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In what ways does Atwood make Penelope an unreliable narrator in this chapter? Why do you think she chooses to present Penelope’s character in this way? Use evidence from chapter 15, The Shroud, to support your point of view.
Throughout Chapter 15, we get a glimpse as to why Penelope may not be the most reliable of narrators throughout the novel. In general, the recount of the events in the story are quite opinionated, clouded by a judgement from one side and experience, and as such there can never be one “truth” because all experiences will be under some lens or the other.
We keenly get this idea when Penelope speaks of the maids, who are supposedly her children whom for she cares a lot. Despite this, she still allows for horrid things to happen to them such as being raped by the suitors, occurrences that she describes as almost inevitable with no remorse or sympathy. Further, she describes them as her “eyes and ears around the castle”, pawns that she uses for her own individual purposes to their detriment. Nonetheless, the story is portrayed from the perspective of Penelope, meaning that all of these flaws of her character are obfuscated behind the lens of her narration.