We’re still in the household section. The Ceremony is still happening. The Commander arrives and begins his part of the ceremony, reading official passages from the Bible. Offred drifts back in time again to the Red Center, mostly remembering Moira and her exploits. So, on 86 of our text, the Commander first knocks on the door, as is custom, before he enters. Serena Joy’s ability to make him wait a moment is a small act of power, but one he ignores this time. He enters without permission. Offred’s descriptions of the Commander are interesting. We get a first impression of him as a bored museum guard (linking back to Offred’s memories of museums and art galleries, perhaps). But then he’s described as an aging banker. And then as an old magazine ad for vodka. We get the sense, anyway, that he seems powerful, if disinterested, and he’s what some might call a silver fox. For the first step in the ceremony, he must unlock a Bible and read verses from it. This is quite important because it shows that only the Commander has...