2.1.1
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 - Summary
Chapter 1 - Summary
The reader is introduced to the regime of Gilead through the setting of a gymnasium, where we are told the Handmaids-in-training have to sleep on army barrack beds.
Narrator images past life
Narrator images past life
- It becomes very clear that this is a world which used to be familiar but the setting has been repurposed for the strict regime that has taken over.
- The narrator (who we later find out is Offred) imagines the past life of the gymnasium. She thinks about all the fashion changes that have taken place over time and remembers intimate adolescent liaisons.
Current life
Current life
- Her thoughts are juxtaposed with the current reality of the narrator.
- The narrator introduces the idea of imprisonment with the "Aunts" controlling the Handmaids with cattle prods and guards, who are called "Angels", patrolling the outside of the building with guns.
Using her body to manipulate
Using her body to manipulate
- The narrator thinks that she might be able to use her body to manipulate the guards, bringing the theme of sex to the forefront of the novel.
Handmaids cannot talk
Handmaids cannot talk
- The chapter ends with the revelation that the handmaids are not allowed to talk to each other.
- But the Handmaids break this rule at night when they mouth their names at each other.
Chapter 1 - Key Quotations
Chapter 1 - Key Quotations
Here are six key quotations from Chapter 1:
"...unheard sound"
"...unheard sound"
- "A palimpsest of unheard sound"
"...old sex..."
"...old sex..."
- "There was old sex in the room and loneliness"
"We learned to whisper..."
"We learned to whisper..."
- "We learned to whisper almost without sound"
"Alma.Janine...."
"Alma.Janine...."
- "Alma.Janine.Dolores.Moira.June"
1Author Background
1.1Margaret Atwood
2Chapter Summaries
2.1Chapter 1: Night I
2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II
2.3Chapter 7: Night II
2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV
2.5Chapter 13: Nap V
2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI
2.7Chapter 18: Night VII
2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII
2.9Chapter 24: Night IX
2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X
2.11Chapter 30: Night XI
2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII
2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII
2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV
2.15Chapter 46: Night XV
2.16Historical Notes
3Dedications & Epigraph
3.1Dedications & Epigraph
4Context
4.1Setting
4.2Literary Context & Genre
4.3Political Context
4.4Historical Context
4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead
4.6Religious Context
5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques
5.1Narrative Structure
5.2Literary Techniques
6Themes & Imagery
6.2Imagery
7Characters
7.1Female Characters
7.2Male Characters
8Readings
8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale
Jump to other topics
1Author Background
1.1Margaret Atwood
2Chapter Summaries
2.1Chapter 1: Night I
2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II
2.3Chapter 7: Night II
2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV
2.5Chapter 13: Nap V
2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI
2.7Chapter 18: Night VII
2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII
2.9Chapter 24: Night IX
2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X
2.11Chapter 30: Night XI
2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII
2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII
2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV
2.15Chapter 46: Night XV
2.16Historical Notes
3Dedications & Epigraph
3.1Dedications & Epigraph
4Context
4.1Setting
4.2Literary Context & Genre
4.3Political Context
4.4Historical Context
4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead
4.6Religious Context
5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques
5.1Narrative Structure
5.2Literary Techniques
6Themes & Imagery
6.2Imagery
7Characters
7.1Female Characters
7.2Male Characters
8Readings
8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale
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