Chapter 41

English Lit: Edexcel A Level The Handmaid's Tale, topic 2.14.1

Chapter 41 - Summary and Key Quotations

Offred says that she has continued to have sexual liaisons with Nick. Serena Joy doesn't know about this.

Offred feels content with Nick. She has shared her real name with him during their lovemaking sessions.
She feels unfaithful to Luke. But the warmth and companionship she feels when she's with Nick is too strong for her to end this risky relationship.
The reader notices that Offred has started to feel complacent in her role as Handmaid. She no longer wishes for escape or rebellion because of her connection with Nick.

"Salvaging"
In the Philippines, this word describes being executed without trial - the opposite of the usual connotations of ‘salvaging' (saving).
"I tell, therefore you are"
These words originate from Descartes, a 17th-century French philosopher. He realised that, as he was thinking about existence, he must exist.
"So I will myself to go on"
A pun - Offred is describing the effort of telling a story about her own debauchery.

"I tell him my real name and feel that therefore I am known"
Names are such an important aspect of identity that Gilead takes away names and Handmaids are just Of(Commander) + their tattooed number.
Offred feels more like she's an actual person when she tells Nick her proper name.
"I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom"
This goes back to the idea of context determining everything. Freedom means different things to Offred at different times.