Chapters 41-44 Flashcards
What does Offred tell her imagined listener?
(Historical Notes)
Offred tells her imagined listener that her story is almost too painful to bear, but she has 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 listenerâs story too, if her listener escapes.
Why is the fact Offred says âlistenerâ important?
We find out in the Historical Notes section that Offred recorded her story on tapes, therefore it is likely that the Handmaid after her found these and listened to them.
What does Offred keep doing without Serenaâs knowledge?
Seeing Nick.
What is significant about Offredâs continued relationship with Nick?
She tells him her real name - something women had been stripped of.
She never told him about Luke. However, she eventually tells him she thinks she is pregnant, although she thinks this is wishful thinking.
Whatâs a âsavagingâ?
A large-scale execution.
Why are the Handmaids upset when Aunt Lydia says they have discontinued announcing the crimes of the women being executed?
The crimes give them hope by showing them that women can still resist
Who gets hanged? What does Offred suspect?
Three women are hanged, two Handmaids and one Wife. Offred speculates that the Handmaid tried to kill her Commanderâs Wife.
Where must the Handmaids place their hands to show their consent during the salvaging?
The Handmaids must place their hands on a long rope as the women hang, in order to show their consent to the salvaging.
What is a âParticicutionâ?
A convicted criminal is saved for the Handmaids, who get to beat them.
Ofglen kicks the manâs head. Why?
The supposed rapist was part of the underground rebellion, and she wanted to put him out of his misery quickly.
What happened to Ofglen?
She hanged herself when she saw the van coming to arrest her. It is likely it was found out she belonged to the resistance.
Does the new Ofglen belong to the resistance?
No - when Offred whispers the password, she says Offred should forget about such âechoesâ from the old world.
Why is the shopping trip with the new Ofglen significant?
During this shopping trip, the horror of living in a totalitarian state reasserts itself, and events begin to rush toward the novelâs conclusion.
