Chapter Four: Daily Walk and Risky Encounters
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Offred walks through the back lawn to the front gate, noting the damp grass and half-dead worms. In the driveway, a Guardian named Nick is washing the Commander’s expensive black Whirlwind. Nick, who lives over the garage, is too casual for a Guardian; he smokes a cigarette and winks at Offred. She wonders whether he is testing her, being friendly, or working as an Eye. At the corner she meets her walking partner, Ofglen. They exchange the orthodox greetings and walk together toward the central part of town. Ofglen reports that more rebels – Baptists – have been defeated. Offred craves news but dares not ask how Ofglen knows. At the first barrier, two young Guardians check their passes and stamp them. One Guardian tries to glimpse Offred’s face; she allows it and enjoys the small power. She remembers a Martha who was shot at the same checkpoint the week before, mistaken for a bomber. After passing through, Offred deliberately sways her hips, feeling a thrill of control over the men who are forbidden to touch women. She acknowledges both shame and pleasure at this power.
Key Events
- Offred sees Nick washing the Commander’s car; he winks at her.
- Ofglen arrives and they perform the ritual greetings.
- Ofglen shares news about Baptist rebels being “smoked out.”
- At the checkpoint, young Guardians inspect their passes; Offred allows one to see her eyes.
- Offred recalls the shooting of a Martha at that same checkpoint.
- She teases the Guardians with a slight hip movement after passing through.
Character Development
- Offred: Her interior life is rich with memory, desire, and calculation. She weighs the risks of Nick’s wink, craves news even if false, and savors small acts of defiance. At the checkpoint she oscillates between shame and delight in wielding her sexual power.
- Nick: Introduced as a Guardian who lives over the garage. His wink is ambiguous – friendly, a test, or a sign of alliance. He possesses a black-market cigarette and acts with studied nonchalance.
- Ofglen: Offred’s partner for two weeks. She speaks only orthodox lines and may be a true believer or a spy. Her report of the Baptist defeat suggests she has access to news.
- Young Guardians: One is described with a mournful sheep-like face and spaniel eyes; the other is blotchy. They are dangerous because of their youth and fanaticism, yet they can be manipulated by small gestures.
- Rita and Cora: Mentioned in Offred’s memory of the Martha’s shooting: Rita expresses anger at the needless death, while Cora defends the Guardians.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Power and Powerlessness: Offred finds power in her body and the sexual tension she can generate, but this power is fleeting and occurs within the tight constraints of Gilead. She compares it to teasing a dog with a bone.
- Surveillance: The wink, the possibility that Ofglen is a spy, the Compuchek check, and the looming black vans all underscore that every move is watched. Offred must assume she is always being monitored.
- Ritual and Orthodoxy: The greeting (“Blessed be the fruit” / “May the Lord open”) and the prescribed walk enforce conformity. Offred’s internal rebellion is hidden behind these rituals.
- Desire and Forbidden Touch: Nick’s wink, the Guardian’s longing look, and Offred’s hip movement all represent the dangerous edges of human desire that Gilead tries to suppress.
- Memory and Loss: Offred recalls Aunt Lydia’s voice, the Martha’s shooting, and her own childhood candy-hoarding. These memories sharpen the contrast between her past freedom and present captivity.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter Four deepens the reader’s understanding of Gilead’s everyday machinery of control: the buddy system that turns every Handmaid into a spy, the checkpoint rituals, and the constant threat of violence (a Martha shot for a fumbling hand). It also introduces Nick as a potential ally or threat. The chapter explores Offred’s ambiguous relationship with power: she is both oppressed and capable of exploiting male desire for small victories. This tension will become crucial as the story progresses and Offred’s risks increase.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does Nick’s wink suggest about his character and his position in Gilead?
Nick’s wink is a bold violation of the rules separating Guardians from Handmaids. It suggests he is either reckless, foolish, or deliberately testing Offred. The fact that he smokes a cigarette (a black-market commodity) and wears his cap at a jaunty angle shows he enjoys small freedoms. Because Offred wonders if he might be an Eye, the wink creates uncertainty: Nick could be a potential ally or a trap.
2. Why does Offred feel both ashamed and pleased by her hip movement at the checkpoint?
Offred knows that teasing the Guardians is a form of cruelty: they are young men denied any outlet for desire. She is ashamed because they are not responsible for Gilead’s rules. Yet she also enjoys the “power of a dog bone” – the only power she can exercise. This dual feeling illustrates how oppression distorts human relationships, turning even sympathy into a weapon of self-assertion.
3. How does the news about the Baptist rebels affect Offred?
Offred is “ravenous for news” even if it might be false. The report of the Baptist massacre fills a need for information about the outside world, but it also reinforces Gilead’s brutality. She does not challenge Ofglen’s account, partly out of caution and partly because any news, however grim, is better than complete silence. The episode shows how the regime controls information and how citizens are forced to fill gaps with speculation.