Chapter 17
English Lit: Edexcel A Level The Handmaid's Tale, topic 2.6.4
Chapter 17 - Summary and Key Quotations
Offred returns from dinner. She has hidden a pat of butter in her shoe and uses it to moisturise her skin. She hopes that one day she will have control over her own body again.
Offred's defiance
- Offred gazes out of the window at the moon. She longs to see Luke and hear him say her name.
- Feeling rebellious and defiant, she decides she wants to steal something to feel more in control of her situation.
- She sneaks downstairs into the sitting room and decides to steal a petal from one of Serena Joy's flowers. But she is found by Nick. They passionately kiss and he tells her that she has been summoned tomorrow to see the Commander. Bewildered by this news, she returns to her room.
Key quotations
- “I rub the butter over my face; work it into the skin of my hands”
- The Wives detest the Handmaids to the extent that they deprive them of basic commodities like hand cream.
- The fact that the Handmaids cant use hand cream reinforces that they only exist to be wombs.
- I want to be held and told my name"
- Offred wants to be valued and have an identity again.
Key quotations (cont.)
- I want to steal something"
- Offred's identity, husband and child have been taken from her. So she wants to assert her own power.
- "We're mirrors"
- Offred sees that, like her and Ofglen, her and Nick are in similar situations.
Test yourself on Chapter 17
What does Offred decide to steal in Chapter 17?