9.1.13

Chapters 25 & 26

Test yourself

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'sā€
    • 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.

Chapter 26 - Key Quotations

Here are three quotations from Chapter 26:

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Key quotations

  • "I also felt guilty about her. I felt I was an intruder, in a territory that ought to have been hers.ā€
    • Offred's guilt is about Serena Joy's position as the Wife during sex.
  • "From the way I was speaking to him"
    • Offred is breaking out of what has been a predominantly silent state up to this point.
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Key quotations (cont.)

  • "To him I am not merely empty"
    • Offred's relationship with the Commander has changed drastically. She is regaining some self-worth and individuality.

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

9Recap: Main Quotes

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