The thing that stood out to me is the different ages of the two wives. Steven’s Wife seems post-reproductive, in a way that hints at a shift in the stakes of sexuality, or the nature of what intimacy looks like, not only for her but possibly for her husband. This is the first time we get a sense that at least some of this social elite of Commanders and Wives also feel trapped by the rituals of their self-imposed reproductive imperative.
It’s been awhile since I read the book but the age factor you bring up is a good point. I can’t remember if there’s a cut off for families to receive a Handmaid or not (the fact that older parents aren’t around long enough to raise a child to maturity).
There was something about his insistence on intimacy that felt like itself a form of violation — or a breach of agreement — only made worse by that final confrontation in his office. It’s like suddenly the blinders are off, and right, this man does not see Ofglen as fully human, and yet demands a connection from her.
Yes. June’s not a person or human. She’s an object there for his pleasure and it pleases him to have her play Scrabble and smile and joke and be grateful for magazines. And it pleases him to think that she welcomes his touches during the Ceremony. But it has nothing to do with her actual tangible happiness.