MaddAddam

The odd crew heads out, and Toby wonders, “If we were carrying a flag, […] what would be on it?” (346). Some young pigoons are herding the Mo’Hairs, apparently not smelling danger. Toby found some sneakers for Blackbeard to protect his feet since there will be hazards on the road. Toby notices Jimmy seems tired, but he is determined to go. When they pause, a pigoon sniffs Jimmy and his foot. Blackbeard says that the pigoon says Jimmy is strong in his center but weak in his feet, so he needs to let the pigoons carry him. Jimmy resists, but Zeb threatens to leave him behind if he doesn’t ride. The pigoons bring them straight to the RejoovenEsense gates and then to the Paradice dome.

The dome is ahead, and Blackbeard excitedly identifies it as the Egg, but he knows Oryx flew away and isn’t there. Pigoon scouts report that the men are near the Egg. Two have tied up the third, who has a white beard, dirty clothes, and only one shoe—likely Adam. Urgently, Jimmy exclaims that they must be kept from the storeroom and the ammo stash. They instruct the pigoons to rush in and blockade the door. Reaching the dome, Jimmy falls to his knees before two skeletons, moaning about Oryx and Crake. Overhearing, Blackbeard starts to weep. Toby is speechless.

Blackbeard tells the Crakers that he will be telling the story tonight because Toby is too distraught over those who died in the battle. He puts on the hat and explains that it does not hurt him, and he forces himself to take a bite of fish, which makes him gag. He explains that it is necessary because it mirrors Crake’s sacrifices to make them. He then begins to tell them the Story of the Battle. He shows them his shoes, describes Snow-man-the-Jimmy being carried, and the pigoons who ran ahead. Blackbeard repeats Jimmy and Toby’s conversation about Oryx and Crake verbatim, adding Toby’s explanation that the bodies were only husks. He explains that the pigoons chased the two Painballers through the halls but told him the third man was upstairs. The pig who carried Jimmy was killed, making Blackbeard retch as he watched it happen. When the Painballers rat up the stairs where the pigoons couldn’t follow, Zeb and Toby lit a fire in the stairwell and smoked them out. Using Adam as a shield, the Painballers offered to trade Adam for ammo and Toby, but Adam shook his head and then dove down the stairs as a Painballer shot him. Zeb ran to Adam. Toby shot the Painballer in the leg. Jimmy took a bullet aimed at Toby, saving her life. Zeb shot the other Painballer in the arm. Smoke filled the Egg, so they carried Adam and Jimmy out and dragged the Painballers, now bound, with them. Pale and weak, Adam said, “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have lasted long. Plant a good tree” (363) and died. They walked slowly to AnooYoo and were greeted with relief. In the morning, walking to the cobb-house, Jimmy was alive and traveling in his head. Then, too far away, he joined Oryx and Crake.

The MaddAddamites, the Gardeners, the pigoons, and the Crakers hold a trial the following day to determine the Painballers’ punishment. The Painballers aren’t included as their guilt is clear. Zeb explains, they “have to make some decisions in cold blood” (367), asking if they are ready to vote. Most view the Painballers as trash to be taken out, but White Sedge reminds the group that they’re humans who might be rehabilitated. Most agree that they wouldn’t be safe. Ivory Bill suggests that they save the Painballers’ “generative fluids” (369) for genetic diversity, which infuriates the women. Ultimately, all but one vote for death, including the pigoons. The Crakers, confused, don’t vote. Toby, Zeb, Amanda, Ren, Crozier, Shackleton, and the pigoons take the Painballers to the beach and return without them, looking relieved. Toby explains that the bad men were “washed away in the sea” like “Crake poured away the chaos” (371). The Crakers don’t have trials, which makes Blackbeard glad because he didn’t like it.

This chapter returns to Toby’s perspective as she writes in her journal about Gardener festivals and explains what happened after the trial, remembering to consider her words, as Blackbeard may read her account one day. She explains that once the Painballers were dead, Amanda “appear[ed] to have been reborn” (373). They composted Oates, Adam, and Jimmy next to Pilar, finding appropriate and useful trees as markers. The pigoons had their own ritual for their dead. Blackbeard interrupts her and asks what Toby is writing, which she explains. She says that her tears are because writing tires her eyes, and Blackbeard promises to write for her next time.

This chapter consists of several direct journal entries, some written by Blackbeard and some written by Toby. The Crakers used beach trash to create images of Snowman-the-Jimmy and Adam to make Zeb, Toby, Ren, and Amanda happy. They once made a picture of Jimmy to call him back, but they knew Jimmy and Adam couldn’t return. Zeb is still mourning Adam but is starting to smile. Two young pigoons burrowed into the garden, and their parents seemed irritated and embarrassed, promising that it wouldn’t happen again, demonstrating the new coexistence of the pigoons and the humans. Blackbeard was getting older, which makes Toby oddly sad. In his journal, Blackbeard writes about the weird thing Toby did with Zeb: jumping over the fire together and trading branches. Blackbeard understands it is somewhat like mating, which he’ll be ready to do next cycle. The three pregnant women have Craker babies, and Swift Fox has twins—all are happy and doing well. Lotis Blue is pregnant with Manatee’s child. Crozier is co-raising Ren’s baby, Jimadam; Shackleton helps with Amanda’s Pilaren; and Swift Fox allows Ivory Bill to help with Medulla and Oblongata. Blackbeard participates in his first mating.

Blackbeard is now performing the storytelling rituals, and he shows the Crakers “the Book that Toby made when she lived among us” (385). He explains basic words like writing, pen, and paper, and that writing speaks the voice of whoever wrote it in their heads. He tells them the names of the people whose stories are in the book, including the Beloved Three Oryx Mothers who proved that they were all human. Toby taught them to ask instead of assuming that a woman is blue. She also showed Blackbeard how to make ink and pens and how to take care of written pages. She also taught him that when someone new learns to write, they should copy the book over so they always have it and they should always leave blank pages to write more stories. Blackbeard has taught Jimadam, Pilaren, Medulla, and Oblongata to read and write so when he is gone they can pass the knowledge down too. The new pages Blackbeard has added are the Story of Toby.

Blackbeard is wearing the hat, he places the fish in his mouth and then removes it, and now he is going to read the Story of Toby from the Book. One day, Zeb saw smoke from a campfire that seemed to be moving closer each day. He decided to go and see if there were more people because it was important to know if they were good or dangerous. Zeb brought Black Rhino and Katuro, leaving everyone else to protect the camp and the children. Zeb said he would send smoke signals if he needed help, but they didn’t come back. The smoke from the first fire was gone, so Zeb, Black Rhino, and Katuro must have been forced into a fight and killed. Toby cried, and she never stopped being sad for Zeb.

Time passed, and Toby started to grow thin. She said she was sick with a disease that made her waste away, and nothing could make her better. To each of them individually, she said good night. Then, she took poppy and her jar of dangerous mushrooms into the woods and never came back. The pigoons say she died, and the vultures consumed her. Some say Oryx turned her into an owl or she’s with Pilar. Blackbeard prefers to believe the story that she found Zeb and they’ve both taken the form of bears. The Oryx Mothers wept over Toby, and Swift Fox, who is pregnant, decided if she has a girl, she’ll name her Toby. Blackbeard is proud because Swift Fox used the Craker mating ritual, and he is one of the fathers of her child. Blackbeard writes that “this is the end of the Story of Toby” (390), writing his name on the last page like Toby taught him to do as a child.