Chapter summaries The Margaret Atwood 4-Book Bundle Margaret Atwood

Chapter 47: Street Walk – Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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

In Chapter 47, the narrator (Iris Chase) walks through a run-down working-class neighborhood to meet her lover, Alex Thomas. She is acutely aware that her fine clothing—fur trim, lizard handbag, high heels—marks her as an outsider, drawing hostile stares from residents. She recalls taking a taxi and considers changing her appearance but realizes the plan is impractical. She reflects on the danger of their secret affair, including the possibility of surveillance by the Red Squad, and acknowledges that her fear paradoxically enhances her pleasure. She thinks about Alex’s secrecy concerning mundane details such as laundry and meals, and she remembers their conversations about emotional avowals—exchanges in which he deflects with songs or sarcasm. She checks her surroundings, noting the absence of followers. Finally, she arrives at The Excelsior apartment building, ducks into an alley, and knocks on the service door.

Key Events

Iris walks through a working-class neighborhood, feeling out of place in her expensive clothing.
She recalls taking a taxi three blocks away to avoid drawing attention.
She reflects on the danger of being caught and her own fear, which enhances her pleasure.
She thinks about Alex’s secrecy regarding his daily life, including his laundry and meals.
She remembers their conversations about saying “I love you,” where he deflects with a bawdy song.
She checks for surveillance and sees no one following her.
She arrives at The Excelsior building and knocks on the service door.

Character Development

Iris: This chapter deepens Iris’s self-awareness. She is alert to class distinctions and her own privilege, and she admits that she would renounce Alex if caught. Yet she feels compelled by desire, describing it as a “shameful rope” around her neck. Her willingness to be “blotted out” during their encounters shows a craving for oblivion. She also tries to assert control by rationing visits and withholding gifts, but ultimately she acknowledges that resistance is futile.
Alex: Though not physically present, Alex is revealed through Iris’s observations. He remains secretive about everyday details, suggesting a need to maintain mystique. He uses songs and deflections to avoid emotional intimacy, and he insists on controlling the terms of their meetings—for example, deciding not to meet her this time. His nervousness about the Red Squad adds a political dimension to their relationship.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Class and Appearance: Iris’s fur-trimmed coat, lizard handbag, and high heels mark her as wealthy and out of place. The women she passes give her “filthy” looks, and the men on porches scowl. Clothing becomes a marker of social identity and risk.
Desire and Humiliation: Iris describes her desire as a “leash around the neck” and a “shameful rope.” The pleasure she feels is inseparable from humiliation, and she feels she has no choice but to return. This motif recurs in her thoughts about being “hauled along.”
Surveillance and Secrecy: The chapter is saturated with images of watching: the men on porches, her sense of being followed, the Red Squad. Iris adopts a “face of pure water” to hide her intentions. She is both observer and observed, and she fears being made into an “anecdote.”
Romance vs. Reality: Iris reflects that “romance takes place in the middle distance” and involves leaving out the sordid details. She wonders if knowing too much about Alex’s life—his laundry, his meals—would diminish him and their affair. The chapter contrasts the idealized romance with the gritty reality of his stolen existence.
Motif of Paintings: Iris mentions paintings of women surprised at private moments (Nymph Sleeping, Susanna and the Elders, Woman Bathing) to highlight the voyeuristic gaze. She notes the absence of paintings called “Man Washing Socks in Sink,” pointing to a gendered imbalance in how private lives are depicted.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 47 is a pivotal interior monologue that exposes the psychological complexity of Iris’s affair with Alex. It grounds their relationship in physical risk and social transgression, showing that their meetings are not merely romantic but dangerous. The chapter also uses the urban setting—a decaying working-class neighborhood—to mirror the tension between their worlds. The reference to the Red Squad introduces a political context, linking personal desire to the broader historical forces of the 1930s (the novel’s setting). Finally, Iris’s meditation on romance versus reality foreshadows the eventual unraveling of the affair and the stories that will be told about it.

Study Questions and Answers

How does Iris’s awareness of her own class affect her journey in this chapter?
Answer: Iris is hyperaware that her expensive clothing makes her stand out. She notes that her hat, coat, and handbag are wrong for the neighborhood, and she feels judged by the women and men she passes. This class anxiety reinforces the divide between her and Alex, and it adds to the risk of her visit. She considers changing her appearance but finds it impractical, highlighting how entrenched her social identity is.
What does the chapter reveal about the power dynamics in Iris and Alex’s relationship?
Answer: The chapter shows an asymmetric power dynamic. Alex controls the terms—he decides not to meet her, leaves cryptic directions, and withholds emotional avowals. Iris tries to assert control by rationing visits and withholding gifts, but she acknowledges that desire overrides her will; she feels “hauled along by a shameful rope.” The affair gives her pleasure but also humiliation, and she admits she would renounce him if caught, indicating a lack of genuine commitment from her side as well.
Why does Iris mention paintings of women being observed? How does this relate to her own situation?
Answer: Iris lists paintings like “Nymph Sleeping” and “Susanna and the Elders” to highlight the tradition of depicting women as objects of a voyeuristic gaze. She contrasts this with the absence of paintings of men doing mundane tasks. This observation mirrors her own situation: she feels watched by the men on the street and possibly by the Red Squad, but she also imagines Alex imagining her. She is both subject and object of observation, yet she tries to maintain a “face of pure water” to evade scrutiny.