the palm
The above lines show that her persona has aged. She adds the term “literate” and later states “It is dangerous to read newspapers” (line 27). This implies that once she became older and more mature, she eventually learned how to read and is able to make decisions based on her perceptions. However, the word “dangerous” emphasizes that having knowledge is not always a good thing. Atwood implies the peaceful and war images that take place: and as I walked to the school washed and combed, my feet stepping on the cracks in the cement detonated red bombs. (lines 5—8) This line hints that as she walks to school, taking each step, her arms and legs can possibly blow up if there were bombs or landmines around, which is currently not the case. However, in another world there is someone who is facing such destruction.