2.10.1

Chapter 25

Test yourself

Chapter 25 - Summary

After falling asleep on the floor, Offred is woken by Cora walking in, screaming and dropping her tray of breakfast.

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Cora hopes for pregnancy

  • Cora immediately thinks that Offred is dead. Then she mistakenly thinks she has fainted. Then she gets hopeful that Offred is pregnant and tells her she will not tell anyone about the wasted breakfast.
  • Offred says her secret relationship with the Commander is continuing. She plays games of scrabble in return for some special treats like copies of Vogue or access to hand lotion.
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A "whim" for the Commander

  • The Commander admits to Offred that his relationship with Serena Joy is not working as they have grown apart over the years.
  • Offred has to remind herself, as she is moisturising her hands in front of him, that she is just a "whim" for the Commander.

Chapter 25 - Key Quotations

Here are six key quotations from Chapter 25:

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Key quotations

  • "...Egg, which could not be salvaged"
    • The verb 'salvaged' foreshadows the Salvaging later on in the novel.
  • "Snipping off the seed pods ... the swelling genitalia of the flowers"
    • Serena Joy seems dangerous. She destroys the fertile flowers - ironic given she is infertile.
  • "There is something subversive about this garden of Serena's”
    • The garden symbolises an unrestrained environment.
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Key quotations (cont.)

  • "Saint Serena, on her knees, doing penance"
  • "My tongue felt thick"
    • Atwood implies that words can be sensual and conjure up images which Offred no longer experiences.
  • "For him, I am only a whim"
    • Offred is aware that the Commander doesn't respect her as an individual.

Jump to other topics

1Author Background

1.1Margaret Atwood

2Chapter Summaries

3Dedications & Epigraph

3.1Dedications & Epigraph

4Context

5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques

6Themes & Imagery

7Characters

8Readings

8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale

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