
Penelopiad mother's neglected life, which had faced cold reactions by her relatives. In addition to
these factors, it can be found that the associate twelve maids of the narrator also depicted their
lives through highlighting their lineage, and described the whole matter through constructing the
life of Penelopiad. All these factors are considered as the fate of the narrator lady and she
represented these factors as the death of her own, which means end of the life.
Significance of source
Death is proved to be the most prominent theme within the description of the lady
speaker. Penelopiad represents her life after her death, in a realistic manner. Thus, the selection
of the above literary part is proved to be significant with respect to novel’s context.
Life
However, on the other hand, the narrator of the mentioned piece relates some of her life's
incidents through evaluating that then she had tried to be killed once by some of her relatives.
The very person had thrown away her into a sea. Despite this incident, the lady had able to
survive her life through the help of a flock of ducks. This proves to be a silver line within the
whole dark life graph of Penelopiad. These factors are represented the contrasting side of the

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literature piece by Atwood as a whole. After analyzing the entire mentioned factor, it can be said
that the mentioned piece of creation is proved to be volatile in nature, despite having numerous
anachronism within the description. As opined by Howells, Coral Ann, (39), presentation of
Penelopiad about her afterlife experience, is based on the complete image, which fails to affect
the real-life aspects. Hence, it can be said that the event's version of the mentioned lady seems
not to be trustworthy for the readers and cannot applicable in real life experience of individuals
as well. The lady narrator depicts her life in a passive manner, while the representation of her
maids' lives are completely different the concept and upheld her lifestyle. Thus, in a collective
manner, it can be said that the overall presentation by the mentioned author fails to gain readers'
concern in the fullest version.
Apart from death, the mentioned novel also includes specification of life or revival.
Hence, critical apprehension related to life is proved to be effective for the novel by Atwood.
After all these factors, it also can be said that the version of the lady can be acceptable and
appealing to some of the critics too. According to them, all the represented factors are true and
reliable in nature, as the analysis was done after the death of the lady narrator.
Reliability
After analyzing the mentioned factors, it can be found that the representative of the
mentioned literature analyzes her afterlife through an imaginary description. This analysis
consists of some of the factors of real life like fate, repentance, and death as a whole. Throughout
the description, one can find a complete commentary of Penelopiad life events through her own
perceptions. This process was contrasted by the representation of lives by her maids. This
contracting representation reduces the reliability of the overall study. In addition to this, it can be
found that the process of storytelling is proved to be effective and influential for the readers, as it

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contains some relevant aspects of everyone's life. Reliability of the discussion also terminated by
the characteristics of the king, Penelopiad husband him. According to Irshad, Shaista, and
NirojBanerji, (39), an incident of the race had been narrated by the storyteller, in whom the king
was won by his tricks, and the narrator was at the fifteenth position. However, the king married
the lady that evening. This incident creates a wrong vibe on the minds of the readers and the
narrator. This reduces the application of the mentioned novel as well.
Significance of source
Reliability in presentation is an important factor for attracting mindset of the readers.
Hence, it can be said that review by Irshad, Shaista and NirojBanerji is proved to be effective, as
this demonstrate the reliability of the novel before readers.
Unfaithful king
Based on the representation of the narrator lady, it can be found that the king, named
as Odyssey, is proved to be unfaithful in his characteristics, tricks of the king helped him to win
the deciding race and helped him to marry Penelopiad. In addition to this, it can be found that the
mentioned person also has certain flaws in his characteristics, as the person killed the queen's
twelve maids and focuses on one man's survival for nostos. This is placed in the center of his
private domain as well. As opined by Hauser, Emily, (111), the characteristics of the mentioned
king affected the reliability of the overall storyline by presenting the whole process in a negative
manner. In addition to the character flaws in the king, but also it includes negative sides of the
narrator lady's character as well. Based on the description by the lady herself, it reflects that the
lady was found to be dishonest to her husband as well. This proves that the mentioned
description by the lady has questionable reliability to the readers' world. As rightly criticized by
Howells, Coral Ann, (211), the whole description by the author is based on the imaginary

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analysis. Hence, it can be considered that the whole process of description is less reliable in
nature.
Significance of source
Characteristic flaws of the king can be represented through the mentioned article. This
proves to be significant for the readers, as they can relate this with the description of Penelopiad
for enhancing novel’s accessibility.
Hence, it can be said that the lady of the concerned study is not much reliable in nature to
the readers, and this reduces the application of the overall description as a whole despite having
many influential elements. After analyzing the overall story of Penelopiad, it can be found that
the lady had a cousin, who is the famous lady of Troy in Greece, Helen. In this context, it can be
said that the lady narrator had no significant mate in her childhood similar to her royalty and
status. However, her cousin had the power to control male-dominated and male-centric reality.
These breakdowns the mindset of the narrator, and she wanted to commit some significant
actions, against her husband's guidance for enjoying her royalty. However, on the other hand, it
can be said that the life of Penelopiad proved to be fairly privileged for her maids, who had a
struggling background on their own (umkc.edu, 2018).
Besides all these mentioned factors, it can be said that the narrator lady from the
mentioned piece of art, had to face inner conflicts due to having less amount of power, despite
being a queen. This breaks her down more deeply and she realizes that she needs to die, as all the
reality is faced by her and it is her fate, which ruined her life. However, on the other part of the
description, it can be found that the lady also analyzed that someone of her relatives tried to kill
her in her childhood and threw her into a sea. However, the lady was survived by a flock of
ducks.

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Critical description
After analyzing the overall description by the mentioned lady, it can be said that the lady
describes the Gods of Greece as irony and funny. Hence, it is rightly said by Hauser, Emily,
(125), this reduces the reliability of the study to a large share of readers. On the contrary of this
event, it can be found that the lady narrator represented the whole description after her death,
hence; it can be proved that some aspects, related to daily lives are found to be realistic in nature.
These factors can attract the mindset of the readers as well. Hence, it can be said that the
reliability of the mentioned pieces can be judged by the instincts of the readers. To some critics
also believes in this concept that the description of the lady is questionable to them as they were
presented after the death of the lady, and this may differ from the real prospect of current
situations of Greece. Supports this view, it can be found that Penelopiad described in her
narration that the circumstances of Greece had been changing through having numerous heroic
wars by her husband and others. Thus, it can be said that the concept of myth plays a significant
part within this description, and for that, the representation Atwood possesses some tricky
aspects in its realism and authenticity.
Thus, in a collective manner, it can be considered that the overall description by the
mentioned author is proved to be acceptable and reliable to the readers. The reason for this, the
mentioned description analyzed a lady's life in a specific description of every event. However,
the above description also evaluates the fact that the characteristics flaws of the narrator and her
husband can develop hindrance towards acceptance for some of the readers. In addition to this,
the narration was based on complete imagination by the author, hence; it sometimes conflicts
with the realistic aspects of the society of Greece.
Significance of source

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Hence, it can be said that the critical apprehension by the mentioned authors are proved
to be effective for the novel, as these enlighten the representation of the lady in more specific and
significant manner.
Thesis statement
After analyzing the mentioned factors, it can be proved that the thesis statement of the
mentioned study is achieved by the course of discussion. In addition to this, the thesis statement
regarding the representation of the novel is achieved by the author, as the novel continues its
charming story telling style all through the discussion.
Conclusion
After analyzing the above discussion, it can be found that the mentioned novel is based
on the life cycle of Penelopiad, which she represents after her death. In addition to this, it can be
said that the mentioned discussion is ruined by the contribution of myth. Based on this
discussion, it can be said that the mentioned discussion provides ample scope to analyze the
reliability of the topic with respect to then Greece society and the current generation of readers.
Through detailed discussion all possible things, it can be said that the mentioned discussion is
proved to be influencing and version of the narrator lady is acceptable for the readers as well.
However, at the end of the discussion, it can be noted that some critics have some critical aspects
regarding this factor as well.

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References
Bhattacharya, Monali, and EktaSrivastava. "Contemporary Contextualization of Paanchali and
Penelope through Chitra Banerjee’s The Palace of Illusions and Margaret Atwood’s The
Penelopiad." Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities 10.1 (2018):
136-145.
Burrow, Ar’Meishia. "A Heroine in Her Own Right: A Character Analysis of Penelope in
ThePenelopiad." (2017).
Hauser, Emily. "‘There is another story’: writing after the Odyssey in Margaret Atwood’s The
Penelopiad." Classical Receptions Journal 10.2 (2017): 109-126.
Howells, Coral Ann. "Mired in Mud: Circe, Atwood, and the Female Mythmaker." (2016).
Howells, Coral Ann. "Mired in Mud: Circe, Atwood, and the Female Mythmaker." (2016).
Irshad, Shaista, and NirojBanerji."Deconstructing Gender and Myth in Margaret Atwood’s The
Penelopiad."ANGLISTICUM. Journal of the Association-Institute for English Language
and American Studies 2.3 (2016): 35-41.
litcharts.com (2018) The Penelopiad Summary retrieved from: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-
penelopiad/summary
umkc.edu (2018) The Penelopiad retrieved from: https://info.umkc.edu/unews/the-penelopiadan-
ode-to-penelope-atwood-offers-female-retelling-of-the-odyssey/