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The Handmaid's Tale

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Mind map: The Handmaid's Tale

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The Handmaid's Tale

Chapter 1
- Introduced to the regime of Gilead through the setting of a gymnasium
  - this is where the handmaids sleep, in army barrack beds
    - narrator (Offred) imagines the past life of the gym and all the previous fashions and intimate liaisons she's experienced
      - these thoughts are juxtaposed from her current reality
        Offred introduces idea of imprisonment with the 'Aunts', who control the Handmaids with cattle prods, and 'Angels' who patrol the gym with guns
        Offred thinks she can use her body to manipulate the guards - making sex a big theme
        we learn that Handmaids are not permitted to talk, but they mouth their names to eachother instead
        Chapter 2
        Offred describes her room in the house as a Handmaid - in the Commander's house
        describes in detail, then goes to the kitchen and continues description
        she has to dress in full Handmaid's uniform - white 'winged' headpiece which stops them from 'seeing, but also from being seen'
        hardly any skin showing
        introduced to servants Cora and Rita - 'Marthas' who carry out household tasks
        Offred wants to join in with the gossip, but cannot talk to them unless its asking for food tokens
        they speak of the 'colonies' and the existence of 'Unwomen' - say it like a warning
        Chapter 3
        setting changes to the garden, Serena Joy's favourite place
        we witness flashback to Offred and Serena's first interaction
        Serena tells her to only speak when spoken to
        we learn Offred has been a handmaid for someone else before - but could not conceive
        Offred recognises Serena from a TV show 'Growing Souls Gospel Hour'
        seeing the deterioration of Serena's life, Offred says 'So it was worse than I thought'
        Chapter 4
        we are now at present time as Offred describes leaving the house to go shopping
        she sees one of the guards cleaning the Commander's car
        she recognises him as Nick - his status is so low he is not given a woman to live with
        he winks at her, which causes her to look away as this is offensive flirtation
        she wonders whether he is being friendly, flirtatious, or even if he is an 'Eye'
        we later find out this means an informer
        Offred waits for Ofglen, as Handmaids are not allowed to walk unaccompanied
        for protection? or so they can both have eyes on each other? - control
        her 'double' Ofglen, arrives, and speaks in scripted speech based on religious phrases
        the two get their papers checked by Guardians on their way to the shops
        she realises that Gilead also controls the lives of lower-status men too
        Offred then imagines using her sexuality as a form of power over men
        she made sure to 'move my hips a little' knowing that men are watching but cant act
        Chapter 5
        Offred enters the old University town with Ofglen and realises that is where she lived with her husband Luke and her child before the revolution
        Offred comments on seeing Marthas and widows in the street but also Ecowives
        they wear red/green/blue striped cheap dresses and serve lower people than the Commanders
        Offred thinks about the old days when women could wear as they please
        but were still afraid of being attacked by men
        shop names are all references to the bible
        'Lillies of the Field' is where Handmaids buy their 'habits' - dresses
        Offred and Ofglen go into 'Milk and Honey', grocery store
        Offred notices there are oranges available, meaning there is rationing in the society
        she sees many people but wishes she saw Moira her friend
        a pregnant handmaid enters the store which makes the other handmaids jealous
        Offred recognises the woman - Janine who she met at the Red centre
        they then go into 'All Flesh', the butchers, to buy meat which is a luxury item
        as they leave they meet Japanese tourists who ask them if they're happy through a translator
        Offred comments on how sexually proactive their clothes are
        she is shocked by their 'Westernised' style and is shocked and offended at its indecency
        she answers 'Yes, we are very happy'
        but says to the reader 'What else can I say?'
        Chapter 6
        Offred and Ofglen walk back, past a church which is now a museum, with pictures of their 'ancestors'
        the description implies they are 17th Century puritans
        they pass The Wall, wich displays bodies of those hung by the Gilead
        introduced by Offred to the idea of 'salvagings' - ritualistic killing of offenders by Handmaids
        these men were implied doctors, who performed now illegal abortions
        had pictures of foetuses hung on their necks
        offred tries to feel 'blankness' towards them,f for her own sanity
        Chapter 7
        Offred is on her own in bed, reflecting on the connotations of the verbs 'lie' and 'lay'
        she has flashbacks of her and Moira as Uni students
        reflects on a protest she attended as a child, where photos of pornography were burnt
        then remembers the time her daughter was taken to another family, as offred was seen as an 'unfit' mother
        in the last paragraph of the chapter, she convinces herself she has the power of the ending of her won personal story
        introduces idea that story telling can be a form of survival instincts
        Chapter 8
        it's summer - offred notices three bodies hanging on the wall
        a priest, and two others, with 'gender treachery written on signs on their necks - homosexuals
        offred hears ofglen say 'Mayday', which makes her think of the military distress signal
        she wonders if there is an underground resistance group in the Gilead
        they walk past a miscarriage's funeral, where the ecowives cry, and spit on the floor, signalling dislike for the handmaids
        offred returns home and remembers that Serena's actual name is Pam, and that she used to preach the proper role of women before the Gilead
        on the way to her room, the commander is seen looking at her, which confuses offred
        Chapter 9
        offred feels like her room is becoming a more private space
        this reminds her of the secret sexual liaisons she and Luke used to have when he was married
        she also thinks of the handmaid who previously had her room
        this handmaid wrote 'Don't let the bastards grind you down'' in Latin
        makes offred feel a connection to her
        Chapter 10
        offred reveals the most popular songs have become illegal in Gilead
        she reminisces about her previous life and her college days with Moira
        offred wonders whether her past ignorance is why somewhere like Gilead had to be created
        back in the room, she comment show the only word she is permitted to read is 'FAITH'
        because it is embroidered onto a cushion in her room
        she reminisces the pranks her and Moira used to play on eachother
        also feels 'complicated' emotions towards the commander
        Chapter 11
        offred is taken to visit the doctor
        happens once a month to check fertility and ovulation
        the doctor asks if she wants to have sex with him to get her pregnant
        offred is fearful it is a trap and declines the offer
        doctor tells her that commander is sterile
        this shocks offred, as 'officially' there are no sterile commanders in Gilead
        shows that blame for infertility is put on the women
        Chapter 12
        offred prepares herself for the ceremony by bathing, thinking about the ritualistic cleansing symbolism of water
        thinks her naked body looks peculiar now
        remembers a time a woman in a supermarket tried to steal her baby
        notices the tattoo on her ankle
        'four digits and an eye, a passport in reverse'
        states she has become objectified and dehumanised for this process
        Chapter 13
        offred waits in her room to be called on
        compares her boredom to caged animals, like pigs being fattened to be killed, and women in paintings
        thinks about how she was drugged to sleep at the Red Centre and does childbirth exersizes
        thinks of moira
        remembers they used to meet secretly in the men's toilet after witnessing the 'Testifying' of Ofwarren (Janine)
        because she was confessing to have been raped
        her memory shifts to Luke and their first apartment, when her and her daughter were caught trying to escape
        bell rings and Cora is waiting at the door
        Chapter 14
        Offred summoned to the Sitting Room downstairs, where she kneels in position for the Ceremony
        thinks how she would love to steal something in an act of rebellion
        Serena flicks through the tele and hears that Gilead is winning all their battles
        offred remembers pretending to go for a family picnic with her daughter and Luke
        they are actually planning an escape and chapter ends with them getting through a chekpoint
        Chapter 15
        Ceremony starts as commander arrives and sits down
        he opens a bible which is only used during this occasion
        he reads about the importance of having children and they all listen
        offred wonders how many stories the Gilead have changed for propaganda
        Serena cries at the end of the first part of the ceremony
        offred repeats the Latin phrase
        the chapter ends with a gruesome description of the torture Moira endures after faking illness
        Chapter 16
        ceremony ends this evening
        commander tries to impregnate offred while his wife is on the same bed 'taking part'
        offred feels that they aren't making love, but feels also that it is not rape
        once the commander leaves, Serena coldly dismissed offred
        offred wonders if the experience is worse for her or Serena
        Chapter 17
        offred returns for dinner, with hidden pat of butter to moisturise her skin
        she longs to see Luke, and wants to rebel through stealing
        she sneaks downstairs and steals a petal from one of Serena's flowers
        found by Nick - the kiss and he tells her the commander has summoned him tomorrow
        Chapter 18
        offred thinks about the kiss with nick
        remembers her baby kicking whilst laying pregnant in bed with Luke
        wonders what happened to him
        hopes he escaped and can come and save her
        Chapter 19
        offred dreams that her daughter is running up to meet her
        dream merges into one of her mothers but she is woken up
        ofwarren is taken in a red vehicle to give birth
        offred is taken to attend the birth ceremony
        she wonders if it will be a healthy or 'unbaby'
        they are ones with severe abnormalities which are killed instantly by the Gilead
        ofwarren has to give birth without painkillers
        Chapter 20
        the handmaids gather in a birthing room with the Aunts and ofwarren
        they help her deal with labour pains
        offred remembers being shown videos of women being brutalised and raped, being told by the Aunts that sacrifices have to be made for the next generation
        Aunts show videos of 'unwomen' too
        these are women who protest against the government - offred spots her much younger mother
        Offred remembers the morning she realised Moira went missing at breakfast
        Chapter 21
        Ofwarren's baby and the ritual of birthing in Gilead
        the handmaids chant towards the end of the labour
        offred uses the chance to ask another handmaid if shes seen moira
        ofwarren has a little girl, who she will breast-feed until she is given away to another family
        offred reminisces her child's birth and the joy of it
        handmaids are taken back to their houses after the birth
        chapter 22
        offred cannot sleep and thinks about what could have happened to Moira
        Moira managed to escape
        she pretended she had a blocked toilet, then pulled a knife on Aunt Elizabeth
        she takes Aunt's uniform and escapes, so Aunt Lydia asks Janine to become her spy to make sure it doesnt happen again
        Chapter 23
        offred says 'this is a reconstruction' and thinks about how her story is a narrative she can control and edit
        after the birth, offred goes into the commander's room
        he wants to play scrabble with her
        when she leaves, the commander asks her to kiss him 'As if you meant it
        she does but admits that later she wished she could have killed him, but accepts that was just a fantasy
        Chapter 24
        offred returns to her room and tells reader she wants to remain clothed to 'take stock' of the situation
        she tells the reader the 33, has brown hair, is 5ft7, and has viable ovaries
        she realises she needs to continue this relationship with the commander to see what happens
        she can remember an SS officer in the Holocaust and his mistress
        the woman says he was not a 'monster', yet committed suicide a few days later
        offred cannot stop laughing
        Chapter 25
        offred is awoken by Cora walking in, screaming and dropping her breakfast
        Cora fears offred is dead
        offred says her secret relationship with her commander is continuing
        she plays scrabble in return for Vogue magazines
        commander admits him and Serena have grown apart over the years
        offred reminds herself that she has only got a 'whim' for the commander
        Chapter 26
        now is the next ceremony day
        offred now feels self-conscious having sex in front of Serena due to her scrabble meetings with commander
        feels like a mistress
        feels like she is worth more now due to her meetings with the commander
        Chapter 27
        time is now summer and offred and ofglen are out shopping
        they see new bodies on theWall
- Key quotes
  - 'A palimpsest of unheard sound'
  - There was old sex in the room and loneliness'
  - 'We yearned for the future'
  - 'We still had our bodies'
  - 'We learned to whisper'

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Beschreibung: A level English Mindmap am The Handmaid's Tale, erstellt von Will Hunt am 05/01/2022.
Erstellt von: Will Hunt
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The Handmaid's Tale

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