The Testaments

Nicole and Agnes are aboard the Nellie J. Banks, on the last leg of their escape. Nicole feels more and more sick, as there is something wrong with her tattooed arm, which causes fever and swelling. The pain makes Nicole testy and argumentative. When she says the words, “Oh God,” Agnes takes exception to the use of “God” as a casual swear word. Nicole says that she is sorry but cannot help adding that if there is a God, he has “effed up” her life. This results in a conversation that again highlights how very different Agnes and Nicole are, and how different their upbringings have been, but also points out the similarities. Agnes tells Nicole that everyone has their own difficulties to manage. Nicole lost her parents, but so did Agnes.

Later, conversation between Agnes and Nicole returns to the idea of faith. Nicole is afraid and wonders if they will actually meet their mother. She wonders if their mother will like them. This is a child-like part of Nicole, who is seeking reassurance and comfort. Agnes provides that comfort, bolstered by her faith, assuring Nicole that their mother will love them, and them. Agnes tells Nicole that loving someone requires practice and active reinforcement: “Love is a discipline, like prayer,’ I said. ‘I’d like to pray for you, so you’ll feel better. Would you mind?’” (381). It’s telling that Agnes wants to pray for her sister after commenting on the discipline of love. The girls don’t get along well, but Agnes is determined to love her sister through discipline and practice.

In the inflatable boat, the situation worsens as the motor dies. When Nicole says that they could end up back in Gilead, Agnes replies that they could jump overboard because she would rather die than betray Becka. Agnes begins to panic and Nicole, despite having lost the use of her tattooed arm, becomes the source of strength for Agnes. Nicole encourages Agnes to take the other oar, shouts her through figuring out how to use it, and bolsters Agnes’s courage when she becomes overcome by her fear. This role reversal demonstrates where their strengths lie: Agnes is the stronger sister spiritually, while Nicole is the stronger sister in times of crisis.

The name of the boat, which is also the name of this section of the book, is the Nellie J. Banks. This is a creative touch on the part of the author, for the Nellie J. Banks was the name of the last famous rum runner schooner in Nova Scotia during the years of Prohibition during the 1920s and 1930s. Captain Mishimengo appears to be carrying on the tradition of smuggling, with this nod to the history of the region.