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Commander Kyle
Ofkyle is Commander Kyle’s Handmaid, whom he procures after marrying Paula, who is infertile. Ofkyle is the only Handmaid actually depicted in the story. Everyone in Commander Kyle’s household ignores Ofkyle until she becomes pregnant, at which point they dote upon her. However, Agnes notices that Paula and Kyle and their friends only express admiration for Ofkyle’s pregnant belly but not for Ofkyle herself, thus dehumanizing her and treating her not as a person, but only as a womb. When Ofkyle gives birth, there are complications and the doctor cuts Ofkyle open to save the baby, killing her in the process. The family regards Ofkyle as a sacrificial hero, but Agnes recognizes that she was never given the choice of whether or not to sacrifice herself for the child, and thinks it unjust that that decision was made for her. Many years after her death, Agnes looks Ofkyle up in the genealogical records and discovers that her real name was Crystal, which is how Agnes chooses to remember her.
Handmaid Ofkyle / Crystal Quotes in The Testaments
The The Testaments quotes below are all either spoken by Handmaid Ofkyle / Crystal or refer to Handmaid Ofkyle / Crystal. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
Her name was Ofkyle, since my father’s name was Commander Kyle. “Her name would have been something else earlier,” said Shunammite. “Some other man’s. They get passed around until they have a baby. They’re all sluts anyway, they don’t need real names.”
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Chapter 18
Quotes
The truth was that they’d cut Crystal open to get the baby out, and they’d killed her by doing that. It wasn’t something she chose. She hadn’t volunteered to die with noble womanly honor or be a shining example, but nobody mentioned that.
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Handmaid Ofkyle / Crystal Quotes in The Testaments
The The Testaments quotes below are all either spoken by Handmaid Ofkyle / Crystal or refer to Handmaid Ofkyle / Crystal. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
Her name was Ofkyle, since my father’s name was Commander Kyle. “Her name would have been something else earlier,” said Shunammite. “Some other man’s. They get passed around until they have a baby. They’re all sluts anyway, they don’t need real names.”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18
Quotes
The truth was that they’d cut Crystal open to get the baby out, and they’d killed her by doing that. It wasn’t something she chose. She hadn’t volunteered to die with noble womanly honor or be a shining example, but nobody mentioned that.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
