Chapter 16
English Lit: Edexcel A Level The Handmaid's Tale, topic 2.6.3
Chapter 16 - Summary and Key Quotations
The ceremony takes place this evening. The Commander tries to impregnate Offred while his wife is on the same bed, "taking part".
Penetration
- Offred lies on the bed and has the bottom half of her torso exposed. She lies between the legs of Serena Joy as they hold hands.
- The Commander then penetrates Offred. She wonders how to feel about this experience.
- She feels detached from the process. This reflects that it definitely isn't "making love". But she also feels it isn't "rape".
Serena Joy dismisses Offred
- When it is over, the Commander swiftly leaves and Serena Joy coldly dismisses Offred.
- Offred wonders whether it is really Serena Joy who suffers in the process more than she does.
Key quotations
- “The rings of her left hand cut into my fingers. It may or may not be revenge.”
- “Below the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because it is not what he's doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate.”
- Offred uses the explicit and shocking word "fucking" to show how physical and unpassionate this act is.
Key quotations (cont.)
- "This is not recreation"
- There seems to be a pun on the word "recreation" The Commander is not having sex for pleasure; he's trying to make a baby because Gilead needs children to carry on the state.
- "An improvement on the previous one, who smelled"
- Women can't choose their sexual partners in Gilead. So their experiences aren't always pleasant.
- “Which of us is it worse for, her or me?”
Test yourself on Chapter 16
Who takes part in the Ceremony, alongside Offred and the Commander?