Chapter 40 Summary: A Dream of Return to Mr. Kinnear’s House
⚠️ 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
Chapter 40 is a brief dream sequence narrated by Grace Marks. In the dream, she walks up the long curved driveway to Mr. Kinnear’s house, seeing it as if for the first time yet recognizing it. Mr. Kinnear walks behind her to the left, protective. A lamp comes on in the parlour window; Nancy is inside waiting, but the figure transforms into Mary Whitney, healthy and laughing. Grace feels overwhelming happiness to see Mary again. She observes the white house, pillars, peonies, and lamplight, describing it as her “real home.” Then the lamp dims, the house goes dark, and fireflies appear. There is the scent of milkweed and warm summer air. A hand slips into hers, and a knocking is heard at the door. The dream ends with that sound.
Key Events
- Grace dreams of walking up the driveway to Mr. Kinnear’s house.
- She feels she is seeing it for the first time yet knows she has been there before.
- Mr. Kinnear walks behind her, ensuring her safety.
- A lamp in the parlour window signals Nancy’s presence, but the figure waiting becomes Mary Whitney.
- Grace feels joy at the prospect of seeing Mary again, restored to health.
- The house appears beautiful: white, with pillars, white peonies, and lamplight.
- Grace feels a deep longing for the house, calling it her “real home.”
- The lamp dims, the house goes dark, fireflies appear, and the air smells of milkweed.
- A hand slips into Grace’s.
- A knocking at the door interrupts the dream.
Character Development
- Grace Marks: The dream reveals a deep emotional attachment to Mr. Kinnear’s house as a symbol of safety, belonging, and a lost past. Her confusion about whether the figure is Nancy or Mary Whitney reflects her fractured sense of identity and her desire for a world before the murders.
- Mr. Kinnear: Appears as a benevolent protector, walking behind Grace—a stark contrast to his actual violent death. This idealized role emphasizes Grace’s longing for guidance and security.
- Nancy Montgomery: Present only as an initial figure in the window, then replaced. This substitution suggests that Nancy is not the true source of Grace’s comfort; rather, Mary Whitney is.
- Mary Whitney: Returns in the dream, healthy and laughing, symbolizing innocence and the bond of friendship that was cut short. Her reappearance indicates Grace’s unresolved grief and wish for restoration.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Dreams as access to truth: The chapter is entirely a dream, framing Grace’s subconscious desires and fears. Dreams in Alias Grace often reveal truths that waking life obscures.
- Home and belonging: Grace describes the house as her “real home,” a powerful statement from a character who has been displaced, imprisoned, and orphaned. The house represents an idealized stability and love.
- Doubling and substitution: Nancy transforms into Mary Whitney. This motif of doubling (common in Atwood’s work) questions identity and the interchangeable roles of women in Grace’s life.
- Protection and danger: Mr. Kinnear as protector contrasts with the violent reality. The knocking at the end foreshadows intrusion of the real world—possibly the arrival of danger or authority.
- Nature and sensory details: Fireflies, milkweed scent, warm air create a nostalgic, almost Edenic setting. These sensory elements sharpen the contrast between dream and grim reality.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 40 is a pivotal emotional and symbolic anchor in the novel. It compresses Grace’s deepest yearnings—for home, for safety, for a lost friend—into a single, lyrical dream. Because it follows the narrative of her trial and imprisonment, the dream exposes the psychological cost of her ordeal. The transformation of Nancy into Mary Whitney highlights Grace’s unresolved grief over Mary’s death (abortion) and her complex feelings about Nancy. The chapter also contributes to the novel’s exploration of how trauma reshapes memory and identity. The final knocking serves as an ominous interruption, reminding both Grace and the reader that peace is temporary and that the external world—with its accusations and judgments—will soon break in.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Grace feel that the Kinnear house is her “real home,” even though she worked there as a servant? The house represents a period in Grace’s life when she had a sense of purpose, belonging, and moral order. After her involvement in the murders and subsequent imprisonment, her memory idealizes that time as safe and idyllic. Calling it her “real home” suggests that her subsequent experiences have left her homeless in every sense—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
2. What is the significance of Mary Whitney replacing Nancy in the window of the dream? Mary Whitney was Grace’s closest friend, who died from a botched abortion. By having Mary waiting in the house instead of Nancy, the dream conflates Grace’s two most important female relationships. It implies that Grace associates Nancy with the trauma of the murders, while Mary represents pure, uncorrupted love. The substitution also highlights how Grace’s psyche merges women who have been victims of male violence and social oppression.
3. What does the knocking at the door likely foreshadow? The knocking ends the dream abruptly. In the context of Alias Grace, knocking often heralds authority figures—police, doctors, or judges. Here, it symbolizes the intrusion of reality into Grace’s fragile dream sanctuary. It may also prefigure the arrival of Dr. Simon Jordan, who seeks to unlock her memories, or the return of the legal system that has condemned her. The sound suggests that no matter how deeply Grace retreats into her inner world, she cannot escape the external forces that define her life.