Janine's Testifying

At the Red Center, Janine testifies about being gang-raped at fourteen and having an abortion. The Aunts lead the other Handmaids in chanting that it was her fault, reinforcing the regime's ideology of female culpability. Janine breaks down and is forced to kneel in front of the class. The scene illustrates the psychological manipulation used to break the women's spirits. Offred feels complicit in the cruelty, recognizing the dehumanizing effect of the training.