2.6.3
Chapter 16
Chapter 16 - Summary and Key Quotations
Chapter 16 - Summary and Key Quotations
The ceremony takes place this evening. The Commander tries to impregnate Offred while his wife is on the same bed, "taking part".
Penetration
Penetration
- Offred lies on the bed and has the bottom half of her torso exposed. She lies between the legs of Serena Joy as they hold hands.
- The Commander then penetrates Offred. She wonders how to feel about this experience.
- She feels detached from the process. This reflects that it definitely isn't "making love". But she also feels it isn't "rape".
Serena Joy dismisses Offred
Serena Joy dismisses Offred
- When it is over, the Commander swiftly leaves and Serena Joy coldly dismisses Offred.
- Offred wonders whether it is really Serena Joy who suffers in the process more than she does.
Key quotations
Key quotations
- “The rings of her left hand cut into my fingers. It may or may not be revenge.”
- “Below the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because it is not what he's doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate.”
- Offred uses the explicit and shocking word "fucking" to show how physical and unpassionate this act is.
Key quotations (cont.)
Key quotations (cont.)
- "This is not recreation"
- There seems to be a pun on the word "recreation" The Commander is not having sex for pleasure; he's trying to make a baby because Gilead needs children to carry on the state.
- "An improvement on the previous one, who smelled"
- Women can't choose their sexual partners in Gilead. So their experiences aren't always pleasant.
- “Which of us is it worse for, her or me?”
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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