Chapter 20 Summary: The Harshest Winter and Mary’s Tragic End
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter moves chronologically from November through the following spring. Grace describes the freezing attic room she shares with Mary Whitney, the household’s preparations for Christmas, and the brief happiness of that holiday—the first truly joyful one of Grace’s life. Mary gives Grace knitted mittens; Grace gives Mary a needle-case. Shortly after Christmas, Mr. George Parkinson, the elder son of the house, stays home due to illness. By late winter, Grace notices changes in Mary: secretive behaviour, a hidden gold ring, lack of appetite, and a change in smell. When Mary begins vomiting violently in March, Grace—having seen the same signs in her mother—realises Mary is pregnant. Mary confesses that the man (implied to be Mr. George) promised marriage but reneged, giving her only five dollars. Desperate, Mary visits a back-alley abortionist with money Grace lends her. The procedure is botched; Mary bleeds heavily and dies overnight. Grace, terrified, reports the death to the household. Mrs. Alderman Parkinson orders the death covered up as a “low fever.” Grace suffers a dissociative episode, faints, and wakes with no memory of the interval. She ends the chapter: “the happiest time of my life was over and gone.”
Key Events
- The harsh December cold and the servants’ shared discomfort.
- Grace’s sister Katey visits to beg money; Grace lies to her father and gives Katey extra coins and a petticoat.
- The joyful Christmas celebration: pies, cakes, singing, gift exchange.
- Mr. George Parkinson remains after the holidays due to illness.
- Mary begins acting secretive; Grace finds a gold ring hidden under a floorboard.
- Mary’s pregnancy is confirmed by her symptoms and her confession to Grace.
- Mary’s appeal to the father (Mr. George) fails; he offers five dollars and threatens her reputation.
- Mary contemplates suicide but instead visits a doctor for an abortion.
- The doctor performs the procedure; Mary dies overnight from blood loss.
- Mrs. Alderman Parkinson orders the cause of death concealed as a fever.
- Grace faints, has a dissociative episode, and loses a day of memory.
- Grace reflects on the apple-peeling divination that foretold Mary would never marry.
Character Development
- Grace Marks – Demonstrates loyalty and cunning (lying to her father, hiding money). She becomes more aware of class and gender injustice, and her protective instincts toward Mary deepen into a traumatic grief that triggers a breakdown.
- Mary Whitney – Transforms from a lively, teasing companion into a fearful, desperate woman. Her trust in a gentleman is betrayed, and she resorts to a dangerous abortion. Her death marks the end of Grace’s innocence.
- Mr. George Parkinson – Initially appears pleasant, but his casual seduction and refusal to take responsibility reveal his entitlement and cruelty. He is the unnamed father.
- Mrs. Alderman Parkinson – Quickly shifts from moral outrage to pragmatic cover-up, prioritising reputation over justice.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Secrecy and Silence – The household conspires to hide the true cause of Mary’s death; Grace herself suppresses knowledge (the ring, the abortion). The theme of enforced silence about women’s bodies and desires recurs throughout the novel.
- Class and Gender Power – Mary’s fate illustrates how poor servant women are disposable to wealthy men. Mr. George faces no consequences; Mrs. Parkinson protects her son’s standing.
- The Body as Evidence – The blood-soaked sheet, the change in Mary’s smell, the coldness of the corpse—Atwood uses bodily details to ground the horror and to show how women’s physical experiences are hidden or erased.
- Superstition and Foreboding – The apple-peeling divination (Mary’s peel broke three times) foreshadows her unmarried death. Grace’s later hallucination of Mary’s voice (“Let me in”) suggests unresolved trauma and a guilty awareness of her own complicity in the secret.
- Winter and Cold – The relentless winter mirrors Mary’s emotional and physical decline. The image of the harbour freezing solid suggests a world where feeling and life itself are frozen out.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the emotional turning point of Grace’s early life. Mary’s death strips Grace of her only ally and plunges her into a period of mental instability that will later be used against her in the trial for the Kinnear murders. It also directly introduces the novel’s core critique of how society treats poor women: Mary is killed by a wealthy man’s betrayal and a back-alley procedure, and the household’s cover-up normalises that violence. Grace’s dissociative episode—where she “loses” herself—anticipates the fragmented narration that defines the rest of the novel. Everything Grace experiences afterward is filtered through the trauma of losing Mary.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What evidence in the chapter suggests that Mr. George is the father of Mary’s child?
Answer: Mary hides a gold ring given by her lover, and she tells Grace the man promised marriage. Mr. George, the only eligible gentleman in the house, stays home after Christmas and has free time to pursue Mary. Grace notes that Mary was often “peeping out the upstairs window” to see the sons, and Mr. George later waves cheerfully at the two maids while skating. Even though Mary refuses to name him, Grace’s suspicion is supported by the household’s quick cover-up—Mrs. Alderman Parkinson wants no scandal that would implicate her son.
2. How does Grace’s behaviour after Mary’s death reflect the psychological impact of the event?
Answer: Grace faints and lies unconscious for ten hours. When she briefly wakes, she suffers a dissociative fugue: she does not recognise herself, asks “where Grace had gone,” and tries to run to the lake to search for herself. This episode suggests a splitting of identity, likely caused by the horror of finding Mary dead, the guilt of having helped with the abortion, and the pressure to keep silent. Grace later remembers nothing of that interval, indicating the traumatic event has disrupted her sense of self.
3. Why does Mrs. Alderman Parkinson decide to call Mary’s death a “low fever” rather than report the truth?
Answer: She wants to protect her son Mr. George from shame and legal consequences. A public scandal would ruin the family’s reputation and possibly result in a lawsuit. By lying, she also avoids an inquest that might reveal the abortion and the doctor who performed it. Her decision prioritises social order and class privilege over justice for Mary—a pattern that will repeat when Grace herself is later silenced.