"...and another plate with an eggcup on it, the kind that looks like a woman's torso, in a skirt. Under the skirt is the second egg, being kept warm. The eggcup is white china with a blue stripe."
Offred is brought a hard-boiled egg every morning on her breakfast tray. It could very well have been a fried, scrambled or sunny-side egg, but the shape of a hard-boiled, intact egg resembles that of a pregnant woman's stomach. Throughout Atwood's book, subtle reminders bring attention to what Offred is subconsciously thinking about, and thus re-hinting to the reader her purpose in life. The sight of the eggcup reminds her of a woman with child, her utmost goal in life. Over the course of the story, similar descriptions crop up, as if the mental game Offred plays with herself as a Handmaid will make her more fertile. It is also interesting to note that the "skirt" of Lady Eggcup is said to be white with a blue stripe, white being the color of purity and blue the color of the Wives attire.
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