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Their Deaths Are Not Elegant By Margaret Atwood Analysis

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In the essay, “Their Deaths Are Not Elegant: Portrayal of Animals in Margret Atwood’s writings” Maria Moss Analyzes Margaret Atwood’s works and presents an argument that implies an underlining meaning in her stories and novels. Moss asserts that Atwood’s works present animals as independent individuals and as entities that do not promote humanistic uniqueness. Moss is right in her claims that animals are independent of humans, but she seems on more dubious ground when she claims that the animals in Atwood’s poems are independent in the notion of promoting humanistic uniqueness. In this essay I will contend that Atwood uses her works to compare humanistic and animalistic traits in a way that foreshadows human uniqueness. For instance, in Our Cat …show more content…

Atwood establishes Chicken Little as this character who continually claims that “The sky is falling” even though no one, including his friend Henny Penny, finds his plight interesting (Atwood, 67). Once again Atwood is bringing forth the humanistic uniqueness of experiencing, and reacting to, foreseen events. Chicken little can be seen as a representation of those who try to push the issue of events onto others. Goosey Loosey can be seen as a news reporter who, much like the ones of our society, only wants to report news that will get readers. Realistically thinking, a chicken cannot speak English nor understand what other are employed to do, thus this story as being a factor of Animalistic independence. Hoggy Groggy even goes as far as saying that Foxy Loxy should “Put him out of his misery” much like how humans decide to get rid of those who stand in their way other than dealing with the issue head on (Atwood, 71). If Atwood is implying that animals are independent from humans, and that her stories are truly based on the animals and not that of human uniqueness, then she would not feel compelled to have the animals take on the roles of humans in a

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