Whale

The whale appears in The Testaments as a small but resonant symbol, woven into the childhood memories of Agnes Jemima and the cultural fabric of Gilead. It represents a fleeting connection to a world of innocence, play, and natural grace that stands in stark opposition to the regime's rigid control over women's bodies and lives.

Identity and Symbolic Meaning

For Agnes Jemima, the whale is first introduced as her favorite stuffed animal, a gift from her adoptive mother, Tabitha. Tabitha tells her, "God made whales to play in the sea, so it was all right for a whale to be something you could play with" . This explanation frames the whale as a creature of joy and freedom, existing outside the strictures of Gilead's theology. The whale is not a symbol of sin or temptation but of God's creation as something to be cherished and enjoyed. This stands in stark contrast to the Aunts' teachings, which portray girls as "precious flowers" that must be protected from the "ravenous men" lurking in the world . The whale, then, becomes a symbol of a more benevolent and playful divine order, one that Tabitha, in her gentle subversion, offers to Agnes.

The Whale in the Nighttime Prayer

The whale also appears in the context of the bedtime prayer that Tabitha sings with Agnes: "Now I lay me down to sleep, / I pray the Lord my soul to keep; / If I die before I wake, / I pray the Lord my soul to take. / Four angels standing round my bed, / Two to feet and two to head; / One to watch and one to pray, / And two to carry my soul away" (E00200-E00207). While the prayer itself does not mention a whale, Agnes's association of the whale with the prayer is significant. She pictures the angels not as ethereal beings but as Gilead's Angels—men in black uniforms with guns—which terrifies her . The whale, as her comforting stuffed animal, is a counterpoint to this fear. It is a tangible, soft object that she can hold, a source of comfort in a world where even the idea of divine protection is twisted into a threat. The whale, in this context, represents the innocent, prelapsarian world of childhood that Gilead seeks to destroy.

Contrast with Gilead's Ideology

The whale's symbolic meaning is further illuminated by its contrast with the dominant imagery of Gilead. The regime uses metaphors of predation and danger to control women: men are described as having "searchlight eyes" like "tigers" , and girls are told they are "snares and enticements" who can make men "drunk with lust" . The whale, by contrast, is a creature of the sea, a realm of play and freedom. It is not a predator but a being that "plays" in its natural habitat. This aligns with Tabitha's gentle, loving approach to motherhood, which is a stark contrast to the Aunts' fear-mongering. The whale, therefore, becomes a symbol of the alternative world that Tabitha represents—a world of love, imagination, and a more benign understanding of God's creation. It is a small but potent emblem of the humanity that Gilead tries to erase.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

The whale's significance lies in its role as a touchstone of Agnes's lost childhood and her mother's love. It is one of the few positive memories she carries from her early years, a reminder of a time before she learned the truth about her origins and the brutality of the world. The whale is not a major plot device, but its recurrence in Agnes's narrative underscores the emotional core of her story: the longing for a mother's unconditional love and the desire for a world where play and joy are not forbidden. In this way, the whale functions as a symbol of hope and resilience, a small, soft creature that carries the weight of a lost innocence.