The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood
The forbidden room was introduced in chapter 23, when Offred is called to the commander’s office alone at night. The unusual call causes Offred to question what the Commander’s intentions are. After having a chat with the Commander the Commander asks Offred for a favour, and that favour was to play Scrabble with him. That was when the secret of the forbidden room was revealed. A room with Scrabble in it, where it was a “game of old women [and] old men” but “now it’s forbidden” to play. A room that holds many things that are banned from the society in The Handmaid’s Tale. In Chapters 25 and chapter 29, also show that the Commander has hidden books and magazines in that room. Where books and magazines were suppose to be have burned and disposed of the Commander had it in the room, which could show that the forbidden room has a lot of things that are banned in their society.
Setting
Which were stated previously before is an old university which has been converted to a prison. The Walls are controlled by The Eyes, and to those who defied the control of The Eyes, are executed and hung on the university walls. In Chapter 26 the Walls are mentioned again, with Offred talking about how while walking and looking at the walls, she remembers her past of once being able to be in the Walls. As she remembers the layout of the Walls she begins to wonder if Luke is within the Walls, if he is still alive.
The Forbidden Room
The Wall
Offred’s Room
In the end of chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9 Offred calls the room she staying in as her’s. Later on in chapter 25 Offred asks the commander for some lotion, in the forbidden room. After receiving the lotion, she begins to figure out a place to leave the lotion, the Commander suggests her room, but Offred refuses the idea. Since they’re are people who look in all of the Handmaid’s rooms to search for,Razor blades, Books, writing, black-market stuff.