Chapter IX: Thank Tank is the 9th chapter of The Testaments. It contains section 24 with Aunt Lydia as narrator.
Synopsis[]
Aunt Lydia meets with Aunt Sally and goes over the details of Aunt Adrianna's death. She recalls her imprisonment in the Thank Tank and how she came to be made an Aunt.
Plot[]
Section 24[]
Aunt Lydia meets with Commander Judd, whose wife is in poor health. Judd is old and has had a series of child brides. Each one mysteriously becomes ill and dies when he wants a new one.
Lydia learns that the dead Pearl Girl, Aunt Adrianna, was killed when she attacked the other Pearl Girl she was with, Aunt Sally. Sally has no idea why. Commander Judd also informs her that they’ve determined how Mayday has been communicating. They use Microdots, information printed as tiny dots, which require a microscope to be able to read. Lydia acts happy about his discovery, but actually is very apprehensive.
Sally returns to Gilead, and confesses to Aunt Lydia that she killed Adrianna after she began to attack Sally. Adrianna's behavior is chalked up to the debilitating environment of Canada, but her filing of a hasty report on the possible whereabouts of Baby Nicole leads to her being sent away to recover at the Margery Kempe Retreat House
Later, Lydia continues her manuscript. In the days after her detention, there are daily executions. The executioners include other women. In her group, women are added or taken away for unknown reasons. One night, they come for Lydia. She’s questioned by Commander Judd who then has her placed in a “Thank Tank,” a dark isolation cell where she is beaten occasionally. In her mind, Lydia vows revenge.
Then, one day she is taken to a hotel. There, she’s able to bathe, and luxuriate in a terry cloth robe.
Notable Quotes[]
“Quote here” — Context here[1]
Trivia[]
Aunt Lydia frequents the Schlafly Cafe. Phyllis Schlafly was the founder of the Eagle Forum, an advocacy group that successfully campaigned against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Law/Equal Rights Amendment)
Notes[]
(e.g. contextual implications)
References[]
- Initial plot summary taken from: The Testaments on Bibliofile.com. A review by Jennifer Marie