107 pages 3 hours read

Margaret Atwood

The Year of the Flood

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Part 2

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “Creation Day”

Part 2, Introduction Summary: “Of the Creation, and of the Naming of the Animals”

Adam One delivers a speech to the God’s Gardeners in the Edencliff Rooftop Garden, where they celebrate the annual Creation Day Devotion. Adam One reminds his listeners that just five years ago, this place was a wasteland, but because of their work it “blossomed as the rose” (13). He highlights that by gardening on the rooftops, they keep “the decay and sterility” (13) surrounding them at bay.

At the meeting, Adam One warns God’s Gardeners against meat-eating and chasing material wealth. He explains that the current political and environmental situation is the result of man’s free will and disregard for nature. According to him, instead of living peacefully with animals, humanity enslaves and eats them, which has led to catastrophic consequences.

Then Adam One tells the story of creation, emphasizing that Day six, when God created all the living creatures, was “a peaceful gathering at which every living entity on the Earth was embraced by Man” (15). Adam One announces that Day six is not over yet, and that creation is still ongoing. He invites everyone to imagine themselves on the sixth day of creation, to feel this trust between humans and animals, “a trust that has not yet been violated by bloodshed and gluttony and pride and disdain” (15).

Related Titles

By Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Alias Grace

Margaret Atwood

Alias Grace

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Backdrop Addresses Cowboy

Margaret Atwood

Backdrop Addresses Cowboy

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Cat's Eye

Margaret Atwood

Cat's Eye

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Death By Landscape

Margaret Atwood

Death By Landscape

Margaret Atwood

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Hag-Seed

Margaret Atwood

Hag-Seed: William Shakespeare's The Tempest Retold

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Happy Endings

Margaret Atwood

Happy Endings

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing

Margaret Atwood

Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing

Margaret Atwood

Plot Summary
logo

Lady Oracle

Margaret Atwood

Lady Oracle

Margaret Atwood

Plot Summary
logo

Life Before Man

Margaret Atwood

Life Before Man

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

MaddAddam

Margaret Atwood

MaddAddam

Margaret Atwood

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Oryx and Crake

Margaret Atwood

Oryx and Crake

Margaret Atwood

Plot Summary
logo

Rape Fantasies

Margaret Atwood

Rape Fantasies

Margaret Atwood

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Siren Song

Margaret Atwood

Siren Song

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

Stone Mattress

Margaret Atwood

Stone Mattress

Margaret Atwood

Plot Summary
logo

Surfacing

Margaret Atwood

Surfacing

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

The Blind Assassin

Margaret Atwood

The Blind Assassin

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

The Circle Game

Margaret Atwood

The Circle Game

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

The Edible Woman

Margaret Atwood

The Edible Woman

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

Study Guide
logo

The Heart Goes Last

Margaret Atwood

The Heart Goes Last

Margaret Atwood