MARRIAGE

Question 1

Give a quote that suggests how Serena asserts her marriage to Offred.

Answer 1

As for my husband, she said, he’s just that… (3.36)

• Here Serena Joy relies on a quotation from the marriage ceremony to remind the narrator of how little she should be able to enter into this standing relationship with the Commander. She asserts what power she has by emphasizing her status as the Commander’s Wife.
• Compares to how Stella is so devoted to Stanley and therefore passive. Blanche will not deter her from her new lifestyle despite family.

Question 2

Give a quote that suggests the difference between husbands and wives in marriage.

Answer 2

It’s not the husbands you have to watch out for, said Aunt Lydia, it’s the Wives… (8.27)

Significantly, “Wives” is capitalized while “husbands” is not. Husbands have other jobs, but a Wife is a wife and a wife only. Marriage grants her a certain honorific status.

Question 3

Give a quote that suggests the desire for the normalcy of marriage.

Answer 3

Absurd, but that’s what I want. An argument, about who should put the dishes in the dishwasher… (31.6)

• The narrator craves the normalcy that was a fundamental part of her marriage, something she took for granted. Fighting about even the simplest, most trivial thing would be a privilege now.
• Links to how Blanche is in a position of despair and longs for a stable marriage.

Question 4

Give a quote about scrabble.

Answer 4

‘To be asked to play Scrabble… a violation in its own way’ (25.40)

• Here, the ‘violation’ is acting like an ‘old married couple’. This contrasts with the poker game and how Stanley is abusive to Stella and does not want to include her.
• However, both women are under control and passive.