Body as a Symbol of Oppression in Margaret Atwood's 'Lady Oracle'

Margaret Atwood (1939- ) is that gem of Canadian Literature who began writing at the early age of six. She is the author of over forty books and is a social activist and a keen environmentalist. The novel ‘Lady Oracle’ is in the form of an autobiography of the protagonist, Joan Foster, her journey from a young girl to an established writer. Her early childhood is filled with various incidents of body shaming mainly by her mother. The whole society looks upon slenderness as a virtue. The plump Joan is looked upon as an undisciplinedcreature. Leading a life of multiple identities, whether it is the colour of her hair or country of residence, or her choice of partners. She is forced to take up residencein an Italian hill town in order to analyse the pitfalls of her life. Her husband Arthur is a radical and she fears to reveal her writing to him mainly because she had been introduced to the concept of automatic writing through a lady called the Reverend Leda Sprott who had first informed Joan that she had huge powers and should try using them. Heavily influenced by her aunt whom she lovingly referred to as Aunt Lou, Joan spent some of her happiest times with her, where she was never made fun of, or reminded of her excess weight. Unfortunately, her aunt died and left Joan a sum of two thousand dollars, which she could get only if she lost a hundred pounds of her weight. Whether it was the money or her aunt’s wish, Joan embarked on a journey of losingweight ,even to the extent ,that she assumed a new lifestyle as a writer and to escape from the past assumed the identity of her dead aunt. She was so upset with her past that she decided to stage her own death and escaped with her new identity to another place. However in an attempt to redeem her friends, Sam and Marlene who had helped her escape, but had been arrested on charges of murdering Joan, she is forced to return as her true self and confront the demons of her past.

Keywords: Alienation, Fat lady, Automatic Writing, Body Shaming, Depression.