Feminism is defined as “the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes and organized activities on behalf of the rights and interests of women” (Merriam-Webster) . This includes liberation from sexual, religious, legal and economic oppression, as well as liberation from rigid gender roles, which are justified by biological differences between men and women. These differences include, first and foremost, the fact that women have children. This fact has had effects on how women in the United States are expected to live and behave. Throughout the history of this country, up until about the 1960s, women were considered subservient to men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Men are generally supposed to be the “providers” of their families and women are supposed to be birth-givers, nurses, housekeepers, and cooks (Blum 77). This harmful gender divide was established long ago by patriarchy, the effects of which are still visible today in wage inequality, modern media, the glass ceiling, and the current division of household labor (Blum 83). The problems feminists face today, however, are nothing more than a ripple effect of the mistreatment and oppression of women before and during the nineteenth century. Of course, this would be reflected in the literature written about the time period. This is the case of Margaret Atwood's novel Alias ​​Grace. Through the personalities and actions of her characters, Atwood provides much evidence as to why the emergence of feminism was necessary at this time in U.S. history. In the 19th century, the period in which the novel Alias ​​Grace is set, the feminist movement was simply beginning to emerge in the United States of America. Nineteenth century feminists grew tired of and began to reject the Victorian image of the woman's proper image and role that had been relocated to the United States (Murdoch 124). The Victorian idea was that men should occupy the public sphere while women occupied the private sphere of life. This meant that men were expected to participate in speeches and activities related to work and politics, while women were expected to take care of the home and children (Murdoch 121). Based on biological differences between the sexes and without regard to individual abilities or qualifications, men and women were divided into two separate and very distinct roles. Men became heads of families and women became mothers, wives and maids. The emergence of feminism was a response that challenged this notion, and obviously met with a lot of resistance. Queen Victoria herself denounced feminism at this time, calling it “the mad, wicked folly of women's rights” in private letters to some of her correspondents (Murdoch 132). 19th century feminists, however, disagreed. In the United States, first wave feminism consisted of a wide range of women from diverse backgrounds, ranging from women in conservative Christian groups who supported the cause to more diverse and radical feminists. Prominent feminist figures during this time period included Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard, Matilda Joslyn Gage, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and the National Woman Suffrage Association. First wave feminism is believed to have ended with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the amendment that finally granted women the right to vote in the United States (Siegel). All this activity wasconsidered new and radical and historically unprecedented. For the first time in the history of the United States, along with many other nations including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland and France, women were able to have a voice of their own instead of having to marry and remain subjugated. their husbands (Siegel).The protagonist of Alias ​​Grace is a young woman named Grace Marks, who was convicted of the murder of her former employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery along with James McDermott, also employed by Kinnear as a groom. First, the fact that Grace's real partner in crime, James McDermott, was executed by hanging for the murders and that Grace was not, speaks volumes about how women were considered fragile, easily influenced and inferior to men . Although this idea is helpful to Grace in the novel and even saves her life from execution, this ideology is harmful as it was stunting the progress of women's equality and reinforcing this way of thinking in women's minds so that they have less motivation to try to advance women's equality. about change. When Grace starts talking to Dr. Simon Jordan about her life, he mentions how her mother was often pregnant and had to deal with a father who didn't do much except drink (so one can only imagine there may have been some domestic abuse involved .) This promotes the idea that women should have children and take care of the home, and is another example of how this novel illustrates the need for feminism at the time. There are many instances where Grace is treated in such a way that hints at sexism. While this would have been seen as “normal” in the time period the novel is set in, it leaves room for wide inequality between the sexes. The character who most represents the need for feminism and almost a call to feminist action is Mary Whitney. . Mary Whitney is an incredibly strong female personality in the novel who heavily influences Grace during their time together at Parkinson's in Canada. Because Grace comes from the same kind of family as her and was left without a strong female figure in her life after her mother's death on the ship, Mary Whitney acts almost maternally towards her, teaching her how to play the role of a lass. servant. Grace states it directly: “Mary took me under her wing from the first moment” (Atwood 151). As Mary teaches Grace, Grace notices that Mary is bolder and more modern than most women during this time. For example, Mary was egalitarian and believed that they should “remember that (they) were not slaves, and that being a servant was not something that (they) were born to do, nor would they be forced to continue doing so forever; it was just a job” (Atwood 157). This shows that Mary Whitney believed in the power of the self and that women had the ability and strength to build a better life for themselves without the help of men. This is aided by her plans to save her money to pay a dowry and marry by choice to become the mistress of her family, not because she needs a man to survive. This is an example of how she took the initiative to start a comfortable life for herself; it is not an example of her feeling inferior or dependent on any man. Mary's influence can be seen in Grace during Grace's recollection of the time Mary Whitney asked her if she would like to see the street where the prostitutes lived. At first Grace was scared, but Mary told her there was nothing to be afraid of, and Grace decided she was right and realized that she was actually curious. Grace then goes on to say that she would sell her body if she starved to death, which would actually be a>.