Chapters 16-21 Quotes Flashcards
In chapter 16, how does Offred describe the ceremony which demonstrates the way the Handmaids are objectified in this society?
(After describing her skirt)
“Below it, the Commander is fucking.”
This demonstrates how sex during the ceremony is void of any romance and passion, thus emphasing how Offred is treated as an object or a tool rather than a real person.
(Can be compared to Stella’s treatment by Stanley, especially in the last scene where he ignores her feelings and “his fingers find the opening of her blouse.”)
What does Offred say in chapter 17 which shows her longing for the past, as well as reinforcing the fact that she has been devalued in Gilead?
“I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable.”
This shows how desperate Offred is for real love + affection, how desperate she is to be seen as important, to be cared for, as she doesn’t experience any of this anymore
(Can be linked to Blanche’s desperation and self destruction in the pursuit of feeling loved and valued)
What does Offred say in chapter 17 which reinforces her desperation for control?
“repeat my former name, remind myself of what I could once do, how others saw me. I want to steal something.”
Here we see Offred trying to regain a sense of power, control and dignity, which she is always so desperate for. In the end she decides that stealing something will allow her to feel this in the present time, even if only for a bit.
(Can be linked to Blanche robbing others of the truth in hopes of being valued.)
In chapter 17, how does Offred describe her affair with Nick which demonstrates her loneliness?
“It’s so good, to be touched by someone, to be felt so greedily, to feel so greedy. Luke, you’d know, you’d understand. It’s you here, in another body.”
This shows how desperate Offred is for love, affection and intimacy. Although the fact that she thinks “Luke… it’s you here, in another body”, suggests that she is moreso desperate for Luke specifcally. She doesn’t really care about Nick as a person, not much anyway, he is simply filling the hole in her heart where Luke once was.
(Can be compared to how Blanche’s uses the men in Laurel and Mitch to fill the hole in her heart which Allan once filled.)
What does Offred say in chapter 18 which demonstrates her desperation for love and intimacy?
“Can I be blamed for wanting a real body, to put my arms around? Without it I too am disembodied.”
Shows how Gilead penalises her for having human desires.
