9.1.15

Chapters 29 & 30

Test yourself on Chapters 29 & 30

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Chapter 29 - Key Quotations

Here are three key quotations from Chapter 29:

Key quotations

Key quotations

  • "My red shoes are off"
    • Part of the Handmaid's uniform and symbolic of male oppression.
  • "Pen Is Envy"
    • A pun on the Freudian theory of 'penis envy' - that girls feel jealous of boys after realising they don't have a penis.
    • In Gilead, women envy men's ability to read and write.
  • If your dog dies, get another"
    • Offred knows she is expendable.

Chapter 30 - Key Quotations

Here are five key quotations from Chapter 30:

Key quotations

Key quotations

  • "One and one and one and one doesn't equal four. Each one remains unique"
    • Offred believes in individuality, even though Gilead tries to get rid of individuality.
  • "They force you to kill, within yourself"
    • This is similar to Orwell's 1984, where people face their greatest fears in Room 101 and denounce their loved ones because they're desperate to be spared.
Key quotations (cont.)

Key quotations (cont.)

  • "The Eyes of God run all over the earth"
    • The Eyes = Gilead's secret police.
    • The quotation comes from Zechariah 4:10 - ‘the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth'. The Commander has already used this phrase to signal that prayer is over.
  • "Hell we can make for ourselves"
    • Offred knows that humans can make their own lives and others' lives Hell.
Key quotations (cont.)

Key quotations (cont.)

  • "Deliver us from evil"
    • Taken from the Lord's Prayer. The end of Chapter 30 is an adaptation of the Lord's Prayer.
    • Does Offred mean 'don't let me consider suicide', or 'suicide would be the solution for escaping evil'?
Jump to other topics
1

Author Background

1.1

Margaret Atwood

1.1.1Margaret Atwood
2

Chapter Summaries

2.1

Chapter 1: Night I

2.1.1Chapter 1
2.2

Chapters 2-6: Shopping II

2.2.1Chapter 22.2.2Chapter 32.2.3Chapter 42.2.4Chapter 52.2.5Chapter 6
2.3

Chapter 7: Night II

2.3.1Chapter 7
2.4

Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV

2.4.1Chapter 82.4.2Chapter 92.4.3Chapter 102.4.4Chapter 112.4.5Chapter 12
2.5

Chapter 13: Nap V

2.5.1Chapter 13
2.6

Chapters 14-17: Household VI

2.6.1Chapter 142.6.2Chapter 152.6.3Chapter 162.6.4Chapter 17
2.7

Chapter 18: Night VII

2.7.1Chapter 18
2.8

Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII

2.8.1Chapter 192.8.2Chapter 202.8.3Chapter 212.8.4Chapter 222.8.5Chapter 23
2.9

Chapter 24: Night IX

2.9.1Chapter 24
2.10

Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X

2.10.1Chapter 252.10.2Chapter 262.10.3Chapter 272.10.4Chapter 282.10.5Chapter 29
2.11

Chapter 30: Night XI

2.11.1Chapter 30
2.12

Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII

2.12.1Chapter 312.12.2Chapter 322.12.3Chapter 332.12.4Chapter 342.12.5Chapter 352.12.6Chapter 362.12.7Chapter 372.12.8Chapter 382.12.9Chapter 39
2.13

Chapter 40: Night XIII

2.13.1Chapter 40
2.14

Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV

2.14.1Chapter 412.14.2Chapter 422.14.3Chapter 432.14.4Chapter 442.14.5Chapter 45
2.15

Chapter 46: Night XV

2.15.1Chapter 46
2.16

Historical Notes

2.16.1Historical Notes
3

Dedications & Epigraph

3.1

Dedications & Epigraph

3.1.1Dedications3.1.2Epigraph
4

Context

4.1

Setting

4.1.1Setting
4.2

Literary Context & Genre

4.2.1The Canterbury Tales & The Scarlet Letter4.2.2Links to Dystopian Fiction
4.3

Political Context

4.3.1Berlin & Iran4.3.2The New Right in America
4.4

Historical Context

4.4.1Puritan New England
4.5

Parallels: Read World & Gilead

4.5.1The Underground Femaleroad4.5.2Children of Ham & Soul Scrolls4.5.3Offred's Tattoo, Salvaging & Illegal Abortions4.5.4Unwomen, Colonies & Giving Away Offred's Daughter
4.6

Religious Context

4.6.1Religious Context
5

Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques

5.1

Narrative Structure

5.1.1Narrative Structure
5.2

Literary Techniques

5.2.1Literary Techniques5.2.2Colour Symbolism
6

Themes & Imagery

6.1

Themes

6.1.1Survival & Language6.1.2The Female Body
6.2

Imagery

6.2.1The Garden & Doubles
7

Characters

7.1

Female Characters

7.1.1Offred & Moira7.1.2Offred's Mother, Ofglen & Ofwarren7.1.3Serena Joy & Aunt Lydia
7.2

Male Characters

7.2.1The Commander7.2.2Nick & Luke
8

Readings

8.1

Readings of The Handmaid's Tale

8.1.1Eco-Criticism8.1.2Complacency
9

Recap: Main Quotes

9.1

Quotes by Chapter

9.1.1Chapters 1 & 29.1.2Chapters 3 & 49.1.3Chapters 5 & 69.1.4Chapters 7 & 89.1.5Chapters 9 & 109.1.6Chapters 11 & 129.1.7Chapters 13 & 149.1.8Chapter 15 & 169.1.9Chapters 17 & 189.1.10Chapters 19 & 209.1.11Chapters 21 & 229.1.12Chapters 23 & 249.1.13Chapters 25 & 269.1.14Chapters 27 & 289.1.15Chapters 29 & 309.1.16Chapters 31 & 329.1.17Chapters 33 & 349.1.18Chapters 35 & 369.1.19Chapters 37 & 389.1.20Chapters 39 & 409.1.21Chapters 41 & 429.1.22Chapters 43 & 449.1.23Chapters 45 & 469.1.24Historical Notes & Epigraphs
9.2

Text Structure - Quotes

9.2.1Literary Techniques - Quotes9.2.2Survival & Language -Quotes9.2.3The Female Body - Quotes9.2.4The Garden & Doubles - Quotes9.2.5Eco-Criticism & Complacency - Quotes

Practice questions on Chapters 29 & 30

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    <b>If your dog dies.... Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What's the missing word?<br><br><b>"They force you to ____, within yourself"</b> Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What Biblical phrase does the following quotation come from?<br><br><b>"The Eyes of God run all over the earth"</b> Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Complete the quotation about Hell and evil:Fill in the list
Answer all questions on Chapters 29 & 30

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Chapters 27 & 28

Chapters 31 & 32