Grapes_of_Wrath

Grapes of Wrath Life Before Man: Novel Summary and Research Plot Summary A) As Margaret Atwood’s Life Before Man begins, the reader is introduced to the initial characters Elizabeth, her husband Nate and their children Janet and Nancy. The reader is also familiarized with Chris, Elizabeth’s former lover who has just taken his own life. The novel begins in Toronto in 1976, ending in 1978. The main storyline, Elizabeth’s affair and the decay of her marriage, is also presented. B) Life Before Man ‘s inciting incident occurs as Elizabeth changes visibly with the suicide of her lover. Once a devoted wife and mother, she has abandoned cooking and cleaning, opting for hours spent in bed. She gives her husband and children little attention and even banishes Nate to a separate bedroom. She removes herself from reality, but allows no one to enter her world. Nate is forced to give up his career as a lawyer, as juggling both his and his wife’s former role becomes too challenging. C) The rising action revolves around the complicated affairs that result in the end of Elizabeth and Nate’s marriage. The rising action begins as Nate has an affair of his own, becoming involved with one of his wife’s coworkers, Lesje. Elizabeth then plots elizabeth, man, life, nate, before, elizabeth’s, affair, novel, marriage, lover, characters, begins, suicide, once, nate’s, lesje, involved, husband, former, feels, each, toronto, schoenhof, reader, own, often, novel’s, game, children, both, around, written, world, william, wife’s, wife, vows, unravels, sense, rising, revolves, revenge, responsible, relationship, psychological, out, one, observed, number, nancy, museum