"Lusus Naturae"

“Lusus Naturae” by Margaret Atwood is a dark, scary story about a young female human/monster thing. The protagonist is part of a family which does not accept her. The story seems to be set in a rural town during the mid 1800’s. This is inferred from the discussion of the characters dress, as well as the food served at the family meal.

It is interesting to wonder what in fact this creature looked like. How hideous and odd would a child have to look for a family to want it dead? The family is extremely cruel to the child. One prime example that is used is when she is described as a wart on her mother’s finger. Another example is the mothers “resentment” for her.

The “freak of nature,” was an extremely outrageous sounding creature. She was described as having yellow eyes, red fingernails and hair everywhere. Even more astounding was the diet recommended by the physician who initially treated her- lots of bread, potatoes, and that she will want to drink blood.

The author uses very dark, grim language. The story really does sound like a scary situation, and as a reader you are in constant search of what this girl looks like. Atwood does a very good job at leading on the reader. Details are slowly leaked throughout the story, but even at the end, it is hard to make a mental picture of what she looks like.

Atwood also changes the story’s tenses. The past tense is used to start the story, in discussion of her life with the family. As the story nears the end, she begins to talk in the present tense. One example of this is,” Now they’re marching towards this house…” At the very end of the story, the protagonist begins talking in the future tense. She wonders what the angels will look like in heaven, “…I’ll look like an angel. Or perhaps the angels will look like me.” This was an interesting use of tense by Atwood.

The story is in the first-person. The female creature tells the story as it is happening to her, in her perspective.

I liked the plot of the story, as well as the description of the character. The way Atwood led the reader on by only giving away little description of the “Lusus Naturae” at a time was very intriguing.