Year of the Flood: Toby's Emotional Resilience Selena R Barron College

Throughout the course of The Year of the Flood we see how Toby’s character has developed into the level-headed and capable adult surviving after the waterless flood. What is particular to Toby’s character is the presence of these valuable traits before the onset of the pandemic. Through flashbacks that show her childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood there are elements of the hardened Toby that we are first introduced to. At the same time, Toby retains morale and values humanity even in the face of dystopia. It is this combination of traits that facilitate Toby’s survival after the flood, and arguably present her as one of if not the most capable individual in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Toby’s childhood was marred by several traumatic events that forced her to take on much responsibility in order to survive. Early on we learn that her mother fell ill from vitamin supplements being supplied by the HelthWyzer corporation. Toby’s father spends all of their funds in the attempt to care for her, and after her death, he kills himself with the rifle that Toby carries throughout the book. In the retelling of this part of Toby’s life, Atwood writes, “Her mother’s funeral was short and dreary. After it, Toby sat with her father...