Quotes from bookThe Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, originally published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England, in a totalitarian state resembling a theonomy that overthrows the United States government. The novel focuses on the journey of the handmaid Offred. Her name derives from the possessive form "of Fred"; handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must use names derivative of those of the male, or master, whom they serve.
“You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself.”
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
“Faith is only a word, embroidered.”
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
“You might even provide a Heaven for them. We need You for that. Hell we can make for ourselves.”
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), Chapter 30 (pp. 194-195)
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
Context: (She is reciting the Lord’s prayer) Now we come to forgiveness. Don’t worry about forgiving me right now. There are more important things. For instance: keep the others safe, if they are safe. Don’t let them suffer too much. If they have to die, let it be fast. You might even provide a Heaven for them. We need You for that. Hell we can make for ourselves.
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), Chapter 5 (p. 24)
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
“You can't help what you feel, but you can help how you behave”
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
“When power is scarce, a little of it is tempting.”
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
“We yearned for the future. How did we learn it, that talent for insatiability?”
Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale
Source: The Handmaid's Tale
