Margaret Atwood uses plot, point of view, and character in "Alias Grace" to exhibit just how easy it is to sympathize with someone no matter the circumstances, even a convicted murderer. The arrangement of events, the use of flashbacks, are tools used by Atwood to characterize Grace in a way that makes it easy for the reader to sympathize with her character. Atwood made it so that the story follows Grace, giving a well-rounded view of who she is. The reader can watch Grace grow up into the woman that went through such turmoil.

The switch of the point of view allowed Atwood the ability to enable the reader the chance to get both an inside and outside look at what was going on in the story. It gave the reader the chance to watch the proceedings through the eyes of Grace and Jordan, giving different outlooks on the events as they unfold. The characters in the story are also a big part of how Atwood shows the reader just how easy it is to sympathize with anyone. The qualities Atwood assigned to the figures in the novel are something that makes it easy for the reader to sympathize with Grace, even when she was a convicted murderer.

Even while the reader questions Grace's sanity and status as a reliable source, they can't help but feel sympathy towards her, especially when she speaks to Simon Jordan about her past. An example of this being, "Because you may think a bed is a peaceful thing, Sir, and to you, it may mean rest and comfort and a good night's sleep. But it isn't so for everyone; and there are many dangerous things that may take place in a bed."

This is because it allows the reader a glimpse into the horrors of Grace's past, and just that little bit allows for sympathy to come from the reader. Another instance that makes the reader feel as if Grace has never felt deserving of anything and the reader can see how much that affects her, especially when she warns Simon of this fact is when Grace says, "for if the world treats you well, Sir, you come to believe you are deserving of it."

When Grace tells her story to Simon, she does it in such a way that he continues to want to go back, by possibly making it more dramatic than needed but that doesn't negate the horrors of her past. With this in place, it allows the reader to see into her past. But more than that it also makes it so the reader questions her reliability. Is she just saying those things so Simon will come back? So that the reader will?

Grace's childhood is told in such a way that allows for the reader to both learn about how Grace was created but also connect with her on a level they wouldn't have been able to without this knowledge and the way it is presented. The sentence "my hands are clasped in front of me; they're chapped, the knuckles reddened. I can't remember a time when they were not like that," shows that throughout her life Grace has always had to work to go anywhere or get anything, which is something the reader can sympathize with. Another sentence that allows for sympathy from the reader is "when I was younger I used to think that if I could hug myself tight enough I could make myself smaller, because there was never enough room for me, at home or anywhere, but if I was smaller then I would fit in."

Grace's mother passed away when she was a young girl and her father was a cruel man who was only seen drinking and making Grace feel as if she was only good for finding work. Any person with that sort of background will have the potential to go off of the beaten track, and the reader knows it, allowing for sympathy. The experiences in Grace's life have added up, one after the other, and shaped who she has become. This is proven when Grace says, "he is talking to people in Toronto, trying to find out if I am guilty; but he won't find it out that way. He doesn't understand yet that guilt comes to you not from the things you've done, but from the things that others have done for you." This proves that Grace's life is a pile of moments that have led to what she has become, but even with this knowledge in mind, the reader is unable to prevent themselves from sympathizing with Grace.

In society, once guilt is thrust upon you it is hard to shake off even if the guilt was wrongfully placed there. When Grace says "if I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it's not easy being quiet and good, it's like hanging on to the edge of a bridge when you've already fallen over; you don't seem to be moving, just dangling there, and yet it is taking all your strength," it shows the reader that even if she didn't commit the crime and if she behaves it will be near impossible for her to see the light of day again. She will always be hanging on. Everyone is using her guilt, whether it be true or not, to entertain themselves and others. Much like gossip tend to do around businesses and schools, allowing for sympathy from readers.

An example of this being "the newspaper journalists like to believe the worst; they can sell more papers that way, as one of them told me himself; for even upstanding and respectable people dearly love to read ill of others." "A prison does not only lock its inmates inside, it keeps all others out. Her strongest prison is of her own construction." I believe this is saying that her strongest prison is her mind, which is true for many. But in this case, it means that she is locked away in her mind as long as she believes in her guilt.

Given Grace's station in life, not only as a woman but a servant, she was already looked down upon, something that many can relate too. I feel as if she is speaking of herself when she says, "I don't know why they are all so eager to be remembered. What good will it do them? There are some things that should be forgotten by everyone, and never spoken of again." I feel as if this is truly how she feels others should react in relation to herself. The sentence "you can have your own thoughts then, but if you laugh you must pretend you are coughing or choking; choking is better…" shows the reader just how society is. It's where you must hold your tongue in situations that it would seem rude to speak out of turn, such as a servant to the master of the house.

The sentence "I have little enough of my own, no belongings, no possessions, no privacy to speak of, and I need to keep something to myself" shows how truly little Grace has in a world ruled by consumerism. "What is believed in society is not always the equivalent of what is true; but as regards to a woman's reputation, it amounts to the same thing" shows the reader how women are looked down upon by society, not even taking into account the woman's situation.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Grace's self-esteem has lowered detrimentally, allowing for sympathy from readers. "And I wondered what would become of me, and comforted myself that in a hundred years I would be dead and at peace, and in my grave; and I thought it might be less trouble altogether, to be in it a good deal sooner than that." This sentence exhibits how she is contemplating suicide, no matter for how short the consideration was, because she felt it would be better if she were dead sooner rather than later. When Grace says "if they want a monster so badly they ought to be provided by one" it makes the reader think that she believes she is only good for what people, in this case, a monster. "Gone mad is what they say, and sometimes Run mad, as if mad is a different direction, like west; as if mad is a different house you could step into, or a separate country entirely. But when you go mad you don't go any other place, you stay where you are. And somebody else comes in." This shows that the thoughts of others are influencing her, at least when it comes to the fact of her madness. She is right about this explanation, but I don't think she truly believes that she is crazy.

When these components are put together you get a well thought out novel. One that uses plot, point of view and character to show readers how easy it is to sympathize with someone, no matter the circumstances. In any work of fiction, whether it be a book or movie or television show, the creator is able to make the villain great because of backstory and the character itself. It allows the reader/watcher to sympathize with them, to get to know them. In doing so they can feel closer to them, they know why they are the way they are, the reader is able to not only feel sorry for the person (no matter what they have done) but they seem to have an understanding between themselves and the villain (or the person portrayed as the villain).

In "Alias Grace," "Atwood uses the aforementioned techniques in order to get that point across to her readers. No matter the person, no matter their deeds, you will always be able to sympathize.