2.12.2
Chapter 32
Chapter 32 - Summary and Key Quotations
Chapter 32 - Summary and Key Quotations
Rita gives Offred a match to light her cigarette. Offred wonders whether she should enjoy smoking a cigarette or whether she should use the match to burn down the house.
Commander opens up
Commander opens up
- Offred spends more time with the Commander. He begins to relax more and drink alcohol. This leads to him being freer in what he discusses.
- He tells Offred that society changed because of women's financial independence. He says that it made men feel belittled and emasculated when women had jobs and were economically independent of men.
- He says stopping women from working and making them financially dependent made women more sexually attractive to men.
"Buried" in life
"Buried" in life
- After their meeting, Offred lies in bed staring at the ceiling where a chandelier used to hang.
- She wonders whether her predecessor is safer in death then she is alive. She says that she feels "buried" in life.
Key quotations
Key quotations
- "He's way up there"
- The Commander is among the most influential people in Gilead.
- "What I think doesn't matter"
- Offred knows the Commander doesn't care about her opinion. He simply wants confirmation that the creators of Gilead were correct.
- "Better never means better for everyone"
- The Commander tries to justify the Gilead regime.
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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