Reading Response 10/24

I had a really good time reading the first few chapters of Year of the Flood. I thought it was really interesting to note the balance between the futuristic and archaic aspects of the Gardeners society, a balance that’s very similar to our modern day world. When the Waterless Flood hits Atwood structures the book so that we are subconsciously comparing Ren and Tobys journeys, how they got to the Garden and what they’re doing after the flood. Both characters express their gratitude of surviving, how Toby feels like she survived for a reason and is searching for her purpose while Ren is enjoying her job at Scales and Tails. Toby was essentially rescued by the Gardeners from struggling on the streets, donating her eggs to strangers, and being raped by her boss every day at a sleazy fast food joint. Although she didn’t agree with their beliefs, she was protected and enjoyed the serenity of her life teaching holistic medicine.  all this Toby was living an ordinary life. She was enrolled in college, she has a boyfriend, and a family that was comfortable and loved her, but her experiences turned her cold and hard, so that she was constantly questioning why she even survived and what her bigger purpose is. even though she didn’t agree with their beliefs, she was protected and enjoyed the serenity of her life teaching holistic medicine.

Ren on the other hand was taken from a “good” life by her mothers doing, not because she was driven by the need to survive. Ren longed for her life before joining the Gardeners and coveted the trendy clothing, the flashy jewelry, the eccentric objects that they the “pleebrats” had lifted. She longed to be part of that world, so naturally Ren would find comfort in Scales and Tails, the gentleman’s club. Ren speaks about feeling lucky to be there, to be cared for, to find family–something she was constantly looking for, since leaving her father. Ren never questioned why she was there or what she was doing, she was content with her place…her connection the outside world was through Amanda, just like it has always been ever since she was on the rooftop and Amanda was living in the streets.

It’s a very frightening thought to question what your purpose is, to feel like you were placed on this earth for a reason, spared your life for a reason, a reason that you don’t know. It’s also frightening to know that it might take a natural disaster, a near-death experience, a not so colorful future to realize that what you’re doing right now isn’t what you’re meant to be doing… that you’ve got your whole life backwards. I think Atwood does an incredible job of using this dark, kind of weird, futuristic world to teach us lessons that can be applied to our society, to our everyday lives.