9.1.7
Chapters 13 & 14
Chapter 13 - Key Quotations
Chapter 13 - Key Quotations
Here are five key quotations from Chapter 13:


Offred's boredom
Offred's boredom
- "These pictures [of nineteenth-century harems] were supposed to be erotic... they were paintings about suspended animation; about waiting, about objects not in use. They were paintings about boredom.
But maybe boredom is erotic, when women do it, for men"- Like the women in the pictures, Offred is in "suspended animation". She is also an object. She isn't being used - and she's unable to use the parts of herself that make her a woman rather than an object.


Dancing simile
Dancing simile
- "Behind my closed eyes thin white dancers flit gracefully among the trees, their legs fluttering like the wings of held birds".
- This simile suggests that Offred is like a dancer who is, on the one hand, very rehearsed in their job and, on the other hand, very restricted from letting go and flying free.


Loony bin
Loony bin
- “This is a loony bin, Moira said”
- Moira's speech is often frank and anarchic.
- Loony bin is a dysphemism for a mental hospital.


Whose fault?
Whose fault?
- Janine … gang-raped... whose fault …?
- Atwood draws on the much-discussed issue of whether women arousing men who later rape them are in some part responsible for the rape.
- In 2005, a survey by Amnesty International found that lots of people thought a woman who was drunk or wearing revealing clothing when she was raped was responsible for the rape.


Offred's escape
Offred's escape
- "I'm running, with her, holding her hand"
- Offred's memory of running with her daughter is very vivid as it is in the present tense.
- The reader relives Offred's fear as she and Luke try to escape with their daughter.
- Atwood creates a vivid sense of Offred's state of panic from "She's too young" to "carried away" by using one long sentence over nine lines.
Chapter 14 - Key Quotations
Chapter 14 - Key Quotations
Here are six key quotations from Chapter 14:


Key quotations
Key quotations
- "I don't sit, but take my place, kneeling, near the chair with the footstool where Serena Joy will shortly enthrone herself"
- The different positioning of Offred and Serena Joy reflects the power imbalance between them.
- "Kneeling" represents submission - Offred accepts her passive state and servile life.
- "As if I’m a piece of furniture"
- Offred feels objectified and used by Serena Joy.


Key quotations (cont.)
Key quotations (cont.)
- “Household: that is what we are. The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold, till death do us part.”
- Offred plays with language: she thinks about the different meanings of the word ‘hold'.
- ‘To have and to hold' is part of the wedding vows found in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
- “He's so close that the tip of his boot is touching my foot"
- Offred makes physical contact with Nick. This shows the importance of touching.


Key quotations (cont.)
Key quotations (cont.)
- “They only show us victories, never defeats.”
- “Who knows if any of it is true? It could be old clips, it could be faked.”
- Atwood explores the idea that governments use propaganda and all media outlets spread news according to their own agendas.
- In George Orwell's 1984, a large government department manipulates ‘news' material.
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
9Recap: Main Quotes
9.1Quotes by Chapter
9.1.1Chapters 1 & 2
9.1.2Chapters 3 & 4
9.1.3Chapters 5 & 6
9.1.4Chapters 7 & 8
9.1.5Chapters 9 & 10
9.1.6Chapters 11 & 12
9.1.7Chapters 13 & 14
9.1.8Chapter 15 & 16
9.1.9Chapters 17 & 18
9.1.10Chapters 19 & 20
9.1.11Chapters 21 & 22
9.1.12Chapters 23 & 24
9.1.13Chapters 25 & 26
9.1.14Chapters 27 & 28
9.1.15Chapters 29 & 30
9.1.16Chapters 31 & 32
9.1.17Chapters 33 & 34
9.1.18Chapters 35 & 36
9.1.19Chapters 37 & 38
9.1.20Chapters 39 & 40
9.1.21Chapters 41 & 42
9.1.22Chapters 43 & 44
9.1.23Chapters 45 & 46
9.1.24Historical Notes & Epigraphs
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
9Recap: Main Quotes
9.1Quotes by Chapter
9.1.1Chapters 1 & 2
9.1.2Chapters 3 & 4
9.1.3Chapters 5 & 6
9.1.4Chapters 7 & 8
9.1.5Chapters 9 & 10
9.1.6Chapters 11 & 12
9.1.7Chapters 13 & 14
9.1.8Chapter 15 & 16
9.1.9Chapters 17 & 18
9.1.10Chapters 19 & 20
9.1.11Chapters 21 & 22
9.1.12Chapters 23 & 24
9.1.13Chapters 25 & 26
9.1.14Chapters 27 & 28
9.1.15Chapters 29 & 30
9.1.16Chapters 31 & 32
9.1.17Chapters 33 & 34
9.1.18Chapters 35 & 36
9.1.19Chapters 37 & 38
9.1.20Chapters 39 & 40
9.1.21Chapters 41 & 42
9.1.22Chapters 43 & 44
9.1.23Chapters 45 & 46
9.1.24Historical Notes & Epigraphs
Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium
Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions
Mini-mock exams based on your study history
Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books