Concise, deep level analyse quote bank of The Handmaid's Tale organised with quotes per character. Easy Summary and basic yet high level quote analysis of the novel and its characters, including ao2,3,4 and 5.
‘light blue veil’ reminiscent of V Mary theocratic structure that idolises those who have
children witout conception
‘domain of the Commaner’s Wife’
‘its something for them to order’ false snese of pyrpose pacifies
‘just sists in it…looks like peace’
‘with her stick’
For children wistfulness, biblical im woman’s purose is to bear chldren
Unravelled and turned ack into balls of yarn futlity and lack of fulfilment return to trad wife
ww2
Why does she envy me? Gilead built to pit women aganst each other also reflected by Marthas
and Janine
FLASHBACK
‘long powder blue robe’
‘she wanted me to feel that I could not come into the house unless she said so’ false sense of
power internalised misogyny
‘blue waist’ ‘ivory head of her cane’ ‘large diamonds of the ring finger’ possession rather than
token of love colour imagery reflects v mary ‘cane’ authoritarian air and alludes punishment
transiotn t ‘hostile blue’ furthers this
‘she had a cigarratte’ slight rebellion aganst puritan image phallic imagery ladette culture
idea of potentulatiy to actuality
Descript:
‘still blond’ sardonic
‘plucked into thin lne arches’
‘tired looking’
‘hostile blue…a blue that shut you out’ projection of offreds own hatred
‘too small for her face’ mocking reduces serena joy to claim power
‘jaw was clenched like a fist’ metaphor: hostility between the two women
‘lead soprano’ glorified position echoes high status in gilead
‘growing souls gospel hour’ definition of good news active promotion as virtuous and
celebratory
,8:
‘speeches were about the sancitiy of the home, how women should stay home’ Phyllis Schlafly
idolised for self saracficial promotion of patriarchal standards prominent opposition to ERA 1960s
foil to moira and offreds mother
‘she has become speechless… how furious she must be’
‘tulips’ deep love and rebirth mocking shallowness of commander and SJ rel, rebirth new
lack of identity for women in gilead tulip a mockery
14:
‘perfume: lily of the valley’ symbol of purity paradigm for the perfect gilead woman ‘lily’
also typical funferal flower cyncal undertones
31
‘the wife knew of course’ ‘could be someone we trust’ rare shared untiy desperation or selfish?
‘she does want that baby’ dehumanises ‘baby’ an object of desire, trophy
‘your little girl. But only maybe’ taunting, claws onto little power
‘cigaratte’ ‘presses it into my hand’ ‘we don’t want to ruin your health’ phallic imagery, power
dynamic and mockery of offreds best interest
45:
‘you could have left me something’ hurt, loss, desperation usurping of power
‘a slut. Youll end up the same’
46
Bitch. After all he did for you
Nick
4:
‘fertility of the soil’ ‘flexibile and pink, like lips’ overtly sexual yet ominous im
‘the way men carress good cars’ popculture symbol of male sexuality and attraction e.g grease
‘hes wearing the uniform of the guardians’ lancelt and lady of shallot
‘cap titlted at a jaunty angle’ slight rebellion
‘sleeved rolled…showing his forearms’ voeryisti ad sexualised description of nick attracted
through potential of rebellion
‘Nick’ to steal or a small wound
, ‘cigaratte stuck in the corner of his moth’ sexual phallic imagery ties in with typical bad boy
archtype in cinematic popculture -> rebellious quality is what makes him attractive
‘hes too casual not servile enough’
‘tanned skin, moist in the sun,filmd with smoke’ fetishisation and intense sexual imagery
offreds desire for sexual autonomy and freedom uses nick to voyerstically meet her needs
‘he winks’ -> ovrt charisma and typical bad boy archetyp perpetrated
8
‘polishin the whirlwind again’ cinematic sexual imagery Hollywood association with cars and
masculinity marlon brando
‘he isn’t supposed to speak to me attraction through rebellion reinf sexually motivted ‘ab boy’
archetype
17
‘for the moment we are mirrors’ shared terror and intimacy grown from understanding unity
‘he makes me hungry’ animalistic imagery primal need to fulfil her sexual desire, nick as a
projection almost sustains her
30
‘scent from the garden rises like heat from a body’ ‘night blooming flowers’ sexual imagery and
euphemism for sexual attraction and desire ‘red radiation’ colour imagery of lust and passion
and danger
‘steps across the loght’ ‘window’ ‘white oblong of his face’ ethereal imagery rein: ‘no rose to
toss, he has no lute’ allude to typocl fairytale tropes: ‘window’ forbidden love of R and J, also lady
of shallot and lacelot ‘lute’ and ‘rise’ parallels with Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice
music and flowers typical portrayal of classical love inevitabilt of separation and tradey alludes
‘same kind of hunger’ burning desire ane need for suruvial
40: first sexual encounter
‘holding a cigarrette’ phallic im
‘I smell the smoke’ ‘warm air’ ‘bathe in it’ intimate imagery
‘im alive in my skin’ reclaim autoomy through consentual act
‘falling and water soflty’ natural imagery fluidity
I made that up Nick merely offreds fantasy an ideal of sexual freedom and escape
ecalimation of power
‘to get knocked up’ typical british slang and idiom reality and lack of intimacy
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