Take note that the section title is “Birth Day.” Two words, not one. Offred has had two dreams. One dream is of hugging her daughter, dressed in a green dress with flowers. A little symbolism, perhaps? (Green and flowers usually symbolize youth, prosperity, and possibility. This is in contrast to when she loses her daughter while they try to escape. Offred and her daughter are pursued through a field of dead leaves which are intricately described.) The other dream was herself as a child, sick at home with her mother taking care of her. Her mother asks if she’s okay, but we see no real show of affection. (Recall in the earlier chapter the moon—a traditional symbol of motherhood—being cold and distant.) She wakes and knows she’s awake. She says she’s sane because they’ve done the tests...so technically she must be. She says it’s good to hoard sanity (like the pat of butter) for use at a later time, as with money. Is this a bit of hope, actually? She looks at her FAITH pillow and wonders where the other pillows rounding...