Chapter 23
English Lit: Edexcel A Level The Handmaid's Tale, topic 2.8.5
Chapter 23 - Summary and Key Quotations
The chapter begins with Offred saying "This is a reconstruction" and thinking about how her story is a narrative that she can control and edit.
Visiting the Commander
- Offred knows she controls what is mentioned and what is left out of her story. She chooses to tell the reader about her secret liaison with the Commander.
- After Ofwarren's Birth Day, Offred secretly goes to the Commander's room (Nick has already told her of his wishes).
- She is aware that this secret meeting is dangerous as she should not be meeting him alone. But she knows she cannot refuse his request either.
Scrabble and the kiss
- When Offred enters, she is surprised that his room has walls covered in books and that he wants to play scrabble with her. She loves being able to spell words and read them and when she leaves, the Commander asks that she kisses him "As if you meant it".
- She does. But she admits that she later wished she could have made a weapon to kill the Commander at that moment, but realises that this is just a fantasy and part of her "reconstruction".
Key quotations
- “This is a reconstruction. All of this is a reconstruction.”
- This comment no longer means that the account of Moira's escape is a reconstruction - but that the whole novel is a reconstruction.
- "Two-legged wombs"
- Sex is just about creating life in Gilead.
- "Scrabble ... forbidden"
- As Scrabble focuses on words and meanings, it's considered a dangerous activity in Gilead. Offred choosing to play the game as a secret activity highlights the power of language.
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Key quotations (cont.)
- Larynx ... Valance ... Quince ... Zygote"
- Offred is clearly very good at Scrabble as she makes many words using high scoring letters (like X, Q and V).
- A zygote is formed when the egg and sperm cell fuse.
Test yourself on Chapter 23
What does Offred wish she could have done when she kissed the Commander?