Muddle-headed men
Mary Whitney says that some people call menstruation Eve’s curse, but actually she thinks that it is stupid. The real curse of Eve (of all women) is “to put up with the nonsense of Adam (of all men), who as soon as there is any trouble, blames it all on her”. Men’s behavior is ironic. Here the author ridicules men and claims that they are stupid.
Self-righteous people
Nothing is surprising when people claim that Grace and her companion James McDermott are lovers. The newspaper journalists like to believe the worst; they can sell more papers that way, as one of them told Grace himself. “Even upstanding and respectable people dearly love to read ill of others”. Atwood ridicules the hypocrisy of people who seem to be honorable gentlemen and ladies.
Where is your face?
Grace hoists her skirts and sits down above the buzzing flies in the toilet. She always looks at the pictures before using them. Most are of the latest fashions, but some are of duchesses and high-society ladies. “You should never let your picture be in a magazine or newspaper, as you never know what ends your face may be made to serve, by others, once it has got out of your control.”
