Chapter summaries 25-47

Soul scrolls

Chapter 25

In the second half of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Offred is woken by Cora screaming. She had fallen asleep on the floor. Cora says she will pretend nothing happened. 

It is later in the summer now, and Offred and the Commander have a routine. When the Commander sends a signal to Offred through Nick, she sneaks downstairs to his study. She is still confused about what he wants. 

The second time she visited, they played Scrabble again and then the Commander gave her a forbidden women’s fashion magazine to read. The third time, she asked him for some hand lotion, which he gave to her on their fourth meeting. 

Chapter 26

When Offred’s fertile time of the month comes round again, she finds things are different. She feels self-conscious and guilty, and she worries that the Commander will accidentally reveal their relationship. While he is having sex with her, he puts his hand up as if to touch her face. Afterwards, she warns him never to do it again. Offred admits that despite the dangers, she is happier than she was before.

Chapter 27

Offred walks with Ofglen through the town. They walk past a Soul Scrolls shop, which uses machines to print prayers paid for by the Commanders and their wives. Ofglen and Offred look at each other’s reflections in the shop windows. When Ofglen asks Offred if she thinks God listens to the Soul Scrolls machines, Offred says no. They begin to talk. Ofglen suggests she is part of a resistance movement and says Offred could join them. On their way back, they see a man being arrested by the surveillance service. Offred feels relieved that it was not her. 

Chapter 28

Offred remembers her affair with Luke when he was still married, and how Moira disapproved of her having the affair. While Luk...