The gender performances of Margaret Atwood's Aunt Lydia in the Testaments

Abstract

This article examines the different gender performances that are demonstrated by the version of the character Aunt Lydia that Margaret Atwood focuses on in her latest novel, The Testaments (2019). The research is primarily informed by Judith Butler and her various works on the subject of gender performance. In The Testaments, Lydia performs two gender roles: publicly, that of the Aunt, and, in private, that of a woman who aims to restore Gileadean women’s freedom. The gender of the Aunt is performed consciously, whereas the second gender is performed significantly more unconsciously.