Atwood still remembers what it’s like to worry
about such banal things as clothes and shoes. As
we walked out to the car, much to my gratification, Atwood commented
on my footwear. “I see you’re an optimist,” she
said, alluding to the fact that I was wearing sandals on an evening
that was, by this point, far from mild.
“Yes. I wanted to be stylish, but my feet are killing me,”
I admitted. She nodded her head sympathetically. It was then I remembered
a story I’d heard Atwood tell at a reading in Edmonton, about
her problems finding suitable clothing, while still a graduate student,
to wear to accept her first Governor General’s Gold Medal.
Despite her graceful elegance and professional confidence, Atwood
still remembers what it’s like to worry about such banal things
as clothes and shoes. This is, perhaps, why her books speak not
only to academics, but to populist audiences as well. Clothed in
humanity, they remind us that, despite our differences, we occupy
common ground, and must do what we can to learn how to share it.
~Tobi
Kozakewich is a PhD student in the English and Canadian Studies
program at University of Ottawa.
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