107 pages • 3 hours read
Margaret AtwoodThe Year of the Flood
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 14: “Saint Julian and All Souls”
Part 14, Introduction Summary: “Of the Fragility of the Universe”
Adam One addresses the few Gardeners still alive, and his tone is much less hopeful than usual. He asks if humans as a species deserve to live after they ruthlessly destroyed the planet God gave them. Adam One wonders why God would give humans another chance in the form of another Earth since they mistreated what they had so badly.
Adam One says it’s not the Earth that will be destroyed but the human species, and then maybe “God will create another, more compassionate race to take [their] place” (508). He assumes the Waterless Flood was a form of plague because it affected only humans while sparing all other creatures.
Adam One reminds everyone that they are mourning the deaths of three Gardeners killed by the plague the day before. He admits that he, too, feels the symptoms of the virus and might die soon.
Adam One closes their meeting on a hopeful note: He urges everyone to forgive those who “have worshipped nothing but riches [...] and have inflicted pain and death” (509). He prays that God will give them the strength to forgive, because it is “the hardest task [they] shall ever be called upon to perform” (509).
They finish their gathering by singing “The Earth Forgives,” which encourages people to look for joy and freedom in forgiveness.
Part 14, Chapter 77 Summary: “Ren. Saint Julian and All Souls: Year Twenty-Five”
Ren fondly remembers how they celebrated Saint Julian Day when she was a child among the Gardeners. Now all of them are sitting around the fire: Toby, Ren, Amanda, Jimmy, and the two tied Painballers. Toby made soup with the rest of their meat and some herbs Ren found. Amanda is still crying, and Jimmy has a high fever, so Toby gives Amanda some honey water to restore her electrolyte levels, but she can’t tend Jimmy’s injured foot until they get back to the cobb house, as she left her maggots there.
Since they only have two cups, they take turns sipping soup. Toby insists that everyone, including the Painballers, get some soup because it is Saint Julian Day. Toby promises to deal with the Painballers tomorrow, but “tonight is a feast night” (514). Although Amanda looks disheartened and apathetic, Toby urges everyone to forget about the past and to be grateful for this food and for life. She also invites them to remember those who are gone, especially the Adams, Eves, and other creatures that have gone extinct.
After taking a sip from the cup, Toby passes it to Amanda and gives the other cup to Jimmy. His hands are so shaky that Ren rushes to help him. She tells him that he broke her heart, but she’s happy he’s alive. Having said these words, Ren feels a burden lift off her shoulders. Their dinner is interrupted by a group of people approaching from the darkness.
Part 14 Analysis
The atmosphere of Part 14 is initially heavy and somber. The plague has afflicted the Gardeners, and few remain. Adam One’s last sermon reflects their desolation; he openly wonders if humanity truly deserves to live after the destruction it as wrought and questions why God would grant humanity another chance with a new Earth. But then the sermon transitions to focus on forgiveness, becoming hopeful as he encourages the Gardeners to relinquish control to God, whom he ascribes with the power to enable forgiveness.
This theme—that renewable through forgiveness is the path to happiness in a world ravaged by violence and corruption—is emphasized in the final chapter, which focuses renewal through healing and feasting. Although the Gardeners are dead or dying, there is a small sense of community among these survivors, as they support each other as best they can, with Toby tending to injuries, making soup, and ensuring that everyone eats, even the Painballers, and with Ren assisting and confessing to Jimmy. Of course, this respite is interrupted by strangers emerging from the dark, signaling that the characters’ struggles and stories are far from over.
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By Margaret Atwood
