Chapter 87: Home Fires - 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
The chapter opens with the narrator watching television news of a distant war, prompting a meditation on the repetitive brutality of conflict. She contrasts the generic horrors (ruined buildings, weeping civilians) with her own safe, mundane life in Port Ticonderoga. The narrative then shifts back to the late 1930s and early 1940s, when war broke out in Europe. Her marriage to Richard was already failing: she had suffered multiple miscarriages, and Richard kept a series of young secretaries as mistresses. The narrator acknowledges the limited power she holds—only by pretending not to know about his infidelities can she maintain her position as the official wife. Richard’s public image mattered for his political ambitions; divorce would have been unthinkable. She occupies her time with gardening and drinking gin. At the outbreak of World War II, Richard faces a political crisis because of his prior pro-German business dealings and speeches. He scrambles to appear patriotic, converting his factories to war production. The narrator learns to drive when Mr. Murgatroyd enlists. She suffers from bronchitis and spends much of the war bedridden and apathetic. When peace finally arrives in spring, she notes that ending a war is not easy—its ashes drift long afterward.
Key Events
- The narrator watches television news of a generic war and reflects on its universality.
- She contrasts the violence “out there” with the safety of Port Ticonderoga.
- Flashback to her marriage during the late 1930s: two miscarriages, Richard’s string of mistresses.
- The narrator recognizes her power lies in feigning ignorance of Richard’s affairs.
- Richard’s political vulnerability at the outbreak of World War II due to his pro-German past.
- Richard quickly pivots to war production and patriotism to salvage his position.
- Mr. Murgatroyd leaves to join the army; the narrator learns to drive the Bentley.
- She catches a cold turning into bronchitis, spends months in bed, and stops watching newsreels.
- The war ends in spring; the narrator remembers the silence and bells after the previous war.
Character Development
- Iris (narrator): Reveals her growing resignation and emotional numbness during her marriage. She describes herself as “stupefied” and “dogged,” clinging to small comforts like gardening and gin. Her apathy deepens during the war years; she loses interest even in news of victories.
- Richard Griffen: Portrayed as a hollow, rodent-like figure—ruthless not in a lion-like way but by “chewing off roots.” His political survival skills are on display as he abandons his pro-German stance to join the patriotic war effort. The chapter reinforces his public, imposing emptiness.
- Winifred Griffen (mentioned): Provides a rationalization for Richard’s infidelity, framing male “urges” as uncontrollable forces—a doctrine that the narrator notes was widely accepted.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- War as a Universal Constant: The opening meditation conflates wars across time (Troy, Hitler, “Herod’s troops”) to argue that violence is not exceptional but repetitive. The narrator’s war, World War II, is just another instance.
- “Home Fires” Irony: The wartime slogan “Keep the home fires burning” is reinterpreted: the narrator imagines women secretly setting fire to their own homes. The phrase becomes a metaphor for the destruction hidden within domestic life.
- Performative Marriage: The marriage to Richard is a public facade; both parties maintain appearances. The narrator’s power depends on not exercising it—an inversion of conventional power dynamics.
- The Thin Ice of Manners: The narrator describes skating on “thin ice of good manners” that hides the “dark tarn” beneath—symbolizing the fragility of social order and the threat of exposure.
- Ashes of War: The chapter ends with the image of war as a huge fire whose ashes drift far and settle slowly, suggesting that the consequences of conflict linger long after peace is declared.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Home Fires” deepens the portrait of the narrator’s marriage and her psychological state during a pivotal historical moment. It shows how the external war mirrors her internal war: both are grinding, relentless, and wearying. The chapter establishes the constraints that shaped her later choices—her dependence on Richard, her cultivated ignorance, and her growing detachment from public life. It also provides crucial background for understanding her eventual rebellion and the secrets she carries into old age.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the narrator’s description of Richard (“more like a sort of large rodent… killed things by chewing off their roots”) shape our understanding of his character?
Atwood uses this metaphor to emphasize Richard’s indirect, underground method of destruction. Unlike a lion (overtly violent), he works in concealment, undermining people gradually. It reinforces the idea that his power is not martial or charismatic but financial and political, and it explains why the narrator feels trapped: his damage is subtle but pervasive.
2. Why does the narrator say her power “was power only if I did not exercise it”?
She refers to her knowledge of Richard’s affairs. To reveal what she knows would force a public scandal or divorce, which would harm her financially and socially, and would end Richard’s political ambitions. By pretending to know nothing, she preserves the status quo and her own security. The power exists only in the threat of exposure, not in its use.
3. What is the significance of the narrator’s bronchitis and prolonged bed rest during the war?
Her illness is both physical and symbolic. It mirrors the malaise and apathy she feels—she “lost interest” even in the “stirring times” of war. The bed rest becomes a retreat from a world she finds meaningless, a passive response to the grinding tension around her. It also isolates her, deepening her detachment from Richard and from the war effort.