Time Is Not Linear

Elaine Risley, a successful painter, returns to Toronto for a retrospective of her work, and the city triggers a flood of memories. Time, for Elaine, is not a straight line but a series of overlapping transparencies—moments from her past surfacing unpredictably. She is haunted by the idea that the past is never truly gone, and that people, especially Cordelia, her childhood friend and tormentor, exist in multiple versions within her. Elaine's adult life is stable on the surface—she has a husband, children, and a career—but the return to her childhood city unsettles her, blurring the boundaries between past and present. The city's streets, faces, and even the air seem to conspire to draw her back into old patterns of thought and feeling, as if time itself is folding in on her.

City of Memory

Elaine's relationship with Toronto is fraught with ambivalence. The city is both a site of misery and enchantment, a place she has longed to escape and yet cannot help but revisit in her mind. As she walks its streets, she is struck by how much has changed and how much remains the same beneath the surface. The city's transformation mirrors her own, and she feels both lighter and more insubstantial, as if she is shedding layers of herself. The city is a palimpsest of her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, each layer visible in the right light. Elaine's sense of self is inextricably tied to this geography, and her return forces her to confront the ghosts she has tried to leave behind.

Nomad Childhood

Elaine's early life is defined by constant movement, her family traveling through the Canadian wilderness as her father pursues his work as an entomologist. The family's nomadic existence is both isolating and magical, filled with lakes, forests, and the rituals of camping. Her brother Stephen is her closest companion, teaching her to see in the dark and to navigate the dangers of the world, both real and imagined. Their games are tinged with the anxieties of wartime, and the natural world is both a source of wonder and a reminder of mortality. The eventual move to Toronto marks the end of this innocence, as Elaine is thrust into the unfamiliar world of city life and girlhood.

Entering Girlhood

In Toronto, Elaine is introduced to the world of girls and their mysterious customs. She befriends Carol and Grace, who initiate her into the rituals of femininity—clothes, scrapbooks, and whispered secrets. Elaine is both fascinated and bewildered by the rules of girlhood, which seem arbitrary and fraught with the potential for humiliation. The games they play are both comforting and subtly cruel, and Elaine senses that she is always on the verge of making a mistake. The longing for acceptance is acute, and the fear of exclusion shapes her every move. The arrival of Cordelia, with her charisma and authority, changes the dynamic, setting the stage for deeper complexities.

The Power of Friendship

Cordelia's entrance into Elaine's life is both thrilling and dangerous. Cordelia is magnetic, inventive, and unpredictable, quickly becoming the leader of the group. Under her influence, the games become more intense, the boundaries between play and punishment blur. Elaine is subjected to subtle and overt forms of bullying—ostracism, criticism, and psychological manipulation—all under the guise of friendship. The need to please Cordelia becomes a driving force, even as Elaine's sense of self erodes. The other girls, Grace and Carol, shift allegiances, and the group's dynamics are in constant flux. The pain of exclusion is matched only by the terror of being noticed for the wrong reasons.

Becoming Invisible

As the bullying intensifies, Elaine learns to survive by withdrawing into herself. She becomes adept at dissociation, slipping sideways out of her body, fainting at will, and numbing herself to pain. The cat's eye marble she wins in a game becomes a talisman, a source of impersonal, protective vision. Elaine's home life offers little refuge—her mother is loving but powerless, her father oblivious. The world of girls is revealed as a place of secret cruelties, where friendship and enmity are indistinguishable. Elaine's sense of reality becomes fragmented, and she begins to lose track of time, memory, and even her own emotions.

Cat's Eye Marble

The cat's eye marble, blue and luminous, becomes a central symbol in Elaine's life. It represents a way of seeing that is detached, objective, and safe—a way to look at the world without being hurt by it. Elaine clings to the marble as a source of power, a reminder that she can survive by not feeling. The marble is both a shield and a prison, allowing her to endure the worst of Cordelia's torments but also cutting her off from genuine connection. The act of seeing, and being seen, becomes fraught with danger and possibility, shaping Elaine's later life as an artist.

The Art of Survival

Elaine's adolescence and young adulthood are marked by a growing passion for art. Drawing and painting become ways to make sense of her experiences, to impose order on chaos, and to reclaim agency. Her relationships with men—her teacher Josef, her first husband Jon—are complicated by her need for both intimacy and autonomy. The art world is both liberating and treacherous, filled with its own hierarchies and exclusions. Elaine's work is shaped by her memories, her traumas, and her longing for meaning. The act of creation is both a form of survival and a way to rewrite the past.

The Bridge and the Fall

The pivotal moment of Elaine's childhood comes when Cordelia, Grace, and Carol lure her to the ravine and abandon her, leading to her near-death in the icy creek. In the darkness, Elaine experiences a vision of the Virgin Mary, who tells her she can go home now. This moment is both a psychological turning point and a mystical experience, marking the end of Cordelia's power over her. Elaine survives, but the trauma lingers, shaping her sense of self and her relationships for years to come. The bridge becomes a symbol of transition, loss, and the possibility of redemption.

Leaving and Returning

As an adult, Elaine repeatedly leaves and returns—to Toronto, to her memories, to the unresolved questions of her past. Her marriages, her motherhood, and her career are all shaped by the patterns established in childhood. The city remains a site of both pain and possibility, a place she cannot fully escape. Encounters with old friends, lovers, and enemies force her to confront the ways she has changed and the ways she has remained the same. The act of returning is both a search for closure and an acknowledgment that some wounds never fully heal.

The Weight of the Past

Elaine is haunted by guilt—toward Cordelia, toward her mother, toward herself. The past exerts a gravitational pull, shaping her art and her sense of identity. Encounters with the artifacts of her childhood—a red purse, a cat's eye marble, old photographs—trigger waves of memory and emotion. Elaine struggles to forgive herself and others, to make sense of the harm done and received. The process of remembering is both painful and necessary, a way to reclaim agency and to find meaning in suffering. The past is not something to be escaped, but something to be integrated.

Unified Field Theory

The death of Elaine's brother Stephen, a brilliant physicist, becomes a metaphor for the search for unity and understanding. Stephen's theories about time, space, and the nature of the universe echo Elaine's own attempts to make sense of her life. The idea of a unified field theory—a single explanation for everything—becomes a symbol of the longing for coherence, for a story that will make sense of all the fragments. Elaine's art, her relationships, and her memories are all part of this search, even as she recognizes that some mysteries will remain unsolved.

The Art of Forgiveness

In the final chapters, Elaine confronts the possibility of forgiveness—not just for others, but for herself. She revisits the bridge, the site of her greatest trauma, and imagines reaching out to Cordelia, offering her release. The act of forgiveness is not easy or complete, but it is necessary for healing. Elaine recognizes that she cannot change the past, but she can choose how to live with it. The process of making art, of telling her story, becomes an act of reconciliation, a way to honor both the pain and the beauty of her life.

The Bridge Revisited

Elaine's return to the bridge is both literal and symbolic. She stands at the site of her childhood suffering and envisions Cordelia, frozen in time, waiting to be released. In a moment of grace, Elaine offers her forgiveness, allowing both of them to move on. The landscape is transformed from a place of fear to one of possibility. The act of seeing—truly seeing—becomes an act of love, a way to break the cycle of harm. Elaine leaves the past behind, not by forgetting, but by integrating it into her understanding of herself.

Light Enough to See By

The novel ends with Elaine on a plane, flying westward into the night, surrounded by strangers and memories. The stars outside the window are echoes of ancient light, reminders that the past is never truly gone. Elaine reflects on the possibility of joy, of play, of forgiveness. The weight of the past is still present, but it is no longer crushing. There is enough light to see by, enough hope to continue. The story closes on a note of hard-won peace, an acceptance of the complexity and ambiguity of life.

Characters

Elaine Risley

Elaine is the protagonist and narrator, a painter whose retrospective in Toronto triggers a journey through her memories. Her childhood was marked by rootlessness, a close bond with her brother, and a traumatic initiation into the world of girls. Elaine is both resilient and vulnerable, shaped by the cruelties of friendship and the longing for acceptance. Her psychological complexity is revealed in her dissociation, her use of the cat's eye marble as a shield, and her ambivalence toward intimacy. As an adult, she is both successful and unsettled, her art a means of survival and self-understanding. Elaine's development is a movement from victimhood to agency, from fragmentation to integration, as she learns to see herself and others with compassion.

Cordelia

Cordelia is Elaine's childhood friend and nemesis, the leader of their group. She is inventive, theatrical, and unpredictable, wielding power through both charm and cruelty. Cordelia's relationship with Elaine is deeply ambivalent—she is both a source of fascination and a cause of suffering. As they grow older, Cordelia's life unravels; she fails at school, drifts into acting, and eventually suffers a breakdown. Cordelia embodies the dangers and possibilities of girlhood, the thin line between victim and perpetrator. Her psychological complexity is mirrored in Elaine's own, and their connection is both destructive and redemptive. Cordelia's ultimate fate is ambiguous, but her presence lingers as a symbol of the unresolved past.

Stephen

Stephen is Elaine's older brother, a gifted and eccentric child who becomes a renowned physicist. He is Elaine's protector and teacher in childhood, introducing her to the mysteries of time, space, and the natural world. Stephen's detachment and intelligence set him apart, and his eventual death in a terrorist attack is a profound loss for Elaine. He represents both the possibility of understanding and the inevitability of loss. Stephen's theories about the universe echo Elaine's own search for meaning, and his absence is a constant presence in her life.

Grace Smeath

Grace is one of Elaine's childhood friends, a year older and more conventional. She is quietly manipulative, using her headaches and moral superiority to control the group. Grace's family is religious and respectable, and she serves as both a confidante and a betrayer. Her role in Elaine's suffering is subtle but significant—she is often the one who reports Elaine's failures to Cordelia. As an adult, Grace becomes a symbol of judgment and the impossibility of complete forgiveness. Her presence at Elaine's art show is a reminder of the enduring power of childhood wounds.

Carol Campbell

Carol is another of Elaine's early friends, a girl who is both enthusiastic and easily hurt. She is often the target of the group's cruelty, but also participates in the bullying of Elaine. Carol's longing for acceptance and her willingness to betray others for approval make her both sympathetic and complicit. She represents the ordinary girl, caught in the crossfire of more powerful personalities. Carol's eventual disappearance from Elaine's life is emblematic of the way childhood friendships dissolve, leaving only traces.

Jon

Jon is Elaine's first husband, a fellow artist whose relationship with her is marked by both passion and conflict. He is inventive, messy, and resistant to domesticity, embodying both the excitement and the chaos of the art world. Jon and Elaine's marriage is a mixture of love, competition, and mutual wounding. Their eventual separation is painful but necessary, and their later friendship is tinged with nostalgia and regret. Jon represents the possibility of connection and the inevitability of change.

Josef Hrbik

Josef is Elaine's art teacher and lover, a Hungarian émigré haunted by his past. He is both a source of inspiration and a figure of disappointment, his neediness and melancholy mirroring Elaine's own. Josef's relationships with his students, especially Susie, are fraught with power dynamics and unfulfilled longing. He represents the dangers of idealization and the complexities of desire. Elaine's eventual disillusionment with Josef is part of her journey toward self-reliance.

Mrs. Smeath

Mrs. Smeath is Grace's mother, a figure of religious piety and moral condemnation. She is both a source of charity and a participant in Elaine's suffering, believing that Elaine's troubles are deserved. Mrs. Smeath becomes a recurring figure in Elaine's art, a symbol of the wounds inflicted by judgment and the difficulty of forgiveness. Her presence in the narrative is both literal and metaphorical, representing the internalization of shame and the struggle to move beyond it.

Ben

Ben is Elaine's second husband, a travel agent who offers her stability, kindness, and acceptance. He is practical, supportive, and unthreatening, a contrast to the intensity of her earlier relationships. Ben's presence allows Elaine to experience a different kind of love—one based on mutual respect and care. He is not the center of her story, but he provides a foundation for her later life. Ben represents the possibility of healing and the value of ordinary happiness.

Susie

Susie is a fellow art student and Josef's lover, a young woman whose vulnerability and need for love lead to tragedy. Her failed abortion and subsequent estrangement from Josef are a turning point in Elaine's understanding of the dangers of dependency and the limits of compassion. Susie's fate is a reminder of the risks faced by women, the consequences of secrecy, and the importance of self-protection. She is both a mirror and a warning for Elaine.

Plot Devices

Nonlinear Narrative Structure

The novel's structure mirrors Elaine's conception of time—not as a straight line, but as a series of overlapping transparencies. The story moves fluidly between past and present, childhood and adulthood, memory and reality. This nonlinear approach allows for a deep exploration of psychological states, the persistence of trauma, and the ways in which the past shapes the present. The use of retrospective narration creates suspense and emotional resonance, as the reader uncovers the layers of Elaine's experience alongside her.

Symbolism and Motifs

Throughout the novel, objects such as the cat's eye marble, the red purse, and the bridge serve as powerful symbols. The cat's eye represents a way of seeing that is both protective and isolating; the purse is a container of memory and loss; the bridge is a site of transition, danger, and redemption. These motifs recur in both the narrative and Elaine's art, linking her personal history to her creative work. The use of religious imagery, especially the Virgin Mary, adds layers of meaning to Elaine's search for forgiveness and self-acceptance.

Psychological Realism

The novel delves deeply into Elaine's psychological states, using dissociation, fainting, and altered perception to convey the impact of trauma. The narrative is attentive to the nuances of memory, the unreliability of recollection, and the ways in which the mind protects itself from pain. The interplay between external events and internal experience is central, making the reader complicit in Elaine's journey toward understanding.

Foreshadowing and Echoes

The novel is rich in foreshadowing, with early events and images echoing throughout the narrative. The bridge, the marble, and the act of seeing recur in different contexts, creating a sense of inevitability and interconnectedness. The return to Toronto, the revisiting of childhood sites, and the confrontation with old friends and enemies all serve to bring the story full circle, allowing for both closure and ambiguity.

Art as Metaphor

Elaine's development as an artist is both a literal and metaphorical journey. Her art becomes a way to process trauma, to make sense of her experiences, and to assert agency. The act of painting is intertwined with the act of remembering, and the evolution of her work mirrors her psychological growth. The retrospective at the novel's end is both a public event and a private reckoning, a way to bring the fragments of her life into some kind of order.

Analysis

Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye is a profound meditation on memory, trauma, and the complexities of female experience. Through the nonlinear, layered narrative of Elaine Risley's life, Atwood explores how childhood wounds persist into adulthood, shaping identity, relationships, and creativity. The novel is particularly incisive in its depiction of girlhood—the subtle cruelties, shifting alliances, and desperate longing for acceptance that define the world of young girls. Atwood refuses easy binaries of victim and perpetrator, showing how power and vulnerability are intertwined, and how survival often requires both dissociation and imagination. The recurring motifs of seeing and being seen, the cat's eye marble, and the bridge, underscore the centrality of perception—how we look at ourselves, others, and the past. Art, for Elaine, is both a means of escape and a way of making sense of chaos, a process of integrating pain and beauty. The novel's modern relevance lies in its unflinching examination of bullying, the long shadow of childhood trauma, and the challenges of forgiveness. Atwood suggests that healing is possible, not through forgetting, but through the courage to remember, to see clearly, and to offer compassion—to oneself and to others. Cat's Eye ultimately affirms the possibility of transformation, the necessity of self-acceptance, and the enduring power of art to illuminate the darkness.

Last updated: September 29, 2025