Handmaid's Tale Quotations

'there was old sex in the room and loneliness'

chapter 1, Offred's initial reminiscence of the past. Her memories are her survival tool. Shows the power of the state and the fragility of human power: able to completely subvert sex into something different and dreadful.

'we yearned for the future'

Chapter 1, displays the strength of the femininity presented. All though they despise their lives in Gillead, they cling onto the hope that one day, things may change and they will be freed.

'army issue blankets, old ones that still said US'

Chapter 1, anchors the dystopia in reality, showing its roots lie within the modern world. Is this an intentional reminder of the past? Military symbols and elements of life are intricate in Gillead as they are reminders of control.

'no guns though, they could not be trusted with guns

Chapter 1, a lack of trust ripples throughout the system, even the Aunts, who are at the top of this feminised hierarchy lack power of trust. Gets us to question who is at the top of this hierarchy. Gillead as an omniscient presence.

'we still had our bodies, that was our fantasy'

Chapter 1, they cling onto whatever hope they have. They are still biologically in control of their bodies because they are not dead, yet, the state owns their bodies and treats them as 'national resources', Gillead is their puppeteer.

'we learned to lip read'

Chapter 1, displays how although the regime represses and abuses them, they are able to adapt to this, essentially enabling them to survive. This adaptation to survive displays both their consciousness (they have not been fully indoctrinated) and the power that they retain. No matter how totalitarian or autocratic a state, power always ripples subtly through every rank of society.

'Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moira, June'

Chapter 1, displays their power through their memory. Remembering their names is essentially an ode to their form identities, which one day, they hope to reclaim.

'Sunlight comes in through the window and falls on the floor'

Chapter 2, the dynamics of hope within Offred's life. The sun's majesty can be seen to represent her spirit, hope and recollection of the beauty of the world, although now concealed. However the phrase 'falls on the floor' represents the futility of this as she is essentially trapped and locked away from this beauty.

'thought must be rationed'

Chapter 2, strong affinity to war where people have to ration. Shows the extent to which liberty is hindered and controlled within the state, rules have been manipulated and subverted. The reduction of the handmaid's to two legged wombs.

'a chair, sunlight, flowers: these are not to be dismissed'

'not a prison but a privilege'

Chapter 2, the Aunts encourage the handmaids to view Gillead as a utopia, a better world than the one that they had experienced. Relates to the manifesto of Gillead of 'preventing frivolity and choice'

'everything except the wings around my face is red: the colour of blood, which defines us'

Chapter 2, the colour red symbolises passion, fertility and love, yet also blood and death. Highlights how all of these are interlinked and interdependent within the state. E.g. love can lead to death. Human emotion has been completely changed and subverted.

'I never looked good in red, its not my colour'

Chapter 2, Offred's rebellion, a rejection of the 'purity' and 'disregard of appearance and frivolity' within Gillead. Acknowledging the mechanisms of her appearance is rebellious in itself. He memories and consciousness keep her sane.

'a moment of carelessness that is the same as danger'

Chapter 2, highlights how easy punishment and death are within a totalitarian state. Everyone has to remain alert to their surroundings, manipulating their actions so they are not suspected of rebelling.

'a basket at her side with shears in it and pieces of string for tying the flowers into place'

Chapter 3, The commander's wife, relates to how she was instrumental in founding Gillead and establishing its principles, a symbol of her meticulous control as she tries to force the handmaids to adhere to her vision of a 'perfect' and morally correct world. Imagery of flowers here appears an oxymoronic choice. The connotations of flowers and those of order and control are completely oppositional.

'It's good to have small goals that can be easily attained'

Chapter 3, Offred gains power through these small rebellious actions. These small goals keep her sane and help her remain un-indoctrinated.

'Till death do us part'

Chapter 3, the commander's wife. Ironic notion of a relationship, she is almost aware of the irony in what she is saying. They aren't in love, their love is prescribed by the state. An old saying, relates to old, victorian values - the values the state intends to instils within its people.

'Low status, he hasn't been issued a woman, not even one'

Chapter 4, refers to Nick's status within Gillead. Shows the objectification of women when they serve as status symbols for the men, they are now tools of 'wealth'.

'sidewalks are kept much cleaner than they used to be'

Chapter 4, refers to the façade Gillead creates, encouraging people to see it as a utopic regime that was better than the last, using this clean and orderly imagery as propaganda. This essentially hides the abuse and fear that reigns underneath.

'she is my spy, and I am hers'

Chapter 4, referring to how the handmaids have to always walk in two 'for their protection'. Lack of female solidarity, female competition. Highlights the constant and pulsating fear within Gillead.

'I'm ravenous for news'

Chapter 4, Offred is hungry for something to occupy her mind, something that will give her any sense of hope.

'the windows of the vans are dark-tinted and the men in the front seats wear dark glasses: a double obscurity'

Chapter 4, relates to the ambiguity and uncertainty that characterises the regime, keeping everyone in thrall.

'I move my hips a little, feeling the red skirt sway around me'

Chapter 4, displays the subtle sexual power that is still present, Offred gains power over men through their situation: they are sexually frustrated and thus become vulnerable at the sight of women.

'power of a dog bone'

Chapter 4, relates to how women are able to use their sexuality in order to control men and taunt them. Gillead surpasses human nature, and thus, is an inevitably futile state.

'they will suffer late at night in their regimented beds'

Chapter 4, reinforces how Gillead surpasses human nature, a sexual connection between men and women effectively characterises life. Without it we become vulnerable, cruel and desperate.

'doubled, I walk the street'

Chapter 5, highlights how all handmaids are the same with their similar function, appearance and lack of worth. Gillead tries to change women into a 'mass' existence, depriving anyone of any individuality.

'The lawns are tidy, the façades are gracious'

Chapter 5, the 'perfection' in Gillead in terms of the garden imagery and plethoric imagery of flowers serves as an illusion, concealing the torture and inhumanity within. They are essentially propaganda tools.

'There is the same absence of people, the same air of being asleep'

Chapter 5, illustrates the surreality of Gillead and the non-existence of any human kindness. Everyone is asleep and blinded to the brutality of the regime.

'The republic of Gillead, said Aunt Lydia, knows no bounds, Gillead is within you.'

Chapter 5, the torture orchestrated by Gillead is everlasting, even if the handmaids are freed, they will never be able to forget this abuse and torture. Gillead will be able to surpass any boundaries of time and any constraints of change. The danger and destruction orchestrated by totalitarian holocaust.

'in the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from'

Chapter 5, the justification of Gillead presented by Aunt Lydia.

'we were a society dying, said Aunt Lydia, of too much choice'

Chapter 5, rationalisation of the rules and restrictions of liberty in Gillead.

'She's a magic presence to us, an object pf envy and desire, we covet her'

Chapter 5, pregnancy is the key to survival and salvation within Gillead. Creates a sense of female rivalry and jealousy as they all want to obtain this proclaimed key to safety.

'Now that she is the carrier of life, she is closer to death'

Chapter 5, pregnancy doesn't really guarantee security. It makes a women vulnerable to further scrutiny, rules and the jealous threats of other women. What happens to a woman once she has delivered a child is left completely ambiguous.

'We are fascinated, but also repelled, they seem undressed'

Chapter 5, the Japanese tourists. A polarisation between their freedom and exploration and the enforced stagnancy of the handmaids.

'Yes, we are very happy'

Chapter 5, Offred's response to them. Emphasises the constant sense of surveillance, yet also exemplifies her power, she understands what she must do in order to survive. The indolence of the Japanese tourists as they seem unaware that the response would inevitably be positive, due to such censorship and surveillance.

'There are white fluffy clouds, the kind that look like headless sheep'

Chapter 6, in Gillead they are all effectively trained to embody headless sheep; all uniform in their actions and appearance with no regard whatsoever for individuality. They have no head, they remain unconscious.

'The heads are the heads of snowmen, with the coal eyes and carrot noses fallen out. The heads are melting'

Chapter 6, the wall is a propaganda tool, this sinister image displays the consequences of rebellion. Ingrains fear into the population.

'The heads are zeros'

Chapter 6, the complete disregard for human life within Gillead.

'What I feel towards them is blankness'

Chapter 6, Gillead has changed Offred, making death seem something banal to her. The lack of human life of the state has been passed down to its people.

'The red of the smile is the same as the red of the tulips in Serena Joy's garden'

Chapter 6, highlights the superficiality of the façade Gillead desperately tries to created. Fundamentally, everything, no matter how beautiful, relates back to the concept of blood and death. This is how everything and everyone finishes. The state is destined for collapse and mass murder.

'The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet'

Chapter 7, reflects the conflict between power and powerlessness in Offred's life. She is able to claim power by being alone and merely thinking about the past. Yet at the same time, she cannot make any noise, or she will be suspected of rebellious actions.

'You've killed her, I said. She looked like an angel, solemn, compact, made of air.'

Chapter 7, sinister thought that Gillead has killed or brainwashed her daughter, yet Offred has no control over this

'It's almost like June, when we would get out our sundresses and our sandals and go for an ice cream cone'

Chapter 8, a strongly nostalgic quote. 'June' refers to her own personal identity, the summer connotations attached to this allow the gravity of the change to emerge, Gillead destroyed the optimistic, bright former identity of Offred, now her pessimism holds her in a dark state of depression. Even the most mundane and basic things are now considered as highly frivolous.

'Without a word, she swivels as if she's voice activated'

Chapter 8, the robotic nature of Ofglen, show how she is completely indoctrinated.

'beneath her veil, the first one scowls at us'

Chapter 8, the hatred the econowives have for the handmaids, female rivalry.

'under his eye'

chapter 8, one of the 'prescribed' greetings that Gillead deems appropriate. the pronoun 'His' is sinister and ambiguous. Reinforces the idea of Gillead being omnipresent.

'She's like my own reflection, in a mirror from which I am moving away'

Chapter 8, Offred tries hard to not falter under the pressure of Gillead to conform, she resents the idea of a 'mass' existence of femininity. 'Mirror' and identity are strongly linked. She wants to preserve her identity.

'she doesn't make speeches anymore, she has become speechless'

Chapter 8, Serena Joy's change. Irony: she didn't want a system like this and clearly didn't envision that it would turn out like this. Highlights the loss of power of all women, regardless of social class.

'They are defeated women'

Chapter 8, relates to the position of the wives. Exemplifies the futility of their power. They are so defensive and hostile because they are jealous and resent how powerless they have become.

'my face, distant and white and distorted, framed in the hall mirror'

Chapter 8, Gillead has reduced her to mere fragments of her former self. Her physical appearance reflects the deterioration of her mentality. An act of rebellion; they're not supposed to look in mirrors.

'men and women tried each other on, casually, like suits'

Chapter 9, the comparative frivolity of choice and freedom of the past

'I have them , these attacks of the past, like faintness, a wave sweeping over my head'

Chapter 9, memories are painfully for Offred, but they also serve as a survival tool for her

'Don't think its easy for me either, said Aunt Lydia'

Chapter 10, Aunt Lydia isn't just a villain, leads us to question her past.

'We lived in the gaps between the stories'

Chapter 10, their lives are meaningless and worthless in Gillead. In their past lives they didn't stand out, they are thus easy to manipulate

'broken symbolism left over from the time before'

Chapter 11, 'the time before' is beginning to be forgotten. Displays as loss of hope as despair takes over. The state has broken any fragments of the past, an indoctrination tool.

'he deals with a Torso only'

Chapter 11, refers to the doctor's inability to see Offred's face as the table is intersected so that he cannot see her face. Shows the lack of value for female life. They are all merely 'two legged wombs'.

'a forbidden word: sterile'

Chapter 11, the destruction the 'utopia' of Gillead orchestrates. Failure or weakness is simply not allowed or is completely forbidden.

'Give me children, or else I die'

Chapter 11, Rachel from the bible. A woman's sole function in Gillead is to reproduce. This biblical quote is taken quite literally, women who are unable to reproduce are sent to the colonies An example of religious extremism

'I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because its shameful or immodest, but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely'

Chapter 12, an example of how Gillead had changed Offred.

'I cannot avoid seeing now, the small tattoo on my ankle. Four digits and an eye, a passport in reverse. It's supposed to guarantee that I will never be able to fade, finally, into another landscape.'

Chapter 12, she is effectively a prisoner. The passport in reverse keeps her within Gillead and maintains her obedience to the state. She will never be able to forget this torture.

'What I must present is a made thing, not something born'

Chapter 12, she must prove her loyalty to the state, as well as having a baby. The process has many different elements interwoven through it.

'The long parentheses'

Chapter 13, she believed her life now is stagnated and that it will soon return to normal

'a prize pig'

Chapter 13, women are used as instruments of competition. The 'best' most fertile women are the ones that serve to win. Reinforces the objectification of women within Gillead.

'her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison'

Chapter 13, the infantilisation of women within Gillead. A subversion of feminism, where women are encouraged to see rape as their fault. Seems so polarised from the world that we know yet so close.

'She looked disgusting: weak, squirmy, blotchy, pink, like a newborn mouse'

Chapter 13, the vulnerability of the women in Gillead.

'I used to think well of myself, I didn't then'

Chapter 13, Gillead is a destructive regime that brings out the worst in people. It has changed Offred's character as a human.

'I sink down into my body as into a swamp, fenland, where only I know the footing'

Chapter 13, Offred still retains control of her body, reinforces the idea that although Gillead forbids any individuality, it is still present, woven into the lives of the women.

'Now the flesh arranges itself differently'

Chapter 13, Gillead has changed Offred's image of herself, although not literally or physically. Brings the true gravity of the change.

"I see despair coming towards me like famine"

Chapter 13, despair is inevitable in the regime and has become synonymous with the abuse it orchestrates.

"I would like to steal something from this room... it would make me feel like I have power"

Chapter 14, The repression within Gillead makes people yearn for power, they have been stripped of all power, left feeling powerless and disenfranchised in every sense.

"such a feeling would be an illusion"

Chapter 14, the Handmaid's are truly deprived of all power within Gillead, although they may convince themselves they retain power over their thoughts, this is essentially illusive.

"The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold until death do us part. The hold of a ship. Hollow."

Chapter 14, ironises and mocks the control that patriarchal figures such as the commander have within Gilead. The futility of this control as they cannot possibly make every single part of everyone subordinate to the power of the state. The power of the Commander is a façade for the overarching insecurity of the regime.

"they only show us victories, never defeats"

Chapter 14, highlights the euphemisms and lies of the regime. Highlights its constant deception as it proclaims to be a moral and pure 'uptopia', yet consistently engages in practices of corruption and deception.

"My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because its forbidden"

Chapter 14, simply by acknowledging what the state took away from her and by remembering the time before Gillead, she is constantly rebelling and embracing her state of complete consciousness that is rare within such an indoctrinating regime.

"I keep the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I'll come to dig up, one day"

Chapter 14, shows her hope for the future. She sees an escape as viable.

"the little girl who is now dead"

Chapter 14, Gillead has erased memories of her daughter, and has turned her an inherent pessimist. She now thinks cynically of the world, instantly assuming that they killed her daughter.

"our heads turn towards him, we are expectant, here comes our bedtime story"

Chapter 15, the state infantilises the women, reducing their status hugely. The Commander controls the dynamics of life within the state.

"Is there no end to his disguises, of benevolence"

Chapter 15, the Commander also commands a façade, he claims to be concerned for the wellbeing of the handmaids and the people in his household, yet his real intention is to exploit them and to force their subversion to his power.

"this journey into darkness that is composed of women, a woman, who can see in darkness while he himself strains blindly forward"

Chapter 15, the irony of the patriarchal dominance. The men who control Gillead don't have any concreted ambitions or objectives: they merely intend to exploit the women and use the excuse of 'duty' to cover the inhumanity of this. The woman recognise these blatant cracks in the regime's façade, yet the men are blinded to these, drunk by their power and corruption.

"the mouldy old Rachel and Leah stuff we had drummed into us at the centre"

Chapter 15, religious tales were subverted and used as tools of indoctrination. Used to validate or rationalise the repression of the regime.

"Blessed be this, blessed be that"

Chapter 15, Offed mocks and demeans the religious roots of the state. She is disillusioned with religion, seeing it as a tool of exploitation.

"Oh God, I pray. Nolite te bastdardes carborundorum. Is this what you have in mind"

Chapter 15, sense of disbelief. The life she is forced to live now seemed like a distant dystopia in her former life.

"This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being"

Chapter 16, during the sex ceremony When Offred is lying between Serena joy's legs. They have been transformed into a 'mass existence', an absence of individuality.

"I remember Queen Victoria's advice to her daughter. 'Close your eyes and think of England. But this is not England"

Chapter 16, she tries to distract herself to avoid confronting such a surreal reality. Gillead is far from any civilisation.

"Which of us is it worse for, her or me?"

Chapter 16, referring to the sex ceremony. Does Serena Joy feel as though she is worthless too?

"We are containers, its only the insides of our bodies that are important"

Chapter 17, reinforces their role as 'national resources'

"As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire"

Chapter 17, sense of longing for the future. Rebellion against the prohibition of looking after one's appearance in Gilead.

"I repeat my former name, remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me"

Chapter 17, desperation to reclaim a sense of identity.

"I can conjure them, but they are mirages, only, they don't last."

Chapter 18, although her memories provide her with power, this is only momental. More of a survival tool than a rebellion.

"Sanity is a valuable possession; I hoard it the way people once hoarded money, I save it so I will have enough, when the time comes"

Chapter 19, Offred's determination. Rebels against the regime simply by just surviving.

"On this day we can do anything we want. I revise that: within limits."

Chapter 19, all power is illusive. Refers to the power the women have on 'birth days'.

"careful not to step on the trailing hems of each other's dresses"

Chapter 20, 'trailing hems' a metaphor for the lingering impact of Gilead on their lives.

"We grip each other's hands, we are no longer single"

Chapter 21, female solidarity during the birth process.

"It's a victory, for us all. We've done it"

Chapter 21, female solidarity.

"Each of us holds in her lap a phantom, a ghost baby"

Chapter 21, the longing for birth. Birth as synonymous with survival and freedom.

"the sun is coming weakly through the clouds"

Chapter 22, subtle sense of hope

"there can be alliances even in such places, even under such circumstances"

Chapter 22, sense of hope. Female solidarity.

"the veil she tore into strips"

Chapter 22, Moira's rebellion, she wants to see again unrestricted by the veil.

"Moira had power now, she'd been set loose, she'd set herself loose. She was now a loose woman"

Chapter 22, she doesn't alter her situation but worsens it e.g. Jezebel's

"We are two legged wombs, that's all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices"

Chapter 23, dehumanisation of the Handmaid's