The Handmaid's Tale, #2
The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
Contents
The Thirteenth Symposium
Overview
Centuries after Gilead’s fall, academics examine three key sources: Offred’s tapes, the Ardua Hall Holograph attributed to Aunt Lydia, and testimonies by Agnes and Nicole. Their analysis argues the sisters’ microdot sparked the Ba’al Purge and Gilead’s collapse, corroborated by fieldwork and a Boston memorial honoring Becka and acknowledging “A.L.”
The keynote balances skepticism with acceptance, concluding the materials are likely authentic and that the sisters survived to reunite with family.
Summary
At the Thirteenth Symposium on Gileadean Studies in 2197, Chair Maryanne Crescent Moon opens with acknowledgments and notes Passamaquoddy’s history as a refuge. She introduces Professor James Darcy Pieixoto, who promises restraint after prior controversies and remarks on the surge of interest in Gilead Studies.
Pieixoto reviews the authenticated discovery of Offred’s tapes, then presents two major subsequent finds: the Ardua Hall Holograph, attributed to Aunt Lydia, and transcribed witness testimonies by two half-sisters, Agnes Jemima and Nicole. He outlines authenticity tests—material analysis, internal evidence, and field verification—while acknowledging potential forgeries and misdirection within Gilead’s factional struggles.
Turning to the sisters’ mission, Pieixoto argues the microdot—hidden in Nicole’s scarified tattoo—exposed elite crimes and assassination plots, triggering the Ba’al Purge, weakening Gilead, and enabling coordinated resistance and external attacks. He situates these events within broader uprisings across former U.S. regions.
Graduate-led fieldwork retraces the sisters’ escape route from New England to Nova Scotia and a medical refuge on Campobello Island, uncovering carved initials on a windowsill possibly marking Nicole, Agnes, Ada, Garth, and “AL.” Pieixoto underscores the rarity of women’s first-hand records from Gilead and the care needed in dating due to the Digital Black Hole and archival destruction.
Pieixoto concludes with a post-Gilead statue now on Boston Common depicting a Pearl Girl figure with forget-me-nots and birds. Its inscription memorializes Becka (Aunt Immortelle), credits Agnes and Nicole and their parents, descendants, and acknowledges “invaluable services provided by A.L.,” implying the sisters’ survival, reunion with family, and Aunt Lydia’s pivotal clandestine role.
Who Appears
- Professor James Darcy PieixotoKeynote historian; assesses sources on Gilead, links the microdot to the Ba’al Purge, and presents fieldwork and memorial evidence.
- Professor Maryanne Crescent MoonSymposium chair; opens proceedings, contextualizes location’s history, and introduces the keynote speaker.
- Mia SmithGraduate student who uncovered mislabeled testimonies file, enabling new analysis of the sisters’ escape.