Essay Questions

Explain how Alasdair Gray uses the character Bella Baxter to develop the theme of Feminism.

Bella Baxter is described as a woman who has made a name by herself without a doubt. Everyone knows her as a fearless woman who does not surrender fighting for her rights. She is a strong feminist in town and sometimes she criticizes the interpretations of her husband. She is more concerned with the inequalities between men and women and she is doing everything possible to fight for her rights. The theme of feminism becomes more progressive when Alasdair Gray puts focus on the die-hard attitudes of Bella's aggression for women's rights. Gray acknowledges that Bella is not getting enough after expressing her opinions but this does not make Bella despair.

Give one example illustrating how Alasdair Gray uses the literary device simile in the novel Poor Things.

The author has put the focus on character description and comparison to help the reader visualize what is happening in the novel. The reader can create an image of the character and see what is taking place. However, Alasdair is an extraordinary writer who requires readers to put some effort into interpreting metaphors and comparisons in the literary works. In some instances, Gray considers simplicity but the bottom line is to use metaphors and similes to make the novel attractive and appealing to the reader. Gray says, “She shone before me like rainbow’s end, but solid, tall, elegant, leaning on Baxter’s arm and wistfully smiling.” The reality is that the reader has never observed how the rainbow ends but this gives him the ability to imagine.

Is Poor Things comical? Justify your answer.

The Poor Things is not full comical but indeed yes, it is a bit of a humor work of fiction. Alasdair is the author but as well acts as one of the characters in the novel. Other characters such as Bella and Archibald are on top of the game with unique and amusing personalities. One finds the novel a bit comical because Bella at some point is amusing and this attracts the attention of the reader to continue exploring what happens on the next page. Her confidence to protect her rights is intriguing and that is among the personalities that make her humorous.