Reading Power Politics In Margaret Atwood's Bodily Harm

Published in 1981 during Margaret Atwood's more mature stage of writing, Bodily Harm receives criticism of a controversial nature. It is often categorized by some critics as a feminist fiction even though Margaret Atwood does not regard herself as a feminist writer. It is also labeled as postmodern, although this comment faces immediate objection from other critics. My reading of the novel aims at clarifying its content as feminism extended with power politics. And I also attempt to link Atwood's thematic concerns to her narrative techniques so as to better see her intention. Survival is the recurrent theme in Atwood's novels and power politics is simply a continued effort to reflect the theme. A detailed analysis is given to some of the metaphors employed by Atwood to visualize the theme, which is crucial to understanding this novel. These images include Rennie's breast cancer, the coiled rope left by the intruder, and eating. Furthermore, narrative features such as plot, structure, and shifts between first-person and limited third-person perspectives in telling the story are impeccably interwoven with the intended themes. As far as themes and narratives of the novel are concerned, the writer draws on an obvious Canadian tradition while making breakthroughs in both. Focusing on power politics, the novel surpasses her previous works and, at the same time, opens up new chapters in Atwood's writing.