The psychologically thrilling and mystifying novel, Surfacing is a complex story that revolves around a nameless female narrator that has come back to the abandoned home of her childhood which is located on an island off the shores of a remote Quebec village. The novel takes place in the early 70's and the protagonist struggles with what her parents, friends, lovers and society expect her to be. Along her journey back home, to find her missing father, she begins to find clues of her past which help her identify who she was and who she will become. Surfacing explores remarkable themes that are hidden beneath words that are carefully woven together; Margret Atwood exposes readers to the reality of appearances, degradation of women and the journey of finding ones self. She also leaves deep and meaningful symbols such as a dead heron, the Americans and an engagement ring, for readers to interpret. .
Throughout the novel there has been a sense that things are not always what they seem. In the beginning of the novel we are led to believe that narrator was once married and had a child, but after the split the child began living with the father. However, later on in the novel she believes that "[she] killed it," and "it wasn't a child but it could have been one (148)". The reality of the situation is she created "memories fraudulent as passports,"(149) and then the real avoided memories of her past resurfaced. Another theme in the novel is the degradation of women. This theme is expressed through the married couple David and Anna ( the narrators best friends). David, the typical 'guys guy' is an ignorant and uneducated man that constantly picks at his wife's self esteem. For instance, he calls her "flab", forces her to wear makeup so she could look "young" and he made her strip in front of a video camera. It is because of David, and others like him that the narrator develops a hatred against men.
