Top 4 The Handmaid's Tale quotes
“Something could be exchanged, we thought, some deal made, some trade-off, we still had our bodies. That was our fantasy.”
Chapter 1
The handmaids at the training center entertain the hope of escape using the only value that is accorded to them, their bodies. The state of Gilead conditions women to believe that their only worth lies in their bodies and their reproductive value. As the novel progresses, Offred, like the other Handmaids, begins to view her body as the property of the state rather than her own.
“Give me children, or else I die. Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Behold my maid Bilah. She shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.”
Chapter 6
The biblical passage about Rachel asking her husband to give her children through her maid is cited often in the novel. The Puritan theocratic government uses the language of the scripture to justify the subjugation of women as tools to be used for breeding rather than actual human beings.
“Hush, he said. He was still kneeling on the floor. You know I’ll always take care of you.
“I thought, already he’s starting to patronize me. Then I thought, already you’re starting to get paranoid.”
Chapter 10
Luke’s demeanor towards Offred begins to change after women are prevented from owning property and it is made illegal for them to work. Offred realizes that although she loves her husband, the power dynamic in their relationship has severely changed. She believes that Luke enjoys this power he has over her, but she prevents herself from questioning him, perhaps because she is afraid of his response.
“I wish this story were different. I wish it were more civilized. I wish it showed me in a better light, if not happier, then at least more active, less hesitant, less distracted by trivia.”
Chapter 14
Offred becomes immersed in her love affair with Nick, and this makes her complacent with her subjugation. She no longer wishes to escape but only seeks to prolong the presence of love between herself and Nick. She understands that this paints her in a bad light, and expresses the shame she experiences before beginning the narration of the last section of the novel.
