The Handmaid's Tale Eight

"The tulips along the border are redder than ever, opening, no longer wine cups but chalices; thrusting themselves up, to what end?" (45)

The progression of the female menstrual cycle continues to take place in this quote by Atwood, by example of the tulips. "The tulips along the border are redder than ever" is a parallel to the lining in a woman's uterus before menstruation occurs. It is here that the body opens, readying itself for an evacuation. Described first as wine cups and later chalices, the uterus is filled with fermented liquid (such as wine is, and a wine glass would hold). It is interesting that tulips are chosen as the flower to represent the relationship that Offred holds with herself, and the one she shares with the Commander, because tulips, along with many other kinds of flowers, are given as a sign of love from one person to another. It is strange that there is no connection between that and the Handmaid and the Commander's relationship; there is no love, only a shared desire for a child.