Summary

In Chapter Fourteen, Agnes writes that she worried whether Becka would be punished for her suicide attempt. Soon, the Aunts gathered a pool of candidates from which Commander Kyle and Paula could select Agnes’ future husband. The first was Commander Judd, the highest ranking of the three and one of the early believers in Gilead (221-2). The second one had a Wife had died in an asylum after their child died, while the third was a son of a lower-ranking Commander who would have appreciated being matched with Agnes. Later in bed, Agnes considers the men but is revolted by the thought of each of them. She expresses the desire to run away, but is unable to see how it would be possible.

Eventually, Commander Judd was chosen to be Agnes’ husband, for the reason that “he had the most power” (224). Paula’s reasoning...