The Symbolic Death of Moira – When we see Moira in Jezebels in chapter 38, we learn that she too has been crushed into docility by the regime, just like everyone else; Offred’s last bastion of hope and revolution is dead. In the next chapter, Offred states that Moira may as well be dead, reflecting how, now that Offred’s heroic image of her is dead, Moira may as well be in the eyes of Offred, as she has betrayed the morals and the rebellious spirt she once swore by.

From annotations: Offred tells one final tale of a rebellious Moira, one that isn’t true, but one that keeps that spirit alive. Metaphorically, she is dead: at least Offred’s perception of her as a hero, a rebel. As a result of this, Offred has one less thing to hope for.

Offred’s First Telling of Her Encounter With Nick  – ‘I’m alive in my skin, again, arms around him, falling and water softly everywhere’ (p.g 263) This reveals the two things Offred dreams of, the two things she has been completely deprived of under the Gileadean regime: love and self-identity. The adjective ‘alive’ in relation to Offred’s body implies a vivid sense of self-belief, which she appears drunk in, and the phrase ‘arms around him’ displays her desire for genuine, meaningful touch, an aspiration that is similar to the Commanders, but while his is muddled and perverse, her desire is innocent and pure. The imagery of the metaphorical water could portray an ultimate freedom that flows between these two desires, something that is underlying, soft, but necessary for them to be enacted upon.