Chapter Twenty-Seven: Offred and Ofglen’s Secret Alliance
⚠️ 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
In the summer heat, Offred and Ofglen walk through the city with baskets of strawberries and fish. They pass the Wall, which is empty of bodies today, stirring Offred’s fear for Luke’s fate. They stop at Soul Scrolls, a store where automated machines print prayers ordered by Commanders’ Wives. While looking at the machines reflected in the glass, Ofglen meets Offred’s eyes directly for the first time and whispers a treasonous question: does God listen to these machines? Offred says no, and Ofglen confesses she is not a true believer. She invites Offred to join an underground group, whispering advice on how to avoid surveillance. As they walk back, a black van with the Eye symbol pulls up and grabs an ordinary man. Offred feels relief that it was not her. This chapter marks Offred’s first step into the resistance.
Key Events
- Offred and Ofglen walk through the summer streets, collecting food and noting the empty Wall.
- Offred reflects on her past life, remembering taking her daughter for ice cream, and the name “jimmies.”
- They pause at Soul Scrolls, where prayer machines hum endlessly, printing prayers ordered by Commanders’ Wives.
- Ofglen uses the glass reflection to look directly at Offred and ask whether God listens to the machines.
- Offred admits she does not believe they work, and Ofglen reveals her own disbelief, warning Offred to keep her head down.
- Ofglen tells Offred she can join “us,” confirming a resistance network exists.
- A black van with the winged-eye symbol stops and the Eyes grab a man, beating him and throwing him inside.
- Offred feels overwhelming relief that she was not caught.
Character Development
- Offred moves from passive survival to active risk‑taking when she answers Ofglen’s treasonous question. Her hope grows, though she remains wary of traps.
- Ofglen sheds her melancholy and passivity, taking the lead in testing Offred’s loyalty. She reveals herself as a member of the underground, showing courage and strategic thinking.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Surveillance and Fear: The constant threat of the Eyes is embodied by the black van that randomly snatches a man. Offred’s initial terror shifts to relief, illustrating how the regime pits everyone against each other.
- Faith and Hypocrisy: Soul Scrolls machines represent state‑sanctioned religion: prayers are mass‑produced, automated, and ordered for political gain rather than genuine piety. Ofglen’s question exposes the emptiness of the system.
- Resistance and Solidarity: The mirror reflection allows Ofglen to make contact without being seen. The moment they share is a fragile but powerful act of trust, and Ofglen’s invitation to join “us” signals the emergence of an organized opposition.
- Memory and Loss: Offred’s recollection of ice cream (jimmies) and her daughter’s pastel colors underscores the personal world Gilead has erased. These private memories are acts of defiance.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter Twenty-Seven is a turning point in the novel. For the first time, Offred learns that she is not alone in her resistance. Ofglen’s revelation transforms her from a fellow Handmaid into a potential ally, and the invitation to join the underground opens a new narrative thread. The chapter also deepens the critique of Gilead’s synthetic religion through the grotesque picture of Soul Scrolls, while the sudden capture of a stranger reminds the reader of the regime’s arbitrary violence.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Ofglen choose Soul Scrolls as the place to test Offred’s loyalty?
Soul Scrolls is one of the “safest” places to speak treason because the regime would never expect subversion there. As Ofglen says, “They’d think nobody would dare.” The machine noise also muffles their whispers, and the glass reflection lets them make eye contact without facing each other.
2. How does Offred’s reaction to the black van show her state of mind?
Her immediate fear gives way to relief that it wasn’t her. This reveals the corrosive effect of Gilead’s surveillance: even a sympathetic character prioritizes her own survival over the fate of others, highlighting the regime’s success in dividing people.
3. What is the significance of the empty Wall compared to the Wall with bodies?
When the Wall has bodies, Offred can see that none is Luke and feel momentary relief. When it is empty, it becomes “potential, like a storm approaching—the unknown possibility of loss is more frightening than a known horror.