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Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Testaments, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Religious Totalitarianism and Hypocrisy
Gender Roles
Truth, Knowledge, and Power
Shame, Fear, and Repression
Choice
Summary
Analysis
At first the march is “thrilling.” There are protest leaders speaking, Gilead refugees (harbored by an organization called SanctuCare) telling their stories, and lots of Baby Nicole posters everywhere. Pearl Girls are there as well, counter-protesting with their own signs and glassy smiles. Anti-Gilead protesters start throwing eggs at them, people start breaking shop windows, and a full riot erupts. Daisy is terrified and feels like she’s “drowning” in the sea of people. Ada appears behind her, grabs her by the collar, and drags her through the crowd.
Although Gilead is known for its violent repression of its citizens, it is the anti-Gilead protesters who commit the first act of violence toward the Pearl Girls and thus toward women, suggesting that such foul behavior is not relegated only to repressive regimes, but may be committed by everyday citizens as well, even as they try to confront totalitarian violence.
Themes
That evening, Daisy sees herself on the news, holding a sign and chanting with the crowd. She’d expected her parents to be angry, but instead they seem “anxious.” They talk about needing to relocate immediately and calling Ada, but Neil worries that they have no “fallback” in place yet. Daisy does not understand what is happening.
Once again, Neil and Melanie keep Daisy ignorant of the events surrounding her, which echoes the secretive behavior of Gilead and suggests that such seemingly disdainful behavior may be committed even by well-meaning people.
Themes
