Seneca
Sign up

Chapter 14

English Lit: Edexcel A Level The Handmaid's Tale, topic 2.6.1

Chapter 14 - Summary and Key Quotations

Offred is summoned to the sitting room downstairs, where she kneels in position for the Ceremony and starts to think about how she would love to steal something in an act of rebellion.

News broadcast

News broadcast

  • Cora, Nick, Rita and Serena Joy all enter the room and also wait for the Commander. By flicking through the TV channels, Serena Joy ends up on a news broadcast which announces that Gilead is winning in their battles.
Offred's planned escape

Offred's planned escape

  • After the TV is turned off, Serena Joy sits back and lights a cigarette.
  • Offred remembers getting into a car with her daughter and Luke. They are pretending to go for a family picnic.
  • They are actually planning to escape to Canada and the chapter ends with them getting through a checkpoint - Luke is happy but Offred is still worried about their future.
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.

Test yourself on Chapter 14

  • What does the news broadcast announce in Chapter 14?

Practise this topic for free