The Handmaid's Tale, #2
The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
Contents
28
Overview
Agnes continues Wife training under Aunt Lise, learning domestic skills, etiquette, and prayer duties expected in marriage. Becka, terrified of her arranged match, attempts self-harm during a class and is taken to the hospital. Shunammite embraces conformity, while Aunt Lise minimizes Becka’s crisis, underscoring the regime’s pressures.
Summary
Agnes recounts lessons at the Vidala School led by Aunt Lise, who teaches Wives-to-be manners, household authority over Marthas, and emotional distance from Handmaids. Emphasizing rigid roles as divinely ordered, Aunt Lise frames domestic competence and gratitude for scarce food as moral duties, including proper cooking and meal prayers when husbands are absent.
Agnes recalls private childhood mockery of piety with Shunammite, now seeming trivial as marriage approaches. Training expands to interior decorating and flower arranging, with husbands ultimately deciding household styles, reinforcing women’s limited autonomy.
Becka grows increasingly despondent about her arranged November wedding after an unsettling visit from her chosen suitor. When Shunammite trivializes Becka’s revulsion, Becka voices a wish for serious illness to avoid marriage, signaling mounting desperation.
During a French-style flower-arranging class, Becka suddenly slashes her left wrist with secateurs. Though not fatal, the bleeding is severe, and she is taken to the hospital. Agnes is shaken by Becka’s brief, fierce resolve followed by serenity and a “Goodbye, Agnes.” Aunt Lise labels Becka “immature” and praises the others, while Shunammite embraces conformity. Agnes resolves to perform maturity, recognizing her role as an actress within Gilead’s expectations.
Who Appears
- Agnes JemimaNarrator; attends Wife training, observes Becka’s despair and suicide attempt, and resolves to perform expected maturity.
- BeckaClassmate coerced toward marriage; repulsed by her suitor; slashes her wrist during class and is hospitalized.
- Aunt LiseInstructor for Wives-to-be; teaches etiquette, domestic skills, and dismisses Becka’s crisis as immaturity.
- ShunammiteAgnes’s classmate; eager to conform and marriage-focused, trivializes Becka’s fears.