Summary

Chapter Eighteen opens with Agnes describing that she first saw Jade at the Thanks Giving. Many years have passed, and she and Becka have almost completed their training as Supplicants. After viewing the Particicution, she returned with Becka to their room, where Agnes made her a cup of tea, so that she could recover from fainting. Aunt Lydia arrives at their door with Jade, and asks Agnes and Becka whether they can help her adjust to life in Gilead.

Agnes writes that she felt that their “placid” nine years at Gilead had come to an end, and that some kind of change was upon them (287). Reflecting on her first day at Ardua Hall, she recalls how she asked Becka about many things: what Latin was, what a library was, and the kinds of books in it. Becka explains to her that as Supplicants eventually...