the Commander's study

The Commander's study is the most forbidden room in the Commander's house, a private sanctuary where the Commander keeps his books, magazines, and other banned materials. It is a space that no woman, not even Serena Joy, is permitted to enter, and its existence represents a direct violation of the regime's prohibitions on reading and writing for women. For Offred, the study becomes a clandestine meeting place, a site of illicit intimacy and dangerous negotiation, where the rigid boundaries of Gilead's social order are temporarily suspended.

Description and Contents

The study is furnished with a desk, a black leather chair, a small sofa covered in brown plush, a television set, an end table, and a couple of chairs. An oriental rug covers the floor, and there is a fireplace without a fire. The most striking feature is the bookcases that line the walls, filled with books and books and books, right out in plain view, with no locks or boxes. This collection includes a Latin dictionary, a dog-eared Latin textbook with marginalia, old magazines like a Mademoiselle, an Esquire from the eighties, a Ms., a Reader's Digest, and novels such as a Raymond Chandler and Charles Dickens's Hard Times. The Commander also keeps a Scrabble game in his desk drawer, along with a stash of forbidden items, including a women's magazine (a Vogue from the seventies) and a feather costume from Jezebel's. The room smells of lemon oil, heavy cloth, and the lingering scent of the Commander's aftershave and mothballs.

Offred's Visits and the Scrabble Games

Offred begins visiting the study at night, signaled by Nick's hat being on askew. The Commander invites her to play Scrabble, a game that is now forbidden for Handmaids and thus becomes an act of transgression. They play two games each night, with Offred spelling words like "Larynx," "Valance," "Quince," and "Zygote." The Commander lets her win the first game, and Offred lets him win the second. The Scrabble games are a form of intimacy and a power exchange, a secret conspiracy that Offred finds both ridiculous and dangerous. The Commander also reads to her from his collection, and Offred reads voraciously, trying to absorb as much as possible before the next long starvation.

Gifts and Bargains

The Commander gives Offred gifts during their meetings: first, a bottle of hand lotion, which she uses to soften her skin; then, a Vogue magazine from the seventies, which she finds both painful and alluring. He also gives her a feather costume, which she wears when he takes her to Jezebel's. These gifts are part of an unspoken bargain, a way for the Commander to make Offred's life bearable and to satisfy his own desires for companionship and transgression. Offred, in turn, learns to ask for things, understanding that she now has a form of power over him.

The Study as a Space of Power and Vulnerability

The study is a space where the Commander's power is both displayed and undermined. He is in control, but his need for Offred's company and his willingness to break the rules reveal a vulnerability. Offred, for her part, is both a supplicant and a manipulator, using the Commander's desires to gain small advantages. The room is a stage for their performances: the Commander plays the role of the benevolent patriarch, while Offred plays the role of the grateful recipient. Yet beneath the surface, there is a constant negotiation of power, a tension that is both erotic and political. The study is also a place of danger; Offred knows that if she is caught, she could be sent to the Colonies or executed. The room is a microcosm of Gilead's contradictions, a place where the regime's rules are both enforced and violated.

The Study and the Previous Handmaid

The study holds a secret history. Offred discovers that the previous Handmaid, who wrote "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" on the wall of her closet, learned the phrase from the Commander in this very room. The Commander confirms that she hanged herself after Serena Joy found out about their relationship. This revelation casts a shadow over Offred's own visits, reminding her of the risks and the potential consequences. The study becomes a haunted space, a reminder of the woman who came before and the fate that awaits those who transgress.

The Study as a Symbol of Forbidden Knowledge

The study is a symbol of the forbidden knowledge that the regime seeks to suppress. The books, magazines, and games represent a world of ideas and pleasures that have been outlawed. For Offred, the study is a place of intellectual and emotional awakening, a brief escape from the enforced ignorance of her daily life. It is also a place of temptation, where she is drawn into a dangerous game of power and desire. The study is a space where the past and the present collide, where the memory of freedom is both a comfort and a torment.