Chapter summaries The Margaret Atwood 4-Book Bundle Margaret Atwood

Chapter 169 (25) Summary: Tony's Betrayal of Herself

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Tony cannot refuse Zenia anything. She lends Zenia money for rent, food, and living expenses, and when Zenia claims she will fail her Modern History course, Tony writes two term papers—one for herself and one for Zenia. Zenia’s paper, on the Slavic slave trade, earns an A, while Tony’s on the Byzantine silk monopoly earns an A minus. Months later, Zenia climbs through Tony’s window at night. She suggests they confess to academic fraud, threatening Tony’s future as a professor. Zenia then reveals she is deeply in debt and implies West is also at risk. Tony writes a cheque for one thousand dollars, knowing it is blackmail. She gains only time.

Key Events

  • Tony writes two term papers for Modern History because Professor Welch dislikes war topics for female students. Zenia’s paper gets an A, Tony’s gets an A minus.
  • Zenia appears less interested in Tony and West as spring approaches; she no longer spends evenings talking.
  • In early April, Zenia enters Tony’s bedroom through the window at night. Tony initially believes it is her dead mother Anthea.
  • Zenia suggests they confess to cheating, threatening Tony’s academic reputation.
  • She claims she cannot pay the rent and that West will sell his lute if he learns the truth.
  • Tony writes a cheque for $1,000, knowing it will not be repaid.
  • The chapter ends with Tony reflecting that Zenia will return for more money; she has gained nothing but time.

Character Development

  • Tony: Her willingness to help Zenia reveals deep insecurity and a need to be needed. She writes the paper and gives money despite knowing it is wrong. Her conscience troubles her, but she prioritizes preserving Zenia’s freedom and West’s safety over her own integrity. The night visit forces her to confront her fear of her mother’s ghost and her own powerlessness.
  • Zenia: She demonstrates mastery in manipulation: first through tears and vulnerability, then through veiled blackmail. She uses Tony’s guilt and love for West as leverage. Her calmness contrasts with Tony’s anxiety, showing her control.
  • West: Though absent, West functions as a pawn. Zenia uses Tony’s concern for him to extract money. He is described as a “baby” who would make “sacrificial gestures” — a trait Zenia exploits.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Manipulation and Complicity: Zenia coerces Tony into compromising her ethics. Tony rationalizes her actions as loyalty, but the text shows she is an active participant in her own betrayal.
  • Historical Parallels: Tony imagines the assassination of Byzantine emperor Nicephorus Phocas by his wife Theophano. Theophano’s “gleeful” treachery mirrors Zenia’s actions. Tony wonders if historians ignore the “giddy hide-and-seek” of ambush, suggesting that betrayal contains an element of perverse joy.
  • Power and Blackmail: Zenia’s power lies in information (the term paper) and emotional leverage (Tony’s care for West). Tony’s power is financial, but she uses it defensively.
  • Guilt and Remorse: Tony feels remorse for cheating but also rationalizes her motives. Her punishment (A minus) is “light,” but the threat of exposure hangs over her.
  • Academic Integrity: The chapter explores the cost of violating academic rules. Tony’s identity as a future professor depends on honesty, yet she sacrifices it to save Zenia.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter crystallizes the toxic dynamic between Tony and Zenia. It shows how Zenia systematically dismantles Tony’s ethical boundaries—first through gratitude, then through fear. Tony’s complicity in writing the term paper and later in paying blackmail demonstrates how easily good intentions can be weaponized. The historical digression about Theophano provides a thematic lens: Tony sees treachery as a kind of “practical joke,” reflecting her inability to fully recognize the harm Zenia inflicts. The chapter also deepens the novel’s exploration of female friendship, rivalry, and the ways women can both empower and destroy one another.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Tony agree to write Zenia’s term paper, and what does this reveal about her character?
    Tony agrees because she cannot bear to see Zenia fail and return to a life of “degradation.” She also feels that Zenia is doing Tony’s rebelliousness for her, so writing the paper is a fair exchange. This reveals Tony’s deep need to be helpful and her tendency to rationalize unethical behavior through a distorted sense of reciprocity.

  2. How does the story of Empress Theophano parallel the events of this chapter?
    Theophano orchestrates the assassination of her husband, Nicephorus Phocas, with a lover and mercenaries. Tony imagines Theophano’s “gleeful” smile as she wakes the emperor before killing him. This mirrors Zenia’s own calculated betrayal: she reveals her power over Tony at the moment of greatest vulnerability (the night visit), enjoying the surprise and control.

  3. What is the significance of Tony’s reaction when she first sees Zenia at the window?
    Tony mistakes Zenia for the ghost of her mother Anthea. This shows that Tony’s guilt over her mother’s death (or abandonment) is always present. Zenia’s intrusion reopens that wound, and Tony’s paralysis reflects her inability to confront either her past or Zenia’s manipulation.

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