This explicit rejection contrasts Peter's coded emotions where Peter is never clear about what he sees Marian as, Duncan openly states that he uses Marian. When she wants to use him for emotional support, Duncan stops her, outlining the exact terms of their relationship once more. To him she is an escape from reality: not really 'herself' as a fully fleshed-out individual but a placeholder for other things. 284ĭuncan is very explicit about the role Marian plays in his life. 'You aren't an escape anymore, you're too real.' Duncan, p. Peter also says that he has 'limited experience' of Marian, revealing that even though they are engaged, he feels that he doesn't know Marian that well-a fact that doesn't appear to perturb him. He loves Marian because she is normal as a normal woman, she can be the status symbol he needs to further his career and establish a 'normal' life, ignoring the fact that such a life would suffocate Marian's agency. When Peter answers Marian after she asks whether she is 'normal'-she is troubled by her inability to eat, and is anxious to ascertain any sense of self or connection to what is 'normal'-he praises her for her normalcy, making it evident that he prizes Marian for her ability to conform to social expectations and fit within feminine gender norms. 'I'd say from my limited experience that you're marvelously normal, darling.' Peter, p.

The edible woman by margaret atwood