Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - Summary

The Ceremony starts as the Commander arrives in the sitting room and sits down. He opens a Bible that is normally locked away and kept especially for this occasion.

Commander's stories

He starts to read them stories about the importance of having children. Everyone listens as they are not permitted to read.
Offred remembers hearing similar stories when she was in the Red Centre. She wonders how many of them have been changed by Gilead to fit their propaganda.
Offred remembers Moira telling her how she planned to escape by pretending to be ill.

Ceremony ends

As the first part of the Ceremony ends, Serena Joy starts to cry quietly and Offred repeats "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum", even though she doesn't yet know what it means.

Treatment of Moira

The chapter ends with the gruesome description of what happened to Moira when she was found out to be faking an illness.
Offred remembers her being brought back into the centre, carried under the arms. She had her feet beaten so badly she couldn't stand, and the other Handmaids would steal bags of sugar from their meal times to give to her because it was the only thing they could think of to take.

Chapter 15 - Key Quotations

Here are four key quotations from Chapter 15:

"An incendiary device"

Like in many totalitarian regimes, books are banned in Gilead.
In the Middle Ages, the Church in Europe did not allow the Bible to be translated into the vernacular, which meant laymen couldn't read it.
Offred is aware that the Handmaids accessing words would threaten the Gilead authorities.
It's clear that the Gilead authorities misuse and pervert the Bible to justify their evil intentions.

"It must be hell"

"Still, it must be hell, to be a man, like that. It must be just fine. It must be hell. It must be very silent.”
- Offred is aware that the Commander, like the women he controls, is a victim of the regime in Gilead.

"Blessed are the meek"

“Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the silent. I knew they made that up, I knew it was wrong, and they left things out too.”
- Offred is aware of how the Gilead authorities adapt the Bible for their own purposes.

The Eyes

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth"
- The Commander ends the prayers by reminding the women that the Eyes - the state spies - are constantly watching them.
- This quotation is taken from Zechariah 4:10.

1Author Background

1.1Margaret Atwood

1.1.1Margaret Atwood

2Chapter Summaries

2.1Chapter 1: Night I

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II

2.2.1Chapter 2

2.2.2Chapter 3

2.2.3Chapter 4

2.2.4Chapter 5

2.2.5Chapter 6

2.3Chapter 7: Night II

2.3.1Chapter 7

2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV

2.4.1Chapter 8

2.4.2Chapter 9

2.4.3Chapter 10

2.4.4Chapter 11

2.4.5Chapter 12

2.5Chapter 13: Nap V

2.5.1Chapter 13

2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI

2.6.1Chapter 14

2.6.2Chapter 15

2.6.3Chapter 16

2.6.4Chapter 17

2.7Chapter 18: Night VII

2.7.1Chapter 18

2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII

2.8.1Chapter 19

2.8.2Chapter 20

2.8.3Chapter 21

2.8.4Chapter 22

2.8.5Chapter 23

2.9Chapter 24: Night IX

2.9.1Chapter 24

2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X

2.10.1Chapter 25

2.10.2Chapter 26

2.10.3Chapter 27

2.10.4Chapter 28

2.10.5Chapter 29

2.11Chapter 30: Night XI

2.11.1Chapter 30

2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII

2.12.1Chapter 31

2.12.2Chapter 32

2.12.3Chapter 33

2.12.4Chapter 34

2.12.5Chapter 35

2.12.6Chapter 36

2.12.7Chapter 37

2.12.8Chapter 38

2.12.9Chapter 39

2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII

2.13.1Chapter 40

2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV

2.14.1Chapter 41

2.14.2Chapter 42

2.14.3Chapter 43

2.14.4Chapter 44

2.14.5Chapter 45

2.15Chapter 46: Night XV

2.15.1Chapter 46

2.16Historical Notes

2.16.1Historical Notes

3Dedications & Epigraph

3.1Dedications & Epigraph

3.1.1Dedications

3.1.2Epigraph

4Context

4.1Setting

4.1.1Setting

4.2Literary Context & Genre

4.2.1The Canterbury Tales & The Scarlet Letter

4.2.2Links to Dystopian Fiction

4.3Political Context

4.3.1Berlin & Iran

4.3.2The New Right in America

4.4Historical Context

4.4.1Puritan New England

4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead

4.5.1The Underground Femaleroad

4.5.2Children of Ham & Soul Scrolls

4.5.3Offred's Tattoo, Salvaging & Illegal Abortions

4.5.4Unwomen, Colonies & Giving Away Offred's Daughter

4.6Religious Context

4.6.1Religious Context

5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques

5.1Narrative Structure

5.1.1Narrative Structure

5.2Literary Techniques

5.2.1Literary Techniques

5.2.2Colour Symbolism

6Themes & Imagery

6.1Themes

6.1.1Survival & Language

6.1.2The Female Body

6.2Imagery

6.2.1The Garden & Doubles

7Characters

7.1Female Characters

7.1.1Offred & Moira

7.1.2Offred's Mother, Ofglen & Ofwarren

7.1.3Serena Joy & Aunt Lydia

7.2Male Characters

7.2.1The Commander

7.2.2Nick & Luke

8Readings

8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale

8.1.1Eco-Criticism

8.1.2Complacency

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