Studied by 2 people
Chapter 32
Finds matches from Rita to light the cigarette and thinks about burning down the house. The Commander criticises the regime to her. Later she thinks of the previous Offred's suicide
Chapter 1
Exposition of the novel taking place at the Red Centre with all the other women
Chapter 2
At the Commander's House, Offred talks about Rita and Cora and how they bond distantly together
Chapter 3
Flashback to arrival at the Commander's House when she realised who the Wife was - Serena Joy, a televangelist
Chapter 4
The walk with Ofglen to the supermarket. Offred sways her hips to seduce the guardians
Chapter 5
Offred and Ofglen encounter Janine who is flexing her pregnancy at the supermarket. They then encounter Japanese tourists who ask them whether they enjoy life in Gilead
Chapter 6
They visit the Wall and think about the people hung there. Offred uses mental distinctions to compose herself.
Chapter 7
Flashback to Moira at university, then Offred's mother at a porn magazine burning protest, then the care home
Chapter 8
Back at the Wall the next day, a new group of people have been hung there. Offred tells Rita what she has bought, and discovers the Commander in the room she sleeps in
Chapter 9
Claims the room as her own and discusses rationing exploring it, and the message she found. Also mentions the hotel rooms that she and Luke had an affair in
Chapter 10
Free time in her room, discussing the songs that are banned and Aunt Lydia's ratlike face. Sees the Commander out the window and wants to drop a paper bag full of water at his head, like Moira did in college
Chapter 11
The checkup where the nurse offers to impregnate Offred and she refuses
Chapter 12
Her bath. She thinks about her child, and when she nearly got kidnapped by a crazed Christian. Cora takes her out of the bath and feeds her. She saves away some butter
Chapter 13
Free time where she thinks about the Red Centre and how they all had to slutshame
Chapter 14
Serena Joy assembles the household to watch the news while unseen sexual tension builds between Offred and Nick, the guardian
Chapter 15
The Commander reads out of the Bible to the household and Offred has a flashback to Moira's failed attempt to escape the Red Centre
Chapter 16
The ****ing. There's no passion or rhythm, Offred has to hold Serena's ring-barbed hands the whole time and leaves with the Commander's juices running down her leg.
Chapter 17
Offred moisturises herself, looks at the moon and tries to steal from downstairs. She is caught by Nick in the sitting room and they kiss. Nick says the Commander would like to see her
Chapter 18
Craves to be with someone and imagines dying from lack of sex. Remembers the slow sex with Luke when she was pregnant. Describes how she feels dry when masturbating under the covers.
Chapter 19
The Wives and the handmaids are taken separately to Warren's house where Janine is in labour. Offred hopes she doesn't give birth to an unbaby and explains why this is feasible. She also imagines Janine sucking up to the Wives
Chapter 20
Janine is seen in labour with Aunt Elizabeth. Flashbacks to Gyn Ed classes with Elizabeth, with the porno tapes and the Unwomen documentaries. Thinks about her mother and how she interacted with Luke
Chapter 21
The actual birth process, with the Commander's Wife framing Janine and her baby being taken from her. Phantom contractions and births are felt, as well as false lactation. A women's culture has been achieved
Chapter 22
Recounts the story of Moira flooding the toilets, using a dismantled lever to incapacitate Aunt Elizabeth, swap clothes with her and walk out of the Red Centre. also reveals how Janine became a puppet for Aunt Lydia
Chapter 23
Erotic Scrabble game with the Commander, which Offred treats strategically to find bargaining chips. When describing the kiss, Offred describes the Commander as sad, and then corrects herself saying that's a reconstruction
Chapter 24
Back in her room Offred remembers when she'd heard about the suicide of the wife of a concentration camp supervisor for perspective on her current issues. Nearly bursts out laughing and locks herself in the closet away from the searchlight. Reflects on Nolite te bastardes caborondorum.
Chapter 25
Cora assumes Offred has killed herself, meetings with the Commander are becoming more frequent, discussion of the role of Serena and her garden.
Chapter 26
Changing dynamics between Offred and Commander disable the separation of act from emotion/lust, especially at the ceremony.
Chapter 27
Contrasts the inside of the university (past) with the Soul Scrolls building (present). Ofglen is revealed to be a dissenter and Offred feels relieved. Scare as the Eyes kidnap a man from the street
Chapter 28
Explanation of how America became Gilead over time, the loss of women's possessions and Luke as someone unaffected by the Gilead regime
Chapter 29
Reveal by the Commander that the previous Offred killed herself because Serena found out about her arrangement with the Commander. The Latin phrase was learned in the study
Chapter 30
Sees Nick and reminds herself she can't fall in love with him in place of Luke. Thinks of the failed escape attempt to Canada and how they had to kill the cat. Says a lonely prayer to herself.
Chapter 31
Feels mentally and physically aged as she goes through her morning routine, sees Catholics on the Wall with Ofglen and comes home to knit with Serena. Serena reveals Janine's pregnancy was arranged and offers to do the same with Offred. To reward her she is given a cigarette and offered a photo of her child
Chapter 33
Walk to the women's Prayvaganza with Ofglen. Sees Janine - it is revealed that her baby was a shredder and she blames herself. Flashback to Moira smacking Janine across the face at the Red Centre to bring her back to reality
Chapter 34
Prayvaganza continues as a group wedding, but it could also be a conversion. Ofglen reveals that Mayday knows about the secret meetings between Offred and the Commander and tasks her with finding information on whatever she can.
Chapter 35
Offred's thoughts return, against her will, to the day she and Luke tried to escape Gilead. Offred shakes off these memories and tries to remember how it felt to be in love. Thinking that Luke must be dead, she begins to cry. Later that night, Serena shows Offred a photograph of her daughter. In the photo, she wears a white dress and smiles. Offred senses that her daughter hardly remembers her. She also considers how she'd vanish from history.
Chapter 36
When Offred goes to see the Commander that night, he seems drunk. He speaks playfully with her and gives her a skimpy outfit decorated with feathers and sequins. He wants to take her out, he claims, using an expression from pre-Gilead days; she agrees to go. She dons the costume and puts cheap makeup on her face. She wears one of Serena's blue winter cloaks when he escorts her out of the house. Nick is waiting for them in the car, and they drive through darkened city streets. Offred hides on the floor when they pass the gateway. Offred finds herself worrying about Nick's opinion of her. The car stops in an alley, and the Commander helps Offred out of the robe. He opens a door with a key and slips a purple tag around Offred's wrist, instructing her to tell anyone who asks that she is an "evening rental." As Offred enters the building, she imagines Moira calling her an idiot for going along with this.
Chapter 37
The Commander takes Offred to an old hotel that Offred remembers from pre-Gilead days, when she often met Luke there. In the central courtyard, Offred sees women dressed in gaudy and revealing clothing from the past. The women mingle with important, powerful men. Offred realizes she should stay quiet and look dumb. She senses that the Commander likes showing her off and enjoys showing off for her. He explains that "the club" is officially forbidden, but that everyone knows that to be satisfied, men require a variety of women. Some of the women were prostitutes before Gilead. Others, once lawyers, sociologists, and businesswomen, prefer turning tricks in the club to a life in the Colonies or as a Handmaid. Suddenly Offred spots Moira in the crowd. Moira wears an ill--fitting Playboy bunny costume. She turns and sees Offred. They pretend not to recognize one another, and then Moira gives the old signal to meet her in the washroom.
Chapter 38
Five minutes later, Offred makes her way to the washroom. A dressed-up Aunt standing guard with a cattle prod tells her she has fifteen minutes. Offred meets Moira inside and explains that the Commander smuggled her into the club just for the night. Moira tells her own story. After escaping from the Red Center, she made her way to the center of town in Aunt Elizabeth's clothes and went to the home of a Quaker couple involved in the resistance. She says at that time the general public did not know about the Red Center because the authorities of Gilead feared people would object at first. The Quakers put her on the Underground Femaleroad, a system for getting women to safety. They tried to smuggle her out of the country, but just as Moira was leaving the final safe house to slip across the border in a boat, she was caught. The Eyes tortured her and showed her movies of the Colonies, where old women and subversives clean up radioactive spills and dead bodies from the war, and the life expectancy is three years. Moira chose to work as a prostitute in the club, which is nicknamed "Jezebel's," rather than go to the Colonies. Offred is disappointed to hear the fatalism in Moira's voice—Moira resignedly tells Offred she should try to work at the club, where they get three or four years to live, and face cream. Offred misses the old Moira who was so spirited and full of rebellion. After she leaves the club, she never sees Moira again.
Chapter 39
The Commander takes Offred to a hotel room, which reminds her of her affair with Luke. She excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She hears toilets flushing in other rooms and feels comforted, thinking of the universality of bodily functions. She thinks about Moira and her mother. In the washroom, Moira said that she saw Offred's mother in one of the films about the Colonies. Offred had assumed her mother was dead. Offred remembers going to her mother's apartment with Luke during the early days of Gilead; she found the place in disarray and her mother gone. Luke told her not to call the police, saying it wouldn't do any good. She remembers how much spirit her mother used to have, but she realizes that the Colonies must have stripped it away. The Commander is lying on the bed waiting for her when she exits the bathroom. He seems disappointed that she is not excited about a real sexual encounter. He looks smaller and older without his clothing. Offred feels no excitement and silently orders herself to fake it.
Chapter 40
Back in her room at the Commander's house, Offred has removed her makeup and put on her Handmaid clothes. Serena plans to meet her at midnight to take her to Nick so that Offred and Nick can have sex. In the middle of the night, Serena comes and tells Offred to go to Nick's apartment. Serena will wait for Offred to return.
Offred twice tells the story of what happens next. The first story, thick with passion and desire, is told in the breathy language of a romance novel. The second, probably more accurate, is awkward, uncertain, and full of sadness for the lost courtship rituals of the pre-Gilead world. "No romance . . . okay?" Nick says before they begin. Offred takes pleasure in the act this time. Offred says that neither of the versions is completely accurate, that every story is by nature a reconstruction. After sleeping with Nick, she feels ashamed. She feels she betrayed Luke and wonders if she would feel differently if she knew Luke was dead.
Chapter 41
Offred tells her imagined listener that her story is almost too painful to bear, but that she needs to go on telling it because it wills her listener into being. She may be addressing the reader, or she may be addressing Luke; she says she wants to hear her listener's story too, if her listener escapes. Offred says she continues to see Nick at night without Serena's knowledge. She feels thankful each time he opens the door to her. He never says much, but she finds herself telling him about Moira and Ofglen. She tells him her real name. She never mentions Luke. Eventually, she tells him she thinks she is pregnant, although privately she feels this is wishful thinking. During their shopping trips, Ofglen pressures Offred to break into the Commander's office. She wants Offred to find out what he really does, what responsibilities he has. But Offred now tunes out Ofglen and spends her time thinking about Nick.
Chapter 42
A women's "Salvaging," or large-scale execution, is held in what used to be Harvard Yard. All the women in the district must attend. On the lawn in front of the former library sits a stage like the one used for commencement in pre-Gilead days. Aunt Lydia sits on the stage, supervising the hangings. It is the first time Offred has seen Aunt Lydia since leaving the Red Center. Aunt Lydia announces that they have decided to discontinue announcing the crimes of the convicted because it sparks copycat crimes. The Handmaids are dismayed; the crimes give them hope by showing them that women can still resist. Three women are hanged, two Handmaids and one Wife. Offred speculates that the Handmaid tried to kill her Commander's Wife. She says Wives get salvaged for only three things: killing a Handmaid, adultery, or attempted escape. The Handmaids must place their hands on a long rope as the women hang, in order to show their consent to the salvaging.
Chapter 43
After the hanging, Aunt Lydia instructs the Handmaids to form a circle. A few of the other women leave, but most Wives and daughters stay to watch. Then two Guardians drag a third Guardian to the front. He is disheveled and smells of excrement. He looks drunk or drugged. Aunt Lydia announces that he and another Guardian have been convicted of rape. His partner was shot already, but this man has been saved for the Handmaids, who will take part in what is called a "Particicution." Aunt Lydia adds that one of the two Handmaids involved was pregnant and lost the baby in the attack. A wave of raw fury courses through the crowd; Offred feels bloodlust along with the others. Aunt Lydia blows a whistle, and the Handmaids close in on the man, kicking and beating him to a bloody pulp. Ofglen dashes in first and kicks his head several times. Afterward, disgusted with her friend, Offred asks Ofglen why she did it. Ofglen whispers that the supposed rapist was part of the underground rebellion, and she wanted to put him out of his misery quickly. Offred sees Janine carrying a bloody clump of hair. Her eyes look vacant, and she babbles some cheerful greetings from the time before Gilead. Offred admits, ashamed, that she feels great hunger.
Chapter 44
Soon after the Salvaging, Offred goes out for a shopping trip, comforted by the ordinariness of the routine. To her dismay, the Handmaid who meets her is not Ofglen. When Offred asks her where Ofglen went, the woman replies, "I am Ofglen." Since this new Handmaid now lives with the Commander named Glen, her name becomes Ofglen. Offred realizes how women get lost in this ocean of fluctuating names. Trying to see if the new woman belongs to the resistance, Offred suggests they go to the Wall. As they walk there, Offred works the password "Mayday" into the conversation by mentioning the old holiday of "May Day." The new Ofglen looks at her coolly and tells her that she should forget such "echoes" from the old world. Terrified, Offred realizes that the new Ofglen knows about the resistance and does not belong to it. She suddenly imagines herself found out and arrested. She thinks that perhaps they will torture her daughter until she tells them everything she knows. She and the new, treacherous Ofglen walk home. As they part, the new Ofglen suddenly whispers that the old Ofglen hanged herself when she saw the van coming to arrest her. "'It was better,'" she says, and then walks quickly away.
Chapter 45
Offred thinks that now things have gone back to normal she should take this miracle and go back to not risking it, whilst also feeling empty about Ofglen's death. Serena reveals her feelings of betrayal that Offred has slept with the Commander and presents her lipstick-smudged blue winter habit as evidence of this
Chapter 46
Seeing the Eyes van pull up, Offred waits for them to get her. Nick tells her it's Mayday, and she feels suspicious as she walks downstairs. Here the Commander and his Wife seem small because the "Eyes" accuse them of violation of state secrets. She leaves with them and we can presume she escapes.
Historical Notes
A transcript of a historical symposium held at the University of Denay, Nunavit, Canada. It reveals positives that the environment has recovered, Gilead has ended and the fact many women escaped. it reveals negatives like the continuation of misogyny, the tampering of Offred's narrative by men and the forgivingly cold attitude by the academics towards Gilead. Serves as a warning
Note
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