Luke Flashcards
Give a quote to suggest that the narrator is struggling to hold on to the thought of Luke.
By the end of the book, it seems like the narrator’s strategy to hold onto Luke through her memory isn’t working:
I ought to have done that with Luke, paid more attention… (40.15)
What was life like when the narrator was with Luke?
When she was with Luke, things were ordinary; they didn’t realize how lucky they were, or that their time together would be so short.
What has she forgotten about Luke?
She’s forgotten the details of Luke’s body, so she makes a conscious effort to remember Nick’s, determined not to make the same mistake twice.
What whats Luke’s relationship like with the narrators mother?
He got along with his mother-in-law, despite her notorious dislike of men:
He didn’t mind, he teased her by pretending to be macho… (20.21)
What does critic Madonne Miner point out about Luke’s relationship with the narrators mother?
Luke jokingly makes the kind of statements that are made seriously in Gilead by the Commander. The narrator says Luke is “teas[ing]” and “pretending”; it’s up to readers to decide if his statements are, in retrospect, harmless or harmful.
What happens when the narrator loses her job?
Luke’s consoling words to her fall flat. The narrator suspects that the new dynamic between them doesn’t really bother him:
He doesn’t mind this, I thought… (28.116).
