IV. Waiting Room

Question 1

‘I put my face against the soft hair at the back of her neck and I breathe her in.’

Answer 1

• A vivid image of Offred’s daughter is being described here.
• This shows that her daughter is always in her thoughts so much so that Offred never feels inclined to state her name or explain who she is.

Question 2

‘Give me children or else I die’

Answer 2

• Rachel’s words from Genesis 30: 1-3
• This is a biblical quotation linking to the story of Rachel and Leah, who were sisters married to Jacob. Leah had her own children by Jacob but Rachel could not, therefore, she got her “handmaid” Bilhah to conceive a child by Jacob for her.
• This was taken literally under the Gileadean Regime.

Question 3

‘I ought to feel hatred for this man… I don’t know what to call it. It isn’t love.’

Answer 3

• Offred defines her feelings towards the Commander as things they are not.
• Her feelings do not include ‘love’.
• She does not feel hatred to him but she thinks she should because of the regime, but she does not want to love him either.

Question 4

‘My room, then. There has to be some space, finally, that I claim as mine’.

Answer 4

• The idea that Offred can something she can call hers seems to be essential to her sanity.
• She needs a place to herself where she can think and hope by herself, remembering her life before.

Question 5

‘We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance. You have to work at it.’

Answer 5

• Not paying attention to something and not acknowledging something is different to not knowing it is there or it is happening.
• People who ‘ignore’ become complacent. The Aunts ignored feminism, they represent the anti-feminists.
• Serena Joy who represents Phyllis Schlafly in the book who was massively opposed to feminism championing the conservative beliefs of Reagan’s administration.