The Handmaid's Tale, #2
The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
Contents
17
Overview
Ofkyle’s pregnancy elevates Agnes’s household and social status, but Agnes feels eclipsed and alone. A dental appointment turns abusive when Dr. Grove assaults Agnes, and Mr. William’s silence reinforces the threat of reporting. Zilla hints at keeping quiet. Believing Paula sent her unprotected, Agnes’s resentment crystallizes into fixed hatred.
Summary
Agnes notices subtle shifts at home as Marthas dote on Ofkyle, signaling a longed-for pregnancy. Paula glows and Agnes’s school status rises; friends seek her favor as the promise of a baby confers prestige. Despite the outward celebration, Agnes feels eclipsed, jealous, and alone, believing the unborn child absorbs all available love.
At three months, the household informally celebrates Ofkyle’s successful term, while Agnes’s isolation deepens. She fixates on the dynamics around her, ashamed of her jealousy yet unable to shake it.
Sent alone to a dental checkup with Dr. Grove, Agnes experiences a shocking assault. Dr. Grove gropes her and forces her to touch him, then dismisses it with paternal condescension. In the waiting room, Mr. William appears complicit or willfully blind, offering banal small talk that underscores Agnes’s helplessness.
Agnes considers reporting but recalls how accusations against respected men lead to punishment for girls. She also fears devastating Becka, Dr. Grove’s daughter. Back home, Zilla’s coded concern and reassurance signal knowledge but also a warning to stay silent, reinforcing the system’s complicity.
Agnes suspects Paula intentionally sent her unaccompanied to expose her to harm. Convinced Paula wanted her defiled, Agnes stops seeking forgiveness for hating her and resolves to think the worst of her stepmother, a shift that will shape Agnes’s coming choices.
Who Appears
- AgnesNarrator; feels eclipsed by Ofkyle’s pregnancy, then is assaulted by Dr. Grove and hardens her hatred of Paula.
- Dr. GroveBecka’s father and respected dentist; sexually assaults Agnes during her appointment.
- PaulaAgnes’s stepmother; basks in Ofkyle’s pregnancy. Sends Agnes alone to the dentist; Agnes blames her.
- ZillaSenior Martha; tends Agnes and Ofkyle, senses the assault, and subtly urges silence.
- OfkyleHandmaid; becomes pregnant, elevating the household’s status and drawing attention away from Agnes.
- Mr. WilliamDental assistant; appears complicit or indifferent after the assault, reinforcing Agnes’s fear of reporting.
- BeckaAgnes’s friend; her father is the dentist, a fact that deters Agnes from reporting.
- VeraMartha; participates in caring for Ofkyle and observing first-trimester caution.
- RosaMartha; shares in the household’s quiet celebration of Ofkyle’s pregnancy.
- ShunammiteSchool friend; resumes deference to Agnes after Ofkyle’s pregnancy raises the family’s status.