The Handmaid's

Tale: Chapter 34-

35
In Chapter 34…
Offred attends a Prayvaganza ceremony, where arranged marriages take place under the
oversight of a Commander. It reinforces the patriarchal structure and religious foundations,
emphasising women's subservience to men and gender norms.

During the ceremony, the Commander justifies the enslavement of women and strict gender
roles with biblical teachings. Young brides are presented to be wedded to Angels, who
symbolise Gilead's power and authority.

The Prayvaganza highlights Gilead's oppressive nature and use of religion to justify and
perpetuate that oppression. It also serves as a reminder of the lack of autonomy women have.
Offred reflects on gender roles enforced by the regime and the challenges the brides will face in
navigating their new roles and the limitations imposed on their sexuality within Gilead's rigid
societal framework.
Quote from Chapter
34
"Boo, I think in my head. Take a good look,
because it’s too late now. The Angels will qualify
for Handmaids, later, especially if their new Wives
can’t produce. But you girls are stuck. What you
see is what you get, zits and all."

Sarcasm

Foreshadowing

Irony
Analysis of Chapter 34
1 Sarcasm
Highlights superficial nature of
marriages in Gilead, dismissing idea
of true love or genuine connection,
emphasising shallow criteria of the
marriages
2 Irony
Carries tone of bitter irony. Despite
sarcastic comment, reality is that
these women have no choice in their
marriages and are stuck in their
assigned roles.

3 Foreshadowing
Offred acknowledges that Angels may qualify for Handmaids if their wives can't
produce, which foreshadows potential fate of the wives, hinting at the oppression in
Gilead, where women's bodies are commodified solely for reproduction.
In Chapter 35…
Offred’s thoughts return, against her will, to the day she and Luke tried to escape Gilead. They
reached the border and gave the guard their false passports, which said that Luke had never
been divorced. Luke saw the guard pick up the phone. They sped away in the car, and then got
out and tried to run through the woods. Offred shakes off these memories and tries to
remember love and how it felt to be in love—how hard it was, and how precious, and how people
defined their lives around it. Thinking that Luke must be dead, she begins to cry. Later that
night, Serena shows Offred a photograph of her daughter. In the photo, she wears a white dress
and smiles. Offred senses that her daughter hardly remembers her. This tears at her heart.
Quote from Chapter 35
"Time has not stood still. It has washed over me,
washed me away, as if I’m nothing more than a
woman of sand, left by a careless child too near
the water. I have been obliterated for her. I am
only a shadow now, far back behind the glib shiny
surface of this photograph."

Personification

Metaphor

Symbolism
Analysis of Chapter 35
1 Personification
Personification of time as something
that "washes over" Offred adds a
sense of agency to the passage of
time, reinforcing the idea that it is a
force beyond her control.
2 Metaphor
Carries tone of bitter irony. Despite
sarcastic comment, reality is that
these women have no choice in their
marriages and are stuck in their
assigned roles.

3 Symbolism
Offred acknowledges that Angels may qualify for Handmaids if their wives can't
produce, which foreshadows potential fate of the wives, hinting at the oppression in
Gilead, where women's bodies are commodified solely for reproduction.