THE HANDMAID’S TALE – THEME QUOTES
THEME QUOTE ANALYSIS
Identity ‘we exchanged names from bed to Secrecy, privacy, sense of
bed’ childish togetherness, lack of
self-identity
‘this one was there in her place’ Replaceability of women
‘he deals with torso only’ Dehumanisation of women
‘my self is a thing I must now Dehumanisation /
compose’ objectification of women,
lack of emotion
‘a made thing, not something born’ Dehumanisation /
objectification
‘your name is like your telephone Lack of identity,
number, useful only to others’ dehumanisation of women,
lack of self-identity
‘a betrayal of myself’ Lack of self-identity,
dehumanised
‘if it [love] never happened to you, Sense of people as non-
not ever, you would be like a emotive, non-feeling beings,
mutant’ dehumanised and objectified
‘I am only a shadow now … a Dehumanisation, lack of self-
shadow of a shadow’ identity, fading, lifeless
‘I have been obliterated for her’ Dehumanisation, erasure of
life
‘I tell him my real name, and feel Secrecy, privacy, closeness
that therefore I am known’ because of known identity,
humanised
‘I make of him an idol, a cardboard Changing his identity,
cutout’ idealising to gain hope, lack
of reality
‘Ofglen, wherever she is, is no Replaceability of women,
longer Ofglen’ lack of identity,
objectification
‘lost, in a sea of names’ Replaceability of women,
confusion
Children ‘It’s not that bad. It’s not what Misunderstanding / denial of
you’d call hard work’ their position
‘many of the wives have gardens, its Gardens as children, a
something for them to order and method of nurturing,
maintain and care for’ showing emotion / care for
something
‘the plump shapes of bulbs … Fertile, seductive imagery,
fullness’ suggestive of children,
mothering
‘she’s a magic presence to us, an Idolisation of pregnancy,
object of envy and desire’ mystical, jealousy due to
fulfilling of position
‘give me children or else I die’ Blunt, graphic language
‘mangy with age and love’ Expression of love, emotion,
THEME QUOTE ANALYSIS
Identity ‘we exchanged names from bed to Secrecy, privacy, sense of
bed’ childish togetherness, lack of
self-identity
‘this one was there in her place’ Replaceability of women
‘he deals with torso only’ Dehumanisation of women
‘my self is a thing I must now Dehumanisation /
compose’ objectification of women,
lack of emotion
‘a made thing, not something born’ Dehumanisation /
objectification
‘your name is like your telephone Lack of identity,
number, useful only to others’ dehumanisation of women,
lack of self-identity
‘a betrayal of myself’ Lack of self-identity,
dehumanised
‘if it [love] never happened to you, Sense of people as non-
not ever, you would be like a emotive, non-feeling beings,
mutant’ dehumanised and objectified
‘I am only a shadow now … a Dehumanisation, lack of self-
shadow of a shadow’ identity, fading, lifeless
‘I have been obliterated for her’ Dehumanisation, erasure of
life
‘I tell him my real name, and feel Secrecy, privacy, closeness
that therefore I am known’ because of known identity,
humanised
‘I make of him an idol, a cardboard Changing his identity,
cutout’ idealising to gain hope, lack
of reality
‘Ofglen, wherever she is, is no Replaceability of women,
longer Ofglen’ lack of identity,
objectification
‘lost, in a sea of names’ Replaceability of women,
confusion
Children ‘It’s not that bad. It’s not what Misunderstanding / denial of
you’d call hard work’ their position
‘many of the wives have gardens, its Gardens as children, a
something for them to order and method of nurturing,
maintain and care for’ showing emotion / care for
something
‘the plump shapes of bulbs … Fertile, seductive imagery,
fullness’ suggestive of children,
mothering
‘she’s a magic presence to us, an Idolisation of pregnancy,
object of envy and desire’ mystical, jealousy due to
fulfilling of position
‘give me children or else I die’ Blunt, graphic language
‘mangy with age and love’ Expression of love, emotion,
