The Handmaid's Tale Chapter 6 Summary

Shopping

  • On the way home they walk past the church because it will take longer.
  • Their headdresses keep them from seeing very much, but they get peeks of the natural world. They pass by buildings that have been repurposed, a subway they can't use, and the church, which is now a museum. They stop at the Wall, where you can't go in or out.
  • On the Wall there are six dead bodies—men who have been hanged. The narrator calls this a Men's Salvaging. The men have bags over their heads, but their faces are somewhat visible. They're wearing white coats, which means they were doctors who practiced abortions before the war. Although abortion used to be legal, they've been tracked down and punished as a warning.
  • The narrator is relieved because Luke wasn't a doctor, so he might be safe.
  • The narrator focuses on one face, which has blood on it. She and Ofglen don't look at each other.