2.4.5

Chapter 12

Test yourself

Chapter 12 - Summary and Key Quotations

Offred prepares herself for the Ceremony by having a bath and thinks about the ritualistic cleansing symbolism of water.

Illustrative background for Offred's body and her daughterIllustrative background for Offred's body and her daughter ?? "content

Offred's body and her daughter

  • Offred thinks her own naked body looks peculiar now.
  • She feels the loss of her daughter even more keenly.
  • She thinks back to an incident in the supermarket where a lady tried to steal her daughter and she sadly realises that her daughter must now be eight years old.
Illustrative background for Waiting for the ceremonyIllustrative background for Waiting for the ceremony ?? "content

Waiting for the ceremony

  • She is brought back to the present by noticing the tattoo on her own ankle: "four digits and an eye, a passport in reverse".
  • She tells the reader this is so she can never fade and will always be traceable.
  • She ends the chapter by waiting to be summoned for the Ceremony. She states that she has to become objectified and dehumanised for this process: "What I must present is a made thing, not something born".
Illustrative background for Key quotationIllustrative background for Key quotation ?? "content

Key quotation

  • “Blessed are the meek. She didn't go on to say anything about inheriting the earth.”
    • The quotation from the Bible is “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” But the handmaids cannot be taught this because they have no hope of getting out of the “poverty of spirit.” This shows how manipulative and controlling Gilead is.
Illustrative background for Key quotationIllustrative background for Key quotation ?? "content

Key quotation

  • “I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose.”
    • The narrator cannot act naturally or be herself being "Offred". It's as if she has a dual personality. Offred is a side of her that is a "thing" she must "compose".

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

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson