Chapter One: The Gymnasium – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ 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
The chapter opens with the narrator describing the former gymnasium where she and the other handmaids sleep. The floor still bears painted stripes and circles from past games, and the basketball hoops remain though the nets are gone. A balcony for spectators circles the room. The narrator recalls the lingering sensory remnants of earlier life: the smells of sweat, chewing gum, and perfume, and the echo of music from dances. She remembers the yearning for a shapeless future and the “talent for insatiability” that seemed to fill the air.
Now the space is filled with army cots arranged in rows with gaps to prevent talking. The handmaids have flannelette sheets and reused U.S. army blankets. They fold their clothes neatly on stools. The lights remain dim but not off. Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrol with electric cattle prods at their belts. No one is allowed guns inside—only the guards, called Angels, carry them, and they remain outside unless summoned. Twice daily the handmaids walk two by two around a football field enclosed by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. The Angels stand with their backs to the handmaids, who both fear and fantasize about them, imagining they could exchange their bodies for some trade-off.
In the semi-darkness, the handmaids learn to whisper soundlessly, to stretch out their arms when the Aunts aren’t looking, and to lip-read. Through these methods they exchange names from bed to bed: Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moira, and June.
Key Events
- The narrator describes the repurposed gymnasium and its vestiges of former use.
- She reflects on the past dances and the general yearning for the future.
- The handmaids’ sleeping arrangement is revealed: cots in rows, minimal bedding, dim lights.
- Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrol with electric cattle prods; guns are forbidden inside.
- Guards (Angels) remain outside the fenced-in football field where handmaids exercise.
- Handmaids quietly share their names using whispers and lip-reading: Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moira, June.
Character Development
- The narrator: She demonstrates a sharp memory for sensory details and a deep nostalgia for the lost world. Her internal longing and willingness to fantasize about the Angels show a desperate, still-human desire for connection.
- Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth: Introduced as enforcers; they carry cattle prods and patrol the dormitory. They are not trusted with guns, indicating a hierarchy of control even among the regime’s servants.
- Named handmaids (Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moira, June): Barely introduced, but the act of exchanging names establishes a covert solidarity and shared identity among them.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Repurposed Spaces: The gymnasium, once a place of play and dance, is now a prison dormitory. This transformation symbolizes the regime’s erasure of freedom and joy.
- Surveillance and Control: The Aunts’ constant patrol, the cattle prods, the enforced silence, the barbed-wire fence, and the guards all emphasize total surveillance.
- Memory and Yearning: The narrator’s sensory recollections (smells, music, “old sex”) highlight the theme of longing for a lost past and the human capacity for insatiable desire.
- Body as Bargaining Chip: The handmaids’ fantasy of trading their bodies with the Angels reflects their commodification under the regime—and their remaining agency, however illusory.
- Female Solidarity: The whispered exchange of names is a small but significant act of resistance and connection.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter One establishes the claustrophobic setting, the power structure (Aunts, Angels, handmaids), and the narrator’s introspective, memory-laden voice. It introduces the central tension between the regime’s total control and the handmaids’ covert resistance. The chapter sets the tone for the novel’s exploration of how the past haunts the present and how small acts of humanity persist under oppression.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What details in the gymnasium description suggest a former life of freedom?
The floor still shows game markings, basketball hoops hang without nets, and a balcony remains for spectators. The narrator recalls smells of sweat, gum, perfume, and echoes of dance music, all pointing to a vibrant, unsupervised past.
2. Why are the handmaids not allowed to talk while in their cots, and how do they communicate?
Talking is forbidden, so they learn to whisper almost soundlessly and to lip-read while lying with heads turned sideways. They also stretch out their arms to touch hands when the Aunts are not watching.
3. What role do the Angels play in the handmaids’ imagination?
The Angels are objects of both fear and fantasy. The handmaids wish the guards would look at them, imagining some trade-off—their bodies in exchange for something—revealing their internalized commodification and desire for connection.