Alias Grace

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I think of all the things

that have been written about me.

That I am an inhuman female demon.

That I am an innocent victim of a blackguard,

forced against my will and in danger of my own life.

That I was too ignorant to know how to act,

and that to hang me would be judicial murder.

That I am well and decently dressed,

that I robbed a dead woman to appear so.

That I am of a sullen disposition

with a quarrelsome temper.

That I have the appearance of a person

rather above my humble station.

That I am a good girl with a pliable nature

and no harm is told of me.

That I am cunning and devious.

That I am soft in the head

and little better than an idiot.

And I wonder,

how can I be all of these different things at once?

I have been an inmate at the Kingston Penitentiary

for 15 long years.

I was convicted of murder when I was a young girl.

Though at the time I thought of myself as a grown woman.

Every day I am brought to the governor's house.

They say I'm there to do light housework.

Come, come, ladies.

Though mostly I'm there to be an object of curiosity.

They stare without appearing to, Doctor,

out from under their bonnets.

The reason they want to see me

is that I am a celebrated murderess.

Or that is what has been written down.

When I first saw it I was surprised,

because they say "celebrated singer,"

and "celebrated poetess" and "celebrated actress,"

but what is there to celebrate about a murder?

All the same.

"Murderess" is a strong word to have attached to you.

It has a smell to it, that word.

Musky and oppressive, like dead flowers in a vase.

Sometimes at night I whisper it over to myself.

Murderess. Murderess.

It rustles like a taffeta skirt across the floor.

Murderer is merely brutal.

It's like a hammer or a lump of metal.

I'd rather be a murderess than a murderer,

if those are the only choices.

There was much excitement about you

coming to Kingston, Dr. Jordan.

Those who wanted to see me pardoned believed

that a report from you could set me free.

You were much better regarded than the other doctors

who came to examine me over the years.

Hold still, Grace.

Dr. Smith needs to get a proper measurement.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

They thought you could find answers

where others could not.

I'd be careful if I were you.

She's murdered two people in cold blood.

She's in here for good reason.

Good Morning, Grace.

I understand you're afraid of doctors.

I must tell you right away that I myself am a doctor.

My name is Dr. Jordan. Dr. Simon Jordan.

I suppose you are here to measure my head.

I would not dream of it.

Are you American?

Are you the doctor they have brought to write a report?

Yes.

Do you have a bag with knives in it?

No.

I am not the usual kind of doctor.

I do no cutting open.

Are you afraid of me, Grace?

It's too early to tell.

This is for you.

I'm not a dog.

No, Grace, I can see you're not a dog.

What is it, Grace?

It has such an odor of the outdoors.

Can you tell me what it is?

An apple.

And what does an apple remind you of?

Who shall we marry?

I beg your pardon, Sir. I don't understand you.

I think you understand me well enough.

Apple pie.

Ah. Something you eat.

Well, I should hope you would, Sir.

That's what an apple is for.

Is there any kind of apple you should not eat?

A rotten one, I suppose.

Are you a preacher?

No. I'm not a preacher.

I am a doctor that works not with bodies,

but with the mind.

Diseases of the mind and the brain,

and the nerves.

No.

I won't go back there to the asylum.

Flesh and blood cannot stand it.

They took liberties, Sir.

They don't listen to reason there, Sir.

And that is what I am here for.

To listen to reason.

But if I am to listen to you, you will have to talk to me.

You won't believe me, Sir.

Anyway, it's all been decided,

and what I say will not change anything.

You should ask the lawyers and judges,

and the newspaper men,

they seem to know my story better than I do myself.

In any case, I've lost that part of my memory entirely.

They must have told you that.

I would like to help you, Grace.

If you will try to talk, I will try to listen.

My interest is purely scientific.

It is not only the murders that should concern us.

Perhaps, I will tell you lies.

Perhaps, you will.

Perhaps, you will tell them without meaning to,

perhaps you will tell them deliberately.

Perhaps, you are a liar.

There are those who have said I am one.

That is a chance we'll have to take.

Will they take me back to the asylum?

No!

Or will they keep me in solitary confinement

with nothing to eat but bread?

You have my word

that as long as you continue to talk with me,

and do not become violent, you will remain as you were.

I have the governor's promise.

Till tomorrow, then.

The apple of the tree of knowledge

is what you meant, Dr. Jordan.

Good and evil. Any child could guess it.

I thought, "He wishes to go home and say to himself,

"'I stuck in my thumb and pulled out a plum.

"What a good boy am I.'"

But I will not be anybody's plum.

You're a doctor's whore now, aren't you,

Grace Marks?

A doctor's whore.

Quiet!

What did you discover today

when you examined Grace?

I believe in pursuing the patient's

sublimated dreams and memories.

It is important to build trust with the patient

and this does not happen in one sitting.

Mmm.

There are a great number of us,

especially those of us on the committee

to pardon Grace Marks,

who are anxious to see Grace released

as soon as possible.

She has languished too long in prison

for one so young and vulnerable

at the time of her conviction.

When can our committee expect to see your report?

I have some questions about the trial itself.

I went to the pump, and on turning around,

I saw McDermott dragging Nancy along the yard

leading from the back kitchen to the front kitchen.

Grace said at the time of her arrest

that she didn't know where Nancy was.

But at the trial itself...

He said it was better to get it done with.

"Come and open the trap door

"and I'll throw her down in the cellar."

She claimed to have seen McDermott

dragging Nancy by the hair,

and tossing her down the stairs.

Did she?

I don't recall.

She... She did say she was sorry that Nancy was dead.

Anyone might say that.

I suppose.

Also, we have McDermott's statement

made just before he was hanged.

He claimed that Grace strangled Nancy

with her own kerchief.

The man had already told

several different stories

and was a notorious liar into the bargain.

Grace Marks made me do it!

She is a whore.

Murderer!

To turn Devil's advocate...

Hang her!

Just because a man is known to lie,

it does not always follow that he does so.

Is this type of inquiry bothering you?

Hmm. Not at all, Dr. Jordan.

But we are hoping you will write a report