Read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. As you read, share your observations and analysis with your classmates on this blog as directed below. Keep your quoted passages and reflections original- we can all google Sparknotes and Shmoop for ourselves. Then respond thoughtfully to the posts of three (3) of your classmates with your interpretations, impressions, and reactions to their thoughts about each book to create a conversation. Make sure you add something new to the conversation in your responses. Ask a question, challenge an assumption, offer a different interpretation or a new insight. "I agree" does not qualify as a meaningful response.
You should submit a total of 6 original posts and 6 comments.
Due Dates:
All posts about your first book should be completed by July 31, 2019.
Posts about your second book are due before the first day of school.
The goal of the response portion of the assignment is to set the tone for the year and develop a thoughtful conversation about our reading. Obviously, the conversation only works if people participate. Adding something at the end that no one will see does not equal participating in the conversation.
Failure to complete these assignments before your return to school may result in your removal from the class.
For each reflection post, start with a quotation from the novel and comment on it, focusing on one of the following:
1. Cite a passage and explain why is it important to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2. Read between the lines. Sometimes it’s what characters don’t say that matters. Cite a passage and explain what’s really going on. Be sure to use evidence to support your conclusions.
3. Analyze the development of a dynamic character: explain how she/he grows, learns, changes, etc. and how his/her evolution is important to the meaning of the work as a whole.
4. Cite a passage and analyze the author’s style, word choice, syntax, tone, etc. How does it contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?
5. Analyze the author's use of literary devices (e.g. metaphor, symbolism, juxtaposition, foreshadowing, irony, satire, etc.). and consider how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
6. Cite a passage that evokes a strong emotional response from you and explore your reaction.
7. Cite a passage that you find confusing as a reader. Pose genuine clarifying questions for yourself and others.
8. Explore the similarities and differences in plot, theme, and style between the two novels. Analyze how these similarities and differences impact the meanings of these works as a whole.
9. Analyze the impact of point of view on the reader’s understanding and the meaning of the work as a whole.
10. Something else? Think of something. We will add to this list as we go.
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ReplyDelete“Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us” (Atwood 8).
ReplyDeleteIn The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood continually uses the motif of the color red to convey the themes and deeper meanings her novel has to offer. This motif is first addressed here, as Offred dresses for the day, taking note of the color of her uniform. Initially, this thought seemed to refer to the blood of childbirth, and therefore the ability to bear children, which sets the Handmaids apart from the rest of the population. Birth and its widespread relevance in history (such as genocidal wars and their focus on the rape and murder of women and children) gives the novel some weight, as seeking control over this power of women was the basis on which Gilead was founded; because of the falling birth rates, the structure that we observe in the book was deemed necessary by the men that created it. This quote identifies the all-too-realistic aspects of Atwood’s dystopia.
In general terms, the color red is commonly associated with intense emotions like passion and anger, connotations that serve well in the narrative; the main character’s external passive nature juxtaposes the melting pot of conflict we find inside of her, represented well by the powerful color of red. With religion in mind, (as much of the story revolves around the main character’s changing faith and pleas to God, as well as Gilead’s clear religious influence from Puritain society, not to mention the numerous references to biblical matters, figures, and places) the red of the Handmaid’s robes is an allusion to Mary Magdalene’s red robes, in which case the blue of the Wives’ robes reflects the blue robes of the Virgin Mary. This would then comment on how the roles of Wife and Handmaid are seen by their society; one version of Mary Magdalene paints her as a prostitute of consequential low status, and the Virgin Mary is exalted as a saint in Christianity. Overall, this motif works to provide insight to Atwood’s messages and criticism of humankind.
It's interesting that the color red is associated with emotions as well as things like childbirth and religion. I would have thought that gilead would have wanted to reserve such an angry and violent color for the higher- ups. Maybe the color represents the inner turmoil that the handmaids go through, but cannot express.
DeleteI agree completly, red is such a significant color in this world that Ofred lives in. I feel like the emotional connection is the strongest as there are many points in the book, in which Ofred connects her emotions to a color.
Delete“He doesn’t mind this, I thought. He doesn’t mind it at all. Maybe he even likes it. We are not each other’s, anymore. Instead, I am his” (Atwood 182).
ReplyDeleteIn this example, Luke easily accepts—and even likes, possibly—the main character’s gradual loss of power in everyday life, their relationship, and in her own self-image, even before the patriarchy is heavily established. Luke’s own tendencies to so willingly allows an increase in his own power at his wife’s expense foreshadow the reprehensible features of Gilead to come, suggesting an underlying criticism of present day and also showing how our society could slip into this dystopia so easily. For example, as soon as the main character loses her job and access to money, Luke is quick to dismiss her worries, and assumes his position as her more powerful protector. In conversations with her mother, he doesn’t take her valid feminist perspective seriously. The main character and Luke’s relationship began as an dishonest one—a mistress and a married man—with stolen visits to hotels for sex. This is similar to her position in the Commander’s family that the main character will know later in the story. She is not aware of these correlations, however; like her later relationship with the Commander, the main character invents some humanity for Luke, just as she observed in a documentary on WWII that she watched with her mother years ago. In it, the lover of a death camp soldier claimed that he wasn’t a monster, and the main character observes how easily the lover can invent humanity for this monster. Her observation anticipates her own actions later in the book.
I'm not sure your right about Luke. I don't think we have enough evidence to support that he willingly and welcomely accepted the new changes. Even Offred herself seems unsure. On page 182 where your quotation comes from she says she's thinking this. She's not stating this as a fact shes saying this is what she's thinking. And in the next paragraph, she asks him if she was right. He cant answer but the question is still there for her, was she right? If she's asking the question she admits shes unsure. She thinks of him as being imprisoned somewhere or maybe dead. On page 104 she graphically describes him imprisoned. Offred at least wants him to have resisted the change but we don't know if he did. I don't think he has to resist it to avoid being called a monster, however. I don't think it is fair to ask a person to be imprisoned or killed for their beliefs. It's a strong brave thing to do, but not being able to make the hard decision doesn't make you a monster. What I’ve said doesn’t rule out that Luke did openly embrace and enjoyed the change just that I don't know if there's enough evidence to prove that's what he did.
DeleteI don't think Luke is in agreement with the government of Gilead, but I do think that he serves as a demonstration of how people who are not actively harmed by a regime gaining power can be complacent. As Offred loses her rights, Luke may not quite embrace the societal changes, but she appears more alarmed by the change than Luke is, and Moira, both a "gender traitor" and a woman, is shown to be in active rebellion against the government during the earlier stages of Gilead's takeover. "Gender treachery" is punishable by death, and Moira is already in danger if she just exists, while for Luke, speaking up entails a much greater risk compared to him staying silent, and his actions in direct rebellion against the government only begin when it becomes apparent that the changes will strongly negatively affect him and his family.
Delete“We’ve given them more than we’ve taken away, said the Commander. Think of the trouble they had before. . . Some of them were desperate, they starved themselves thin or pumped their breasts full of silicone, had their noses cut off. Think of the human misery” (Atwood 219).
ReplyDeleteAtwood provides a commentary on the misassumptions and self-righteousness that accompanies abuse of power. In this quote, the Commander is justifying the structure of Gileadean society. He believes that the new system, with its clear misogynistic nature and all, compensates for its downfalls—mainly the blatant mistreatment of women—by reducing the grief that accompanies freedom. With no option to act independently, neither the benefits nor the pitfalls of a life lived freely exist. This vast oversight, deriving from the hubris of the men in the story, highlights the abuse and misuse of power that reigns in this dystopian future—and in our world today.
Implicit in the Commander’s logic is the idea of bringing salvation to women. This has a religious overtone that is more explicit in the characters’ speech, rituals (such as the ceremony in which the Commander reads parts of the Bible), and indoctrination in the Red Center. The elite men of Gilead consistently use religion as a front for their authoritarian and tyrannical agenda, which again is relevant to our past and present—dictatorships use this strategy as a means to control their people. The name “Gilead” is a biblical reference in itself, along with the name “Offred,” which Atwood suggests is also a play on “offered,” or a religious offering.
The Commander's line of argument for stripping away women's power and choices relies almost entirely on the old traditional idea that men know women and what they need, better than women know women and what they need. It's interesting to wonder, though, whether the men in power truly believe in the religious aspects of the society, or whether it's just what they tell themselves in order to justify their actions to maintain power.
Delete"I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will. I could use it to run, push buttons of one sort or another, make things happen. Now the flesh arranges itself differently, I'm a cloud congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within in its translucent wrapping." (Atwood 73)
ReplyDeleteThis passage, along with many others, is very important to the meaning of the story because it contrasts the way Offred used to feel about her body, to the way she feels about it now. The passage shows how Offred has embodied Gilead's view of women, that they should be treated as more of an object than a real person. Before, Offred thought of her body as an instrument, something that she had control over, that she could use for herself. Now she feels as though her body is a "central object" one in which she has no control of. Offred tells us that she feels as though her body is a pear that "glows red within its translucent wrapping" making it clear to us that she sees her body as an object, one that anyone can have, except for her. This passage pinpoints the transitions of Offreds views on her own body, influenced by the Republic of Gilead through their laws of women.
I also agree that this passage is really important to the story. I think going along with how Offred views her body it's interesting that because of the society she's in her views of herself have shifted so much. It's right around this point in the book that we start to get a sense of how long it's been since the society turned to this. When Offred references her little girl who would now be about eight, meaning it had been only around 3-4 years of living this way I was really suprised at how quickly this society had taken over and become normal.
DeleteI very much agree that this passage is important to the story because Offerd is clearly stating how Gilead has taken away not only women’s independence, but their feeling of being human. Now she feels as though she doesn’t recognize herself; she is now just a body moving through the world with no purpose. She knows that it is the same body she walked in before Gilead, but it is no longer her property. She is merely flesh and bones but part of her soul is now lost.
ReplyDeleteBut who can remember pain, once it’s over? All that remains of it is a shadow, not in the mind even, in the flesh. Pain marks you, but too deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind (Atwood 125)
ReplyDeleteThis passage caught my eye because it is not something I have ever heard. As I thought about it, I realize how true it is about every unpleasant thing we do in life. We push the scary feelings and memories down until they seem much less difficult than they did when they first happened. I remember when I was younger, falling and scraping my knee and balling as I went to the nurse, but when my friends went to check on me and ask “are you okay?” I would remember the accident as a small inconvenience and reply “Ya, it is not bad at all.” This example may not seem like it should strike such a nerve, but it does when I realize that no matter how big or small the issue, I remember it as little bump in the road compared to when it first happened and it felt like the end of the world. “Pain marks you, but too deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind.” This part of the quote hit me harder. This reminded me that no matter how hard we try to forget, and even if it is out of sight and out of mind, it will leave a scar.
I agree with your reaction to the quote. I find this quote to be really upsetting because reading it back you know how much physical and mental pain Offred went through. Yet, despite all the pain she's gone through, along with all the other handmaids, it has to be hidden. The women can show no pain, they must perform their duties as handmaids and push the pain aside, pretending as though it's not there. The scars will show on the handmaids, but they must keep all their internal pain hidden, "out of sight, out of mind."
DeleteI really like how you connect this quote to another quote, "Out of sight, out of mind." I have also never really thought about this before. However, as I started to think about it more, I realized that humans have a tendency to push the bad things into the back of their mind, where they will more or less forget about them. However, as Offred keeps pushing the pain away, she is also pushing away from her old self, making it harder to her to relive the past.
DeleteWe lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. (Atwood 56)
ReplyDeleteAlthough this this quote is small, it packs in a lot to analyze. By saying “As usual” the author shows the reader that in our society, we are used to ignoring our issues, pretending everything is just fine even if we know the world is crashing down around us. Her tone shows a level of utter despair As I read this, I felt as though I could picture Offerd sighing with sadness. By saying “you have to work for it” when referring to ignoring, Atwood portrays the act as pure lethargy and laziness, while ignorance is a state of blissfully being unaware. This quote really illustrates the first dominoes falling to create a series of unfortunate events that led to Gilead. Although people could see the world as they knew it change, they did not bat an eye, and looked the other way. This was not about being unaware, this was about pure laziness and the fact that people we unwilling to acknowledge change.
It makes me wonder what sort of dominoes actually had to fall in the creation of Gilead. It would be interesting if the author went into more detail, I know she went into some like the banks being closed and the jobs being cut off, but how radically did all these changes take place in order for everything to be completely overthrown? How people would be able to ignore such changes?
DeleteAlso, in the modern society of Gilead, like when Offred is telling in real-time, the idea of ignoring and not ignorance definitely applies to the higher-ups, like the Commanders. There's no way they can actually be ignorant to the state of those below them, like the Housewives. They too were once part of the society that Offred describes in her flashbacks, where men and women were mostly equal, like our real-life society. Even if they derived pleasure from their ranking, they would have the human understanding that being forced into that lifestyle was not something that the women (at least most of them) would be thankful for, like the Aunts try to say.
I find that The Handmaid's Tale distinguishes itself from other similar dystopian novels by examining sloth instead of greed. Many dystopian societies in books display the sin of greed or lust for power, seeing an elite few at the head of the government and analyzing the effects that has. But in The Handmaid's Tale, not only are greed and lust examined, but sloth as well. Not only are there power hungry groups of people seeking to change society, there is a larger group of people who just lets this happen. Like you said above, there were so many people unwilling to except change, and unwilling to do anything about it or take any action, and that's what led to the fall of society. There will always be power hungry people, but they only gain power if we allow them to, and The Handmaid's Tale does a really good job showing that as Offred looks back on the time when things began to change.
DeleteThis quote made me think about the actions (or lack of actions) that led to Gilead and also how similar actions on a smaller scale are happening in reality. Like how nobody in the novel spoke up about revoking women's rights, there are many people today who feel strongly about political and environmental issues but do not take action to fix the problem. Comparing our reality to the circumstances in the book led me to think that the purpose of Atwood writing this novel could have been to warn people about the consequences of not standing up for your beliefs.
Delete" A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere as long as it stays inside the maze" (Atwood 165)
ReplyDeleteTo me, this embodies the entire theme of the book. Women have their bodies, but they are not theirs; you may live a life, but it is not yours. The illusion of freedom is an ongoing theme throughout the novel. The citizens of the Gilead are made to believe they are free but they're only free when they are told they can be. The scheduled walks, the scheduled pregnancies, the designed families are made to impersonate freedom, but must stay in the confines and rules of the new government. You may walk... on the path chosen for you, you may talk... when spoken to, you may choose what you wear... out of the of the cloths you have been mandated. The citizens are the rats, the maze is Gilead, and the paths are just detours to help them forget that freedom is only an illusion.
I totally agree with you about this sentence. I feel like it perfectly captures the confines of Gilead and how the women are given the illusion of freedom. However, a maze implies that there is an exit. Ofglen and Offred spoke of "Mayday." Mayday is essentially an underground resistance movement. Do you think that this could be the exit, the way to true freedom for Offred and all the other oppressed women? Nick says to Offred that the people coming to take her away are with Mayday. Atwood chose to leave the book open-ended---do you think that she left this little clues for the readers to realize that Offred could have gotten out of the maze?
DeleteI think that your analysis is right on, But it makes me wonder. At the end of the book we are made to believe that Offred escaped. My immediate assumption is that she got out of the maze. But after thinking for a little bit I realized that maybe she didn't. maybe that freedom was also an illusion. She could have diluted herself into thinking she was truly free when she wasn't. maybe she was just trapped in a different kind of maze.
DeleteI agree that that quote embodies the theme of the book, but I think the illusion of freedom is more for their commanders than for the women. Offred knows that she's not free and she reflects on it throughout the book because she is always remembering when she actually was free. The commander claims that in this society the lives of women are made better because they were "freed" from the uncertainties and disappointments of relationships and the horrors (like rape and murder) of their past life.
DeleteI think the scheduled walks and designated families help support the rigid structure that keeps everyone contained. By making the system super difficult to break out of, it is easier for The Eye to restrict freedom and present the illusion of freedom and doing one's duty (such as preaching from what is supposedly the bible) to the people they are restricting.
You last sentence really embraces the zeitgeist of Gilead. "The citizens are the rats, the maze is Gilead, and the paths are just detours to help them forget that freedom is only an illusion." Freedom to do anything is just a myth, a past idea that no one truly believes in anymore. All of the little freedoms she gets (a magazine, scrabble) are all just an illusion because at the end of the day she has a duty to do and society will not let her derive from her role.
DeleteI totally agree with your analysis. I think Atwood included this metaphor to show the readers how the non-elite members of society only have the illusion of freedom. Like how the rats are able to move freely inside the maze, the handmaids are free to shop, dress and have children as long as it complies with how they are forced to live. I think that the illusion of freedom is used in most aspects of the handmaids' lifestyle to prevent them from ever fighting for real freedom.
Delete“Nevertheless it hurts me to tell it over, over again. Once was enough: wasn't once enough for me at this time? But I keep on going with this sad and hungry and sordid, this limping and mutilated story, because after all I want you to hear it, as I will hear yours too if I ever get the chance, if I meet you or if you escape, in the future or in heaven or in prison or underground, some other place. What they have in common is that they’re not here. By telling you anything at all I’m at least believing in you, I believe you’re there, I believe you into being. Because I’m telling you this story I will your existence. I tell therefore you are.” (Atwood 268)
ReplyDeleteThis passage is important to the meaning of the story. It helps to solidify the audience for Offred's story. Offred isn't telling her story to help make her feel better; it hurts her to tell it. It hurts her to relive her experiences. Instead, she feels a need to share her experiences with someone.
The government of Gilead doesn't want women to read or write because they want to silence them. Offred telling her story is a form of resistance to Gilead for Offred. Not only is she resisting by using her voice, but she also is exercising control. She has control over her story and can control how she tells it. Gilead is all about removing control from women like Offred, but she has given herself control over her life. We know she controls her story because it is not a straight day by day retelling. She chooses what to include from her past and when. The first night she goes to see Nick, she retells it several times with slight alterations.
Offred believes there is someone out there listening to her story. By believing there is someone there to hear her story, she must believe that she has made it out and met someone she can confide in, possibly even Luke. That's what she needs; she needs an ally, someone to talk to. For awhile that was Offglen, she spoke to her but not much and not for long. This explains why she personifies her story with words like hungry, sad, limping and mutilated. For Offred, the story is her ally, where she can share her feeling and thoughts.
The story is her therapy its what helps her cope. By understanding why she is telling her story, and who she is telling it for we have a better understanding of the meaning of the story.
Offred also lets on that she can control the end to her story as well, implying that it isn't actually over for her yet; "If it's a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending." (39) The end of the book is left very open-ended, allowing the readers to speculate what happens to Offred. I agree with you that by sharing her story, it helps her cope and rebel against the government. However, do you think that this could be a flaw in Gilead's system? If Offred is able to share her story and not be silenced, how many others are able to as well? Even if it is simply private thoughts, isn't that doubt and resentment towards the government the kind of energy needed to end such an oppressive environment?
Delete"My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter." (Atwood 84)
ReplyDeleteThis quote evokes a strong emotional response to readers as offred tries to distance herself from the name society has forced upon her, to her real name, in which represents her freedom of the past. Offred unsuccessfully attempts to convince herself that her name can be separate form her identity, but she soon realizes that when you are unable to be called by your real name, you become lesser of a person and begin to lose your identity as a whole. This is very emotional because it shows how, in order to stay out of trouble, Offred has to pretend as if she doesn't have a real name, along with pretending as if she doesn't have a past at all.
The main theme throughout this passage is the use of Offreds real name. However, Offred chooses to not tell the readers what her real name truly is. This also creates an emotional disconnect between Offred and the readers, leaving readers wanting to read more in order to connect these dots.
Would you say that the lack of names is an instrument of Gilead's to keep women subordinate, especially the handmaids? The name Offred is Of Fred, Fred being her Commander's name. The new names can also be a way of these women assuming themselves as a part of their Commander's identities, rather than having their own---this only further perpetuates the patriarchal society Offred lives in. Do you think that Atwood could be trying to prove a point about the society we live in (or in the '80s when the book was published)?
DeleteI think that taking away the names of women is definitely an instrument of Gilead's to keep them subordinate. When you hear a certain person's name said a feeling will be conjured up– maybe fear or happiness or power, but without real names, no feeling can be conjured, and people are less likely to act without feeling.
DeleteGenerally, the first thing you do when you meet someone is exchange names, but when there is no real name to be exchanged, it is harder to make a connection. When Offred finds a "new" Ofglen in place of the old one, she has no way of finding the old one because she doesn't even know her real name.
Offred admits that she told Nick her real name, which in that society, is something she could be condemned for. Even though they both agreed to having no emotional connection, by sharing her name she started one because she broke a law to do nothing more than show Nick a little of who she actually was.
"As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire. We have ceremonies of our own, private ones." (Atwood 97)
ReplyDeleteThroughout this passage, Atwood uses an item as simple as butter to symbolize the desperation of the handmaids. Because handmaids are not allowed to use hand cream or lotion, butter can serve as a substitute for them, and to the handmaids, this is everything. If butter can provide them with lotion, maybe it can help them slip out of the trap of a society in which they call home. Offred explains how the handmaids rely on desperate ideas such as these as their only way of potentially escaping back to the past. The desperation shown in this passage proves just how trapped the handmaids really are, as they are clinging on to the last bits of hope they have left.
I agree with this quote and how the handmaids use everyday objects that they are still allowed to substitute for what is forbidden. I also agree that the simplicity of using objects in a new way gives the handmaids hope that they can find a new way to escape. I think that it's interesting how Ofred uses the term "ceremonies" in this context despite the "ceremony" that takes place every month. Do you think that the term is used purposefully to show that the handmaids still have ceremonies that they themselves still enjoy?
DeleteI think that Atwood uses the word ceremony to put more emphasis on the importance of the small things we take for granted, like using lotion. For us, it's a common occurrence, but for handmaids it's very sacred as they are breaking the rules to do something for themselves. I also don't think it's something Offred enjoys, instead it's more of a silent prayer that she might again have life like she used to. In the quote up above, she even says she does it to believe she will escape one day. It's a longing for freedom, not necessarily an enjoyable experience.
DeleteVery interesting that you saw it that way. I never saw the margarine she uses on her face as a means of escape. That is my fault though, for in a book lioke The Handmaid's Tale what is more important are the little things. The normal citizens in Gilead don't get big fancy objects or any "toys" to play with. All they get are food and water, only the essentials. Atwood puts little things in her novel, like margarine, to see if her readers will take note. Because in the end these were the important things. The things that mattered. The things that led to escape.
Delete“Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.” (33)
ReplyDeleteThis short quote is of Offred remembering what Aunt Lydia said to her and her fellow handmaids-in-training. She remembers this statement when she and Ofglen pause in front of the wall to view the dead. The society that Offred lives in is oppressive and totalitarian---women are viewed as objects and lack any rights and people fear speaking out or doing wrong. People fear the government and therefore remain submissive. Aunt Lydia’s words seem reassuring because she is stating that Gilead will become ordinary, and when something is ordinary, it is comfortable and accepted. Aunt Lydia was only voicing the desires of all totalitarian governments---subjects who do not question authority and who are easy to control. People are easier to control and manipulate if they have accepted their situation are ordinary. Aunt Lydia was trying to make the handmaids forget their past world where women could read, work, and be independent, so that they would be easier for the government to control. The government wanted everyone to forget about their pasts, so that there would no longer be any standard for ordinary. This would make it easier for their new oppressive society to move in as ordinary, and therefore keep the population under the government’s thumb. It ties into the idea of hope. When people lose hope, they are easier to manipulate and keep in order. The Gileadean government was trying to stem all sources of hope (by replacing what was ordinary) to maintain control.
I agree with this for the most part. It also plays into the idea that the women are told they should be grateful for how society has changed. They are showed videos of women being raped, beaten, and killed. They are also told about how "once they drugged women, induced labor, cut them open, sewed them up" (114) and called it shameful. While they are really only seen as walking uteruses, them being told such things by the Aunts is a way of seemingly being humanized, but it's all just a way of making them more submissive by scare tactics. When you mention that the government wanted to make people forget their pasts, it made me think a little. My interpretation is not so much that they want people to forget their pasts, but rather to look back on them with either shame, disgust or fear in regards to how society used to be run because the Gilead government wants that conformity.
DeleteAs humans, we all search for reassurance from others. we like to hear the words "It will be okay." and "It will all work out in the end." This is what Aunt Lydia is trying to tell the handmaids. She wants them to believe they are safe and after some time, this way of life will be their new normal. Aunt Lydia is tapping into the emotions of the women to push the idea that Gilead is just a change, that's the only reason it seems scary.
Delete“I try to remember what this place sold when it was a store, before it was turned into Soul Scrolls. I think it was lingerie. Pink and silver boxes, colored pantyhose, brassieres with lace, silk scarves?” (167)
ReplyDeleteIn this section Offred and Ofglen stopped outside Soul Scrolls which was a place that printed out and read prayers. Ordering prayers from Soul Scrolls was viewed as evidence of loyalty to the Gileadean regime. In that society, women were valued for their ovaries and capabilities of conceiving, rather than their intellect. They had no rights. The lingerie (in this case) symbolizes/connects to the sexual aspect of women and their fertility. Fertility is the only thing the government of Gilead values about females. Furthermore, Soul Scrolls is used to show loyalty to Gilead. Later in the book, Offred is brought to a club where women are dressed in gaudy, revealing clothing and costumes. They are essentially wearing versions of lingerie and mingle with powerful men like Offred’s Commander. The two scenes are connected because first, Offred views Soul Scrolls as a place for people to pledge loyalty and indoctrinate themselves. Furthermore, Wives would go there because it helps the Commanders’ careers. Throughout the novel, those high up in society (Wives and Commanders) are the ones who perpetuate oppression towards women and agree with their world where women are used to bear children, do the cooking and cleaning, etc. but otherwise have no other worth. Later on, the Commanders’ hypocrisy is revealed---they support a rigid system where women must be modest and loyal to their husbands/Commanders, yet they go to a club where they have sex with any women they please. It begs the question, how much control does the Gileadean government actually have over their citizens?
This just goes to show that while the government can control the physical aspects of life, like your job or worth, they can't stop the belief or spread of ideas. Just as Handmaids conspire in secret, Commanders also rebel against their positions in society by going to places like Jezebel's. However, as long as the government has enough control over the lives of their citizens, it doesn't really matter if they don't agree in the end, as they won't choose to break out of the system. Releases like Jezebel's for the Commanders, Particicutions for Handmaids, and feasts and home visits for Wives, give enough distraction from their loss of freedom that not enough people will rebel to destroy the government.
Delete“If they have to die, let it be fast. You might even provide a Heaven for them. We need You for that. Hell we can make for ourselves.” (195)
ReplyDeleteIn this section, Offred is praying for the safety of her husband and daughter. She begs God to keep them safe, but if they die to provide them with a heaven. She claims that “we” make hell for ourselves. The “we” in this case is referring to mankind. All the people with power in Gilead support the oppressive system, or at least perpetuate it. Offred’s conversations with the Commander show how he supports the system and believes it to be the best solution that Gilead could produce. Nonetheless, Offred finds herself living in a world not unlike hell. She has no freedom, no voice, and no control over her own body. She is subjugated by the Commander, the Commander’s Wife, the Eye, etc. This also connects to the real world. By writing that we make hell for ourselves, Atwood is clearly making commentary on our world. Throughout history there have been many wars and many evil governments that oppress groups of people. Just in this book, Atwood mentions the Nazi regime (an old woman refuses to believe her Nazi lover was a monster). The Nazis brought hell to Earth for the Jewish, the Roma, homosexuals, etc. They chose a part of the population and tortured them---they took away their freedom and murdered them. Offred’s world is similar in that she lacks any freedom and is forced to bear children. The simple phrase, “hell we can make for ourselves,” is applicable to many situations for various groups of people all over the world. Atwood used this section to define the situation Offred lived in, but to also remind her readers that hell exists/existed for many people in their mortal lives.
I had this quote written down as a contender to write about as well. I saw this as an increase in desperation from Offred, because she was originally pretending to pray and wondering if Ofglen was a true believer or not, as she herself did not seem to have a lot of faith in God. When she is asking for the safety of her family, she is asking someone beyond. What do you think has changed in her head? Is praying something she has faith in, or is it just another act of desperation for change, like when she began her secret meetings with the Commander and Nick?
DeleteIn regards to Atwood's commentary on the real world, I think it shows slight disgust with the state of the human condition. There are a million things that humanity has gone over time that could be considered hell on earth. The Nazis, like you mentioned, slavery, World Wars, real totalitarian governments, etc. The whole story in general shows a level that humanity can stoop to, and Atwood's "hell on earth" quote specifically makes the reader think a little about all the bad we are capable of. It really sets the tone for Gilead to call it hell, and has the reader comparing this fictional society to our own. Would you also consider this religious commentary? Is Offred praying to God a way that Atwood is telling readers that the human race is not savable on it's own, or is it just an act of conformity for the story? This is just a question that comes to mind when she says "we need You for that."
"I wait, for the house hold to assemble. Household: That is what we are. The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold, till death do us part.
ReplyDeleteThe hold of a ship. Hollow." (81)
I chose this passage because it shows Margarets Atwood's style of jumping around different subjects very well. Throughout the whole book I was extremely intrigued by this style because of the fact that I have never seen it so much in a book before. This quote is a great example of why her unique style works so well because of the way that it really brings the reader into the mind of Offred. The sentence structure and the overall way that this quote is set up gives the reader the impression that they are seeing with in the protagonists mind. This feeling is achieved by the jumping around in thought and a mix between longer and shorter sentences within the paragraph. In the section before the quote that I chose Atwood writes about how Offred is sitting. In this section everything that is being written is very literal to what is actually happening in the real world. The choice to then delve into the mismatchy thoughts that are happening with in Offred’s mind emphasizes its uniqueness even further.
What I also enjoy about this quote is the underlying messages with in. When Offred thinks deeper about the Commander being the head of the household and says the quote “The house is what he holds,” it shows how she feels as though she is nothing but an inanimate object like the house. This can be concluded because of the fact that it is already established that she is a part of the household. Meaning, she is a part of the house in which the commander “holds” (aka is in control of or owns). From this thought she quickly jumps into “To have and to hold, till death do us part.” Then there is a break, then "The hold of a ship. Hollow.” Is written. The first section, is well known to be a part of wedding vows. I found this to be very interesting because of the fact that love is the first emotion that one feels when they think of weddings. You can assume that Offred had this jump in thought when making the connection between households and how there are normally happy loving families inside of households. Yet, love is not a feeling that Offred has to towards the commander so the jump to "The hold of a ship. Hollow.” quote is made. I interpret the break in the text as a pause in her mind as she dwells over her past thought then comes to the harsh conclusion that their household is “hollow” for there is no love in the house.
“There were incidents in the bathrooms at first: there were cuttings, drownings. Before they got all the bugs ironed out.” (62)
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because there are a bunch other mentionings like this with in the book. There are multiple different occurrences brought up of how common it was for people to kill themselves with everyday items, forcing those items to be taken away. What takes me aback by this quote is the nonchalantness of it. There must have been an intense amount of suicides using these everyday items for the people in charge to be forced to remove them from the handmaids. Hundreds maybe thousands of people felt so hopeless and depressed to the point where they had to go out of their way to make something so it could be possible to end their lives. The way that Offred just passes by that fact like it is nothing multiple times with in the book just shows the reader the magnitude of how messed up this dystopia is. Referring to the people in charge being forced to take away everyday items because of mass suicides as "ironing out bugs”, just seems to take away all of the weight from the situation. It just shows how numb Offred is to the amount of pain and suffering that is around her everyday.
I agree with your analysis– it seems like there have been so many suicides that if Offred allowed herself to feel emotional about them, she would be drowning in despair. So, she resorts to simple phrases like "ironing out the bugs" to compensate. At the end of the book as she is waiting for The Eye to come and get her she is running through all the possible ways of "escape," or in other words, suicide. She says "I consider these things idly. Each one of them seems the same size as all the others. Not one seems preferable." She refers to them as if she were deciding between mediocre clothing items instead of ways to take her life because she has become so accustomed to the thought of killing herself.
DeleteI think that Offred writes about the suicides with such nonchalantlessness as a coping mechanism. If she were to face the magnitude of the suicides it would drive her crazy. instead she disconnects herself by referring to the removal of the means to commit suicide as "ironing out the bugs."
DeleteI'm really glad you said this because it was a thought that I just breezed by. I always assume that by reading a dystopian novel that things are going to be messed up but I didn't actually stop to think about the reality of it. Imagine if just tomorrow our lives got turned upside down and now we are in Offred and Ofglens spots. Offred mentions the suicides with such nonchalant because that's just a fact, the fact has just become normal to her, like it was something that was expected.
Delete“Is there anything wrong dear? The old joke went.
ReplyDeleteNo, why?
You moved.
Just don’t move.” (222)
This quote yet again shows a weird combination of very heavy underlying messages behind almost light sentences. In this case the light aspect is in the form of a joke (a dark joke but a joke none the less) while the heavy underlying messages is the dehumanization of handmaids. What this “joke” in implying is that handmaids should not think or move or practically be a human at all. Putting this heavy idea into a joke is morbid and yet again shows the numbness that people in this dystopia have when it comes to dark issues. The whole book talks a lot of the dehumanization of handmaids and this quote just summarizes it very well. Handmaids are not really thought of as a person but more of as an it, they do not have their own feelings or emotions, they are so far from their own person that it is almost abnormal for them to move on their own. The last “just don’t move.” quote from this section is what gives it some complexity. If you think of it as coming from a commander or basically anyone other than a handmaid it has an almost angry or Nasty tone. But, if you think of it from the point of view of a handmaid it gives it a hopeless tone. It is interesting how just changing the person who is saying the last line changes the tone of the entire quote. I was wondering who you guys interpreted it as coming from, the a commander or a handmaid and why?
I interpreted it as coming from a Commander because I read it with, like you said, an angry tone, though I think it carries a lot more weight if it's coming from a Handmaid. It's expected of someone in charge to tell you what to do, but when a peer tells you to do something like that just so you stay safe, it has a much more emotional impact.
Delete"What we are supposed to feel towards these bodies is hatred and scorn. This isn't what I feel. These bodies hanging on the Wall are time travelers, anachronisms. They've come here from the past.
ReplyDeleteWhat I feel towards them is blankness. What I feel is that I must not feel." (33)
This quote shows how Offred truly felt about the Wall. On the Wall hung those who broke the law (this included people who disobeyed the government, or had committed crimes in the past that were once legal but now are unspeakable acts).
Throughout the book, people are referred to as "bodies." The people hung on the wall are not people, they're just objects. This is how everyone other than the commanders are supposed to be viewed. Women are not people, they are simply uteruses ready to be fertilized. When Offred took a bath, she says, "I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it's shameful or immodest but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely." (63) In this new society, life's purpose is not to satisfy your own dreams, but to reproduce in the most inhumane way possible. Offred's body is no longer her own, it is the government's.
People are supposed to feel anger towards these "bodies" hanging on the Wall. They can't feel empathetic. These bodies have no face, for their heads are covered in bags that make them look like dolls and scarecrows. They are objects. They are sombody's, rather than being somebodies. Can you imagine living in a world where your body is the only thing that determines who you are?
This quote also really stuck out to me when I was reading it because of the truthfulness behind her thoughts. I find it very upsetting how everyone but the commanders is reduced down to one term "bodies." This term dehumanizes everyone except the select few. A person is either judged on "before," and their occupation from then or on their body. Women are especially judged by their body, and more specifically, their ability to carry a child. I personally cannot imagine living my life being judged solely on my body and not who I am as a person. What do you think you would do if your life was dictated by others due to your body?
DeleteIt's possible that this works to reduce the chances of resistance from both women (perhaps operating under the theory that people are less likely to rebel if they lose their sense of individuality and self,) and also men who have sympathy for the women of Gilead. Dehumanisation and uniformity is a key aspect of many totalitarian regimes, whether by convincing citizens that they're simply one cog in the society's machine, or by stripping away the humanity of those deemed to be enemies of the state. It's harder to hate someone when you can recognize them as an individual and a person, and by covering the heads of the executed with bags, Gilead gives a very clear visual cue that they aren't considered humans.
Delete"I can listen to my own heartbeat against the bedsprings, I can stroke myself, under the dry white sheets, in the dark, but I am dry and white, hard, granular; it's like running my hand over a plateful dried rice; it's like snow. There's something dead about it, something deserted. I am like a room where things once happened and now nothing does, except the pollen of the weeds that grow up outside the window, blowing in as dust across the floor." (104)
ReplyDeleteOffred is describing herself using many metaphors and similes. She is dry and white like a bedsheet. She is hard and granular like a plate of rice. She is an empty room in which things once happened but now nothing does. It's a depressed and empty feeling, and there are many meanings to this quote in my eyes.
She can try to act like she's still living. She can feel her heartbeat and knows that she's alive, but she doesn't feel alive. She feels like an object just being used from day to day, and she can't control herself anymore. She feels almost as if she's closer to being dead than alive. She's being used, like her dry white bedsheets, but bedsheets have no soul. A bedsheet doesn't have a beating heart.
There's also the metaphor of Offred comparing herself to an empty room. I believe that she is not only comparing her mind to an empty room, but also her womb. Her thoughts used to be full of life an color. She used to read and learn. Now her head gains no new knowledge, and all that exists are memories from the past that blow across her brain from time to time, resurfacing like dust. I believe she was also referring to her womb as being an empty room. She once had a daughter. Now her womb is empty and collecting dust. She is empty, and completely alone.
When I read through this section, I interpreted it similarly to the way you did. I think Offred speaks with a double meaning, leading the reader to what she doesn’t want to admit in her own words, particularly about losing her daughter and the comparison between her womb and an empty room. This passage makes me sad to read because it makes me think about all that Offred has lost as she continues to gain nothing. She lost her love, child, friend, and so much more. As you said, she is completely alone and she recognizes this herself. It seems as though she has nothing to love, not even herself, as she can only see her body as something empty, worn out, and used.
Delete"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, is what he says. We thought we could do better.
ReplyDeleteBetter? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better?
Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some."
This quote really embodies the whole meaning that Atwood was trying to get across: That "better" always means worse for some. There are so many people in today's society trying to improve things. They want to make things better. They want women to stop having abortions. They want to stop illegal immigration. They want to improve technology. Are these things truly wins for everyone? When you think about it, they are equally losses. Is making abortion illegal worth taking a women's choice away from her? Is stopping illegal immigration worth taking away the opportunities for so many? Is improving technology worth the extreme dependability we all now have on it? There are always pros and cons. You either strongly approve of the idea, or equally disapprove. There's never a common ground. Not everyone can be happy about a single decision. "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs," means that you can't make something better for some people without making things worse for others. There's a push and pull in every change. For Offred, improving the lives of men took away from the lives of women. Giving more rights to men involved taking rights away from women. Men are now content with their lives, as they are now in charge, and yet women have no control over their own minds. What do you guys think? Can things truly get better without getting worse for some?
When I first read this passage, what I picked up on was the egg. Throughout the book Offred is continually talking about eggs– the ones she eats for breakfast, the potential lack of them in herself, etc. I like the take you have on this because up until reading this I didn't really understand what he meant. I'm not sure if things can get better without getting worse for some... It really depends on the situation. Like, if a place has been in a drought and then it rains, it gets better for everyone, but when there are two sides to a situation, like for one person to get fed they have to take food away from another person, or in this case, to preserve the human race women have to give up their rights to men, it's more complicated. One has to weight the benefits (having children?) and also evaluate the people who are on the receiving end (commanders). I think the closest one can get to something getting better for everyone is a compromise, but on a large scale that usually means that no one is happy. So, in a situation when there are two sides see-sawing back and forth both hoping for the same outcome, things can't get better without getting worse for some.
DeleteAs soon as I read that quote my brain went straight forward to the whole abortion controversy. Everyone is not going to have the same idea and not everyone is going to benefit from one thing. The idea of "free college" is great but that is only making the lives of the youth better so that we can go get education, but how is that helping the elderly or helping others lives where college means nothing to them (like the impoverished countries where college is not on their minds, only having enough money to send their kids to grade school and putting food on the table.) In conclusion I think we will never find a happy medium where everything will be great for everyone, we just have to hope that by benefiting some we are not ruining the lives of others.
Delete''I took the magazine from him and turned it the right way round. There they were again, the images of my childhood: bold, striding, confident, their arms flung out as if to claim space, their legs apart, feet planted squarely on the earth. There was something renaissance about the pose, but it was princes I thought of, not coiffed and ringleted maidens. Those candid eyes, shadowed with makeup, yes, but like the eyes of cats, fixed for the pounce. No quailing, no clinging there, not in those capes and rough tweeds, those boots that came to the knee. Pirates, these women, with their ladylike briefcases for the loot and their horsey acquisitive teeth." (157)
ReplyDeleteIn this passage there is a juxtaposition of the world that Offred used to live in and the world she is confined to. She has been handed this illegal item by the man that is supposed to be enforcing the rules. He is exposing her to the values that she grew up on: strength, independence, and presence, but it was him who allowed them to be taken away in the first place. In what the commander seems to think of as a small reparation for the life Offred is forced to live, he allowed her to begin to take up space as more than just an alternative womb.
I also find the way that Offred describes the models quite interesting: she calls them princes, suggesting that the have a male presence that is stronger than the female one (and in the renaissance it certainly was and in her current state that's true as well). She also compares them to cats, which are known for being intelligent and cunning, and pirates, who are known to be ruthless and feared. She doesn't comment on their physical beauty because that is no longer a value worth having— what matters is that they can "claim space." Which, up until this point, Offred couldn't do.
I find it interesting that you say "it was him who allowed them to be taken away in the fist place". We know that the commander is a powerful person, but how do we know that he was one of the ones to agree taking all of women's rights away? Maybe he is also a slave to the system, but because he has a lot more power he feels its his duty as a human to help handmaids to feel freedom again. Maybe even men at some of the highest rankings are slaves as well, we just don't know it because we only see Offred's point of view.
Delete"The Library is like a temple. There's a long flight of white steps, leading up to the rank of doors. Then, inside, another white staircase going up. To either side of it, on the wall, there are angels. Also there are men fighting, or about to fight, looking clean and noble, not dirty and bloodstained and smelly the way they must have looked. Victory is on one side of the inner doorway, leading them on, and Death is on the other. It's a mural in honor of some war or other. The men on the side of Death are still alive. They're going to heaven. Death is a beautiful women, with wings and one breast almost bare; or is that Victory? I can't remember."
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of imagery and description in this passage that drew my attention: first, the library being a temple. When one thinks of a temple they consider the contents to be sacred. In this age of banned reading, books would most definitely be considered sacred especially by those who used to freely read them. Secondly, the Library contains large amounts of white. The color white is usually associated with purity, or peace, such as the dove, or a white flag meaning surrender. The angels on either side of the door suggest salvation but no one can get close enough to be saved.
Throughout the book Offred has toyed with the idea of killing herself because she sees it as escape. The woman in the room before her killed herself. Offred mentions that sometimes she feels like that women is "still with her," as if she is a comforting presence watching over, reminding her that there IS a way out. In this passage Offred forgets which figure is Death or Victory because they both mean the same thing to her. Death is a victory because she is no longer suffering and the only plausible victory for her would be death because no other escape seem achievable. Offred perceives the men on the side of Death as "still alive" even though they are supposed to be dead. While Offred might know the men are deceased, she sees them as alive because they are no longer confined to the physical world that Offred feels offers no real life.
Pg. 166
DeleteI really find this analysis extremely interesting. When I was reading this section I did not make the connection that you made but after reading what you wrote I totally agree! All of the connections that you made are quite impressive and well thought out. I especially am intrigued by the section about death and victory, I just read over that when I was reading but you found a much deeper and true meaning from it. This makes me think about how many sections I might have just read over that have deep symbolism and meaning to Offreds deeper and more subconscious emotions. This honestly has made my appreciation for Margaret Atwood grow because of the amount of thought she must have put into each little sentence that she wrote!
Delete"But also I'm hungry. This is monstrous, but nevertheless it's true. Death makes me hungry. Maybe it's because I've been emptied; or maybe it's the body's way of seeing to it that I remain alive, continue to repeat its bedrock prayer: I am, I am. I am, still." (281)
ReplyDeleteI found this paragraph somewhat confusing– it came after a passage where the handmaids had just kicked a man to death. But, Offred also makes it sound like she is, in a sense, dead. When she says "maybe it's because I've been emptied" I'm not sure whether she feels empty as a person or the fact that she watched a man get kicked to death, and is therefore guilty about feeling hungry. When she says hunger is "the body's way of seeing to it that I remain alive" it suggests that she feels dead. The cause of her hunger and whether it is the man's or her own death she is talking about is confusing.
The end of this paragraph also serves as a bit of a confirmation in her breakaway from her subservience. She repeats "I am," a phrase that hasn't been used much throughout the book because her ability to be a person has been taken away. Instead of her saying to the likes of "I am a potentially functioning womb" or "I am a person that once was," the way she says "I am" in this part makes it seem like she is claiming herself for her own.
I also found this passage confusing. It's as if she wants to die out of guilt for the man who just did. When I read this passage I thought it meant that she almost feels like she's dead, because she can't think for herself in the world that she lives in, and she has to feel things like hunger to remember that she still exists. However, I like your interpretation a lot better! I totally agree that she is trying to confirm at the end of this passage that she's still alive, and that she belongs to herself, and not the cruel society that she's being forced to take a part in.
DeleteI found this passage somewhat confusing as well. I interpreted this passage as the author's way of showing how Offred feels emotionally empty and understands that her purpose in life is just to reproduce. Her hunger could be a symbol that she is still alive physically but she feels dead due to her lack of freedom. This passage could possibly be showing that Offred and the dead man are both empty on a mental and emotional level.
Delete"The good weather holds. It's almost like June, when we would get out our sundresses and our sandals and go for an ice cream cone. There are three new bodies on the wall."
ReplyDelete(Atwood 43)
Atwood juxtaposes the lightheartedness of the life before the government shutdown against her character's current reality. she starts by giving the reader a sliver of offred's memories, letting the reader lower their guard almost, and then abruptly brings us back. Atwood uses this harsh juxtaposition in a way that punches the reader. She does this to keep her reader on edge. The world of the handmaids may appear to be safe. It may appear to be domestic. At times it mimics 'normal.' But it's far from it. Their world is brutal and cruel. Atwood starts her chapter in this juxtaposition to remind her reader of that.
I agree. Atwood's juxtaposition does a great job of reminding readers how terrible the reality of Gilead is. By using comparisons, she makes it much easier to compare our society to that of Gilead's.
DeleteI think that by connecting Offred's past and present like this, Atwood is showing how it could easily be someone from her old life up on the Wall. When looking at the Wall, Offred's thinking about people she used to know because they could be the ones she sees up their next.
Delete"He's my commander," I say.
ReplyDeleteShe nods. "Some of them do that, they get a kick out of it. It's like screwing on the altar or something: your gang are supposed to be chaste vessels." (243)
This is a confusing passage to me. The meaning is clear; commanders frequently do the same thing Offred's commander is doing. But what that means confuses me. Commanders I thought were people in power in the Gilead society, however many of them apparently break the rules. Actually in general for a what is portrayed as a totalitarian society there is an awful lot of rule-breaking. Nick, who is a guardian, breaks the rules by not reporting Offred and the commanders nights together, and again by having sex with Offred. Serena Joy, a wife, violates the rules telling Offred to have sex with Nick and by giving her a cigarette. Offred and Ofglen both are part of the grapevine, which is highly illegal. And Moira, the biggest rule breaker of all, who attacked an Aunt and tried to flee the country was not punished. She wasn't executed or sent to the colonies but instead she part of the Jezebel's a place which she seems to find better than before.
All of this to say how are rules enforced in Gilead? There are the black vans, but if all these people are breaking the rules who gets picked up in the black vans? In the end, Offred is picked up in a black van but its hinted that it might be part of the resistance. So the black vans might not even be doing the enforcing. During the revolution where the old government was overthrown, and Gilead was formed, we never really learn if I'm not mistaken who the new government is. I don't understand how these people stay in power when so many people break the rules and don't like the new system. How do the people in power manage to stay in power in Gilead?
I noticed and was pondering the same topic that you write about in this analysis. The conclusion that I have come to is that Margaret Atwood focused almost the whole book on the rule breaking in this dystopia not to question the literal role of power in the story but to incite the reader to think deeply about how how hypocritical some power roles are in the real world. The choice to juxtapose the intense amount of rules in the society with the a large amount of examples of breaking the rules seems to be very intentional throughout the book. The book is defiantly made to make you think about power roles and how they work. Are a lot of rules in life publicized to be rules on everyone when in reality the people of power can just do as they please while people of lesser power are forced to do as they are told? Are a lot of rules/laws made with the simple intent to hold select people down?
Delete"I lie in bed, still trembling. You can wet the rim of the glass and run your finger around the rim and it will make a sound. This is what I feel like: this sound of glass. I feel like the word 'shatter.' I want to be with someone."
ReplyDelete(Atwood 103)
Offred doesn't like being alone. She is on the verge of breaking. But she knows she can't. And she doesn't shatter. The handmaids are given the illusion of company. They are rarely alone. Even when buying groceries they have a partner. And that's how the world of the handmaids is so cruel. They are isolated. they are confined to their own minds, even when other women are constantly around them. Offred reflects her loneliness in her fantasy scenarios and memories. She escapes the brutal monotony of her reality by creating alternate outcomes in her head. As far as she knows, her own mind is her only viable route of escape.
DeleteI totally agree with your analysis about Offred and her loneliness. This dystopia completely strips her of any real connection but hides that fact by forcing her to rarely be alone. What really interests me about the quote that you chose is the part about the sound you can make on the rim of a wet glass. This sound to me is a feeling of being intensely overwhelmed and stressed, almost a pounding headache type feeling. Then the quote goes on to say "I feel like the word 'shatter.’" which is another unique description of feeling, but this feeling is read a lot different to me. In my opinion this emotion of “shatter” Is much more of a giving up type emotion, more suicidal and broken than overwhelmed and stressed. It is interesting how the change in emotion is so subtle yet intense at the same time.
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ReplyDelete"My room, then. There has to be some space, finally that I claim as mine, even in this time." (50)
ReplyDeleteIn the past, Offred had a house, money, clothes and other items that belonged to her. Then it was taken away from her; it all belonged to Luke. And now she belongs to the commander; her clothes are not hers, her name is not hers. Her own body is not hers. The commander owns her body for the sole purpose of having children. The room isn't actually hers; it also is the commanders. But it is one of the few places in her life where she can get time by herself. For her well being, I think she needs to claim it as hers. She needs to feel like she has ownership and control over something in her life.
This is one more piece in the theme of control throughout the book. Gilead takes control away from women such as Offred. Offred struggles to gain control over small things in her life, such as the path she walks with Offglen, the margin she puts on her face, the story she tells and now her room.
I found it unsettling that the handmaids couldn't even keep their names. Nothing belongs to them, not even their own name, and I found that truly depressing. In that society you can't even be known as yourself. You're known by the man who owns you. I agree that the purpose of calling the room her own is for her own sanity. Without one thing that she can think of as hers, she would have control over nothing, and I think that would make her resort to killing herself the way some of the other handmaids have. Do you think lack of control is the reason why so many handmaids couldn't hold on to their sanity any longer?
DeleteThis is a very interesting observation that I marked as well. What struck me about it though was its uniqueness. Many other dystopian novels such as George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and more have central topics of surveillance, total surveillance 24/7. One thing that sets Handmaid's Tale apart and gives it its unique aspect is that it's not like these novels. There isn't always total surveillance in this world, Offred does have time to herself. The Commander also has time to himself whenever he attempts to impregnate Offred. This is a very intriguing detail that I wonder Atwood made on purpose. Why no surveillance? Yes there are the "eyes" but they can't everywhere. Possibly it's because The Handmaid's Tale is still situated in a world full of sexism. These men who rule Gilead believe women may need their alone time. Something very petty if true.
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ReplyDelete"Waste not want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?" (Atwood 7)
ReplyDeleteThe Republic of Gilead has turned the world that Offred once knew upside down. This quote illustrates the internal struggle that Offred is facing as her old ways are crashing with the new. The quote is quite interesting due to the fact that you can see Offred trying to figure out why she still wants even though she is being taught that she shouldn't. The phrase is being drilled into her mind as a way of brainwashing. The line is showing Offred knowing and realizing that she doesn't want what is happening to her. This concept is extremely important to the book as whole, and Offred developing as a character. In this sentence Offred begins to realize that she cannot conform completely to their rules. The small hints, like this one, throughout the beginning of the story set the stage for Offred's realization of the actual world she is living in, and her need to find her daughter.
I'm so glad that you chose this quote, because it is one that immediately stood out to me too. I agree that it subtly sets the stage for the plot to unfold upon. The reason I think this quote stood out to me is because it illustrates Margaret Atwood's skill at shifting between observation and the internal thoughts of Offred. Offred shifts between analyzing the world around her and analyzing her self in the context of her own observations and thoughts, which is something I could recognize as something I do myself. In short, Margaret manages to capture a very human thought process and put it into words. She makes the intangible, tangible.
Delete"I ought to feel hatred for this man. I know I ought to feel it, but it isn't what I do feel. What I feel is more complicated than that. I don't know what to call it. It isn't love." (Atwood 58)
ReplyDeleteI think that this quote embodies Offred as a whole. The quote shows her personality and how even though she should hate the commander and what he is doing to her, she doesn't. I think that Offred is somebody who knows that everything that is happening to her is wrong, but that in order to move on and find her way back to Luke and her daughter she can't waste too much energy hating people. Offred understands that in the beginning she must work towards being the perfect handmaid because that is the only way for her to go home to her family. Offred does as she must to get by, and I think she also believes that she is not the only person who doesn't like her life now. I think that part of her believes in the fact that there is good in every person, which is why she doesn't hate the commander like she thinks she should. I think this act and quote contribute to her development into the strong woman she is. The act of not hating people when that is what so many want, shows defiance and strength that will help her find her way home.
I completely agree with your interpretation of Offred. Throughout the entire book, Offred is portrayed as a very smart, genuine and even stronger person. She finds the good in everyone, yet won't back down when she feels the need to stand up for herself and others. However, Offred's family is what keeps her going, what keeps her in line. Offred feels as though the only way to get ou of tis "maize" and find her family is if she follows the rules. I wonder how the story would change if Offred did not believe in following the rules?
DeleteI totally agree that this quote embodies Offred as a person overall. Offred is very neutral in her feelings. She feels guilty if she's too happy (especially with Nick), and she can't get angry because the government doesn't like people to oppose them, hence the Wall. She's stuck in this neutral mindset. She can't hate the commander, but she also certainly can't love him. It seems like the only emotion that women in this society are allowed to feel is fear.
DeleteI agree as well, this quote is a great description of Offred and going off of Wyley's comment, I feel like there are a few times in the book when Offred pushes against the rules, such as when she meets Moaria in the bathroom, and has her monthly doctors appointment. However, I feel like Offred follows the rules not because she wants to but because she's terrified I think mostly for her daughter of being caught.
Delete"I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born." (Atwood 66)
ReplyDeleteThis quote makes me really sad, because it almost reduces Offred to something like a Barbie Doll. A Barbie is something not born, but the person controlling everything composes it, makes it presentable. Offred is controlled by Gilead, just like a Barbie. Offred is forced to always be made and not be her natural self. The quote shows how forced everything Offred does is. Offred is forced to be someone she is not, and that is really upsetting to see. I can't imagine living my life normally to have everything taken away from me, and then to be reduced to something as simple as a Barbie Doll. Her life has changes completely, and she must always be her new self as a handmaid. She must always be made and never falter. She must continuously lie about who she is to just survive in her new world. Can you imagine having to live your life as if you were a Barbie Doll?
I really like the comparison you made here. By comparing Offred to a barbie doll, you are really showing how Offred is portrayed throughout the book. As if someone else is controlling her, and she has no power over it. It's hard to imagine what life would be like if I were in Offreds shoes, being stripped away from all the happiness you once had, to a dark and lonely society in which you have no control over. It really makes me grateful for the life that I live.
DeleteI think the connection you’ve made here is really powerful. Offred is seen and looked at as an object, instead of a human being. She is valued for her job in this new society which must be fulfilled. No one else seems to care that Offred and the other Handmaids are forced into everything they do. You mentioned how Offred can’t be “her natural self.” Nothing about this new society is natural. It is constructed in a way which is so different from the past. Everything seems to be fake, and full of many lies.
DeleteOffred, who was once a smart, beautiful, and a bright young woman has been limited and stolen from. Her freedom has been ripped away and she serves only as a purpose to others. This makes me think about all of our actions and consequences. This new change in society resulted in taking away the humanity of people and shows they many ways that people can be used and played with, just so someone more powerful can get their way.
This is sadly the truth in The Handmaid's Tale for Offred and all like her. She must always change the way she is to survive. However, the important thing to remember is that Offred is not like all other Handmaid's in the sense that she is a believer, she never stops fighting, she never gives up, she always persists, she always has a good thought in the back of her brain. This brings up another central theme in Atwood's novel: things are not always what they appear to be. Although on the outside Offred looks like every other Handmaid, dead inside, just doing her job, just following orders, etc. she is really a rebel who hates every about Gilead and will do anything she can to escape her current crappy life.
Delete“A man is just a woman’s strategy of making other women.” (121)
ReplyDeleteThis is a quote from a flashback that Offred was having of her mother. It was established throughout the book that her mother was a pretty hardcore feminist, so this is nothing crazy coming from her character. The reason I chose this quote was because it gave me a hint of foreshadowing, even though we as readers already know what the real time Gileadean society is run like. Women were only used for babies, males for positions of power and females for their reproductive organs. Women and babies go hand-in-hand, and throughout the book there is excitement about those babies being female, for example the Daughters of the Wives and Janine’s baby. Also, I found it interesting that Atwood chose to include such a political quote because it creates such a big contrast from Gilead. Offred’s mother is clearly passionate about women and feminism, and Atwood creates a stark contrast from what used to be to the current state of society.
I completely agree, especially when you pointed out how the strong feminism words Offred’s mother says contrast so sharply with Gileadean society. Your point about how this passage is foreshadowing I found interesting because as Offred’s mother says that men are only good for helping women make other women, in Gilead it is truly a partial reverse: a woman in Gilead is just a man’s strategy of making other women. Women are needed to solve the birthrate drop crisis, but Commanders and infertile Wives are credited with the Handmaid’s success.
Delete“I am above him, looking down; he is shrinking. There have already been purges among them; there will be more. Serena Joy goes white.
ReplyDelete“Bitch,” she says. “After all he did for you.”” (294)
I chose this quote because it was a bit confusing for me, and raised a few questions. For context, this is just as Offred is being escorted off to her unknown fate, and the Commander and Serena Joy are there worried about their own at the very end of the book. The reason I found it confusing was because of Serena Joy’s seemingly knowledgeable reaction. It was made clear to the reader that Serena Joy knew about the arrangements when she found the skimpy clothes that Offred wore to the secret club, but when she says “all he did for you,” it seems awfully forgiving of her husband. It was also made clear that Offred was not the first to have arrangements with the Commander, and I’m assuming that Serena Joy knew about this too. It makes me wonder about her. If she knew about everything, why isn’t there any effort in stopping it? How does this reap any benefit? Offred was always saying that she felt hatred from the Wife, even before the arrangements. I would think Serena Joy knew it would be Offred that the Commander would seek out, since the last Handmaid meeting up with the Commander stayed in the same bedroom.
On another note, I liked how this quote contrasted with the past actions of the Commander and his Wife. It seemed like their actions may have even been beneficial to Offred before, sneaking her out, giving her lotion, magazines and a cigarette, and getting her a picture of her daughter, among other things. In this quote, they are only thinking of themselves, and showing true character. It was never about Offred herself, she was only a piece in whatever plan they needed to benefit themselves, again raising the question about what that benefit is?
“My nakedness is strange to me already. My body seems outdated. Did I really wear bathing suits, at the beach? I did, without thought, among men, without caring that my legs, my arms, thighs and back were on display, could be seen. Shameful, immodest. I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it’s shameful or immodest, but because I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to look at something that determines me so completely.” (63)
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because it demonstrates some of the same thought-provoking things in a few sentences that the book shows as a whole. Firstly, it creates the contrast between what we, in real life, would consider ordinary and Gilead. In this part of the world, we do wear bathing suits without much thought, and it’s not considered blatantly shameful or immodest. But that’s not okay anymore in Gilead. By calling her body “outdated,” Offred can’t even seem to see herself with any value anymore. Secondly, this society has changed her thoughts on herself, which is exactly what the goal is. The people in power want this social structure to be established, so submissiveness and control is important. Third, it makes the reader evaluate our own society and compare. For me, it made me think of the past. By placing a book in a dystopian future with what we would consider to be old-fashioned morals and social structures (like a woman’s body being her determining factor), it made me wonder if we will ever come full circle. Even though it seems like we are taking steps forward, is there some way that we are actually taking steps back? It’s a scary thought.
I agree with your interpretation of this quote. I think that as an audience, readers are comparing life in Gilead to the lives that they live. Through both flashbacks and Offred referencing her life before Gilead, the audience is able to see the contrast between the two societies. I think that we, as readers, are missing something that the Handmaids had: the transitional period. The Red Center was used to to teach them the values of the Gilead society and what they as Handmaids are valued for, all before they became a member of a household. Through this, the government was able to create a smoother transition between societies. Readers don’t get this transition period, possibly making the Gileadean society seem more drastic than it did to the Handmaids.
DeleteThere is a surge forward, like a crowd at a rock concert in the former time, when the doors opened, that urgency like a wave through us.
ReplyDelete(Atwood, 279)
Offred describes the salvaging. The emotion coursing through the air, the violent wave of freedom that the handmaids are experiencing. This violent freedom is an illusion of course. Just like every other freedom in Gilead, there is no real power left in the hands of the individual handmaid. The handmaids did not act as individuals. They acted as a multi bodied and single minded being. The outcome of the salvaging was inevitable. The alleged criminal would end up dead no matter what. The handmaid's did not truly get to make the choice of what would happen to him. Their only choice was weather they would participate in his death or not. There is no real freedom. But to keep themselves sane, that is what the handmaids recognize their power to participate as.
This is a wonderful insight! I totally agree that the handmaidens have no individuality and are taught to be and act as one, obedient, servant. The matching clothes, accepted topics of speech together, the removal of their original names, and always traveling in pairs or with a group also accentuates their loss of individuality.
DeleteI really like the way you thought about the handmaids being taught to act as one. When I saw this quote, I immediately was struck by comparison between the salvaging and a rock concert. Once again, Offred blends her old life with the one she lives in Gilead. Just the comparison shows the reader how much her world has been turned up-side-down.
Delete"A story is like a letter. Dear You, I'll say. Just you, without a name. Attaching a name attaches you to the world of fact, which is riskier, more hazardous: who knows what the chances are out there, of survival, yours? I will say you, you, like an old love song. You can mean more than one. You can mean thousands. I'm not in any immediate danger, I'll say to you. I'll pretend you can hear me. But it's no good, because I know you can't." (Atwood 40)
ReplyDeleteAtwood repeatedly writes Offred addressing the audience in The Handmaid's Tale, using it as a literary device to distance the reader from Offred. When reading first person perspective, the audience becomes immersed in the story through the eyes of the main character, substituting them for themselves. However, to create a feeling of hopelessness in the audience Atwood has Offred the reader. The reader feels like they're listening to someone tell a story instead of seeing it from their own eyes, and it causes an impending sense of doom and disconnect from the reader and the main character. Atwood does this to make the reader yearn to help the main character, or change the world around her, and to overall support her message of action against the forming of such societies.
I completely agree with you. To me, The Handmaid's Tale is like a warning of what our present-day society could turn into if we don't take action. By showing us what our future could be like, and by making us feel bad for a character who's in that situation, we'll be more likely to reject the same situation if it ever comes up in real life.
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ReplyDelete"I said there was more than one way of living with your head in the sand and that if Moira thought she could create Utopia by shutting herself up in a women-only enclave she was sadly mistaken. Men were not just going to go away, I said. You couldn't just ignore them.
ReplyDeleteThat's like saying you should go out and catch syphilis merely because it exists, Moira said." (Atwood 172)
Moira, along with Offred's mother, is one of the characters in the book that represents a sect of women with very feminist ideals in a misogynistic society, and Offred often looks back on their conversations before Gilead was formed. What I find interesting about this passage is how, in Moira's endeavors in her ideas of feminism, she ends up completely shunning men out of her life. This ignorance of half of the human race, however, is how women's rights became so much less so, from men unwilling to accept their co-existence with women. It sort of becomes an endless cycle, with each sex refusing to interact with or accept the other. A society where men rule the government, like in Gilead, is not acceptable; but neither is a world ruled by women like Moira seems to want. This view continues the back and forth struggle for power in the book, when really a society of equals must be achieved.
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ReplyDelete“There used to be an ice cream store, somewhere in this block. I can't remember the name. Things can change so quickly, buildings can be torn down or turned into something else, it's hard to keep them straight in your mind the way they used to be.” (165)
ReplyDeleteWhen Offred is out shopping with Ofglen, they sweat beneath their long dresses and walk the same streets which they would have once walked wearing sundresses. Offred recognizes these places and reminisces about her past life. Offred thinks about the old ways and picks out all her positive memories to share. She recalls the smile of a fish from a sign, the amazing taste of strawberries, and the bright summer sun. These memories glow in Offred’s mind, making her joyful, taking her back to the moments when her life was full of happiness. Then, Offred is taken back to reality. It is sad to see this switch, between the hopefulness which has come from her past and the dark shadows of her current life.
Offred notices she’s on the same street where there was once an ice cream store. She remembers going there when she was young, but the simpler details are beginning to slip away. She couldn’t remember the name of the store, or the name of the sprinkles. One of the hardest things to see Offred go through is seeing her know what she’s losing and having no control. Getting ice cream is something that seems so simple to us, and is now only a faded memory for Offred. We can learn from Offred and realize what we take for granted in our own lives.
“I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance.” (39)
ReplyDeleteOffred tries to keep a hopeful tone, which is hard to do in the new society that she lives in. She uses her imagination, battling back and forth between what ifs and reality. As Offred pictures her life as a story, she convinces herself that that’s all it is; a story. A story where she’s the author, in charge of every detail and eventually the ending. This gives Offred a sense of control, when everything else in her life has been constructed by The Republic of Gilead and new rules which now structure the society. She believes that her story will soon be heard by someone else, or at least, that’s what she hopes. Offred then goes back to thinking that maybe all of this pretending is no good at all.
It’s good for Offred to be hopeful. Although she may be pretending, she can use her imagination to find ways to not be so alone in her world. Similarly to Offred, we’re all writing our own stories. Battling between hope and despair, trying to find our purpose in the world.
I like how you mention that she hopes that her story will be heard by someone because we know that at the end, her story turns into a book. In the "Historical Notes" chapter of the book, Professor Pieixoto even tells an audience that her story was used as a way for historians to see what a day in the life of a Handmaid was like. Maybe this is a way for the author to let readers know that their story is important and they do have purpose in the world.
Delete"I consider these things idly. Each one of them seems the same size as all the others. Not one seems preferable. Fatigue is here, in my body, in my legs and eyes. That is what gets you in the end. Faith is only a word, embroidered." (Atwood 292)
ReplyDeleteAtwood does a really good job of summarizing Offred's struggles throughout the book and her feelings about it as we approach the end of the book. Despite her faith of escaping the servitude she has been put into, of finding her daughter and husband, she gives into this fatigue she describes instead of committing any number of acts that would change her circumstance. She says "Faith is only a word, embroidered," referencing the pillow in her room, but also saying that the faith she had was only a concept that could never become a real thing she could achieve. It displays her hopelessness, after all that she's been through, bringing her to her darkest moment before her story ends.
I like the points you bring up here. I think that the quote "faith is only a word, embroidered," also shows how Offred feels helpless in her life. The pillow used to almost be a glimmer of hope for Offred, something she could read, but now it's just a word on the pillow. Just a word, not a key to the exit of the maze of her oppression.
DeleteI also found that the pillow symbolized Offred's hope, especially at the beginning of the book. But I don't think the pillow ever lost meaning to her. I even found that the pillow sort of symbolizes the hope that she had throughout the book. It starts to fade, just like how the embroidery on the pillow is faded. But even though its faded its still there, just like Offreds hope towards the end of the book. She also uses it as a way to feel that she has some power.
Delete“Fake it, I scream at myself inside of my head. You must remember how. Let’s get this over with or you’ll be here all night. Bestir yourself. Move your flesh around, breathe audibly. It’s the least you can do.”
ReplyDeleteThis passage is one of the few that really stuck out to me in this book, even weeks after reading it. I think that the scariest, the most striking part of this book, is that Margaret Atwood manages to make a fiction book that doesn’t feel like fiction. The little moments like this are so real and recognizable, at least to me and I think almost all women. It’s easier to give in sometimes, to make little sacrifices in order to survive peacefully. In this way, women are oppressed. Have you ever been in a situation where someone makes a joke that really offends you, or makes fun of some part of you, and you just laugh, hoping to escape any more judgement, to slide by with a smile so you can get away from them? I have. Somehow it feels like the duty of women is to not cause any trouble, especially in the book. And when women do decide to take a stand, they are criticized or simply not taken seriously. Mr. Edmondson said that when slavery was first abolished, women tried to bring their oppression to life too in the form of protests. Burning their bras, however, was seen as funny or attractive to the men that attended, not enlightening or a sign that this was a serious issue. This book reminds me of all the times in my own life where I have not made a stand, thinking it was better to metaphorically lie down and take it, knowing that I might not be taken seriously if I did. This passage reminds me of all the times I stood there, laughed, smiled. Afraid.
(265)
DeleteSometimes when I hear sexist jokes/remarks, or when women protesting is seen as 'cute' or as a joke, something to laugh at, it makes me wonder why it is that way, why we don't think it's a 'cute' joke when men get frustrated at being insulted, and I think the root of this is down to the blatant lack of respect men hold in regard to the opposite sex, and I think this is something that has been inherited through generations and generations, since ancient times. Now, women may be equal in the constitution, but I think it'll be awhile before women are truly equal to men. Until our sons no longer need to be taught to respect and acknowledge women, but instead treat women the same they'd treat men by instinct, we won't achieve real equality. There's still so many men, so many countries, that hold the same sexist opinions against women that existed centuries ago, those who laugh at the prospect of women becoming physicists, doctors and engineers, those who think the ideal woman is something akin to the handmaids in this story—only existing to reproduce, raise children, clean, and cook.
DeleteI think it is important to note the use of the word “flesh” in this book. When I was trying to find my first quote, I decided to look up key words from it in the ebook version and I stumbled on to the realization that Margaret Atwood has used the word 40 times. But why flesh? Why not “skin”, why not “my body”? I think that the answer to why Atwood chose flesh is because it is impersonal. Flesh is something to be consumed, something not attached to a woman, something bought and sold and unfeeling. I think that every time Offred uses the word flesh, she is removing herself from the situation, making it less personal and making it hurt less. Offred feels like an object, she is used like an object, certainly, so she describes herself as one. She is not supposed to feel anything when during the ceremony each month, no sadness or attraction. One quote that I think exemplifies this feeling is “there are to be no toeholds for love. We are two-legged wombs, that’s all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices.” (136)
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed this out. I definitely noticed Atwood’s use of the word “flesh” throughout the book instead of other words such as skin, and I think that your interpretation of why she chose this makes a lot of sense. The Handmaids are considered to be property of the government, and their commander owns them. They are treated as objects, and therefore describe themselves as so. There is a quote on page 96 that supports this idea. “We are containers, it’s only the inside of our bodies that are important.” Offred says this, while using butter in place of lotion, proving to the audience that the Handmaids’ self-care is not much of importance and that they are indeed only valued for their fertility. It seems as though the government has done a good job of teaching the Handmaids what their purpose is, and in turn has taken their ability to refer to their body as something that is personal and theirs.
DeleteSomething I find interesting about the book is the relationship between Nick and Offred. At some points it seems to be that Offred has fallen in love with him, and at others it seems as though he is just a substitute for the hole Luke left in her life. For example, on page 269 when Atwood writes “For this one I’d wear pink feathers, purple stars, if that were what he wanted” she is showing how her feelings are different from those towards the commander. She isn’t complying to what he wants, she’s sleeping with him because she wants to. Having something that’s hers is a completely foreign concept to her in this point of her life, and it creates a safe haven for her, a sort of shelter that she’s addicted to having the comfort of in a world that is confusing and harsh. She keeps going back, time after time, even though she’s terrified of being shot in the night or found by Serena. When she’s with Nick she can “dismiss [the] uneasy whispers,” and she can tell her story to someone who hears it, not just the furniture in her room. She enjoys telling him everything, her real name, her story. What makes me wonder if Nick is just a replacement for Luke to her is when Atwood writes “I make of him an idol, a cardboard cutout.” The word “idol” is an interesting choice because it reminds me of one of the ten commandments, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” In addition to the mention of the word idol, Atwood prefaces these quotes about Nick with a statement on Luke. Every day that Offred lives without him, she forgets more and more about him, she becomes “faithless.” Comparing Luke to God is a bold move; in my mind, Atwood could be trying to tell us one of two things: Either that since Luke is mostly forgotten by Offred, he now does not represent her husband, but more of her hope. Luke is representative of someone she loves, someone who she chooses to believe in, even though she has no proof that he is still alive. Or alternatively, by comparing Luke to God she is making a statement on how men are placed on a pedestal in the society of Gilead. So that point aside, is Nick really an object of her love, or is he just a vessel for the ghost of Luke? This question, like others we have at the end of the book (is Offred alright, did she escape, etc) is left unanswered by Atwood. The readers are left to find the answer for themselves.
ReplyDelete“But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest.” (134)
ReplyDeletePower is both a significant and prevalent theme throughout the novel. Through the relationship dynamics between characters, different levels of power are shown. With the different social classes, everyone has a new role in society. Within their role comes responsibilities and the power or control that they either hold over others, or power that they are held under. Offred discusses the way she sees power in her own eyes. She makes it clear that there’s a difference between power and control. This difference is important to recognize. Control is described as the actions, while power is seen to be gained through forgiveness. Offred sees that she has a very limited control over her own life. By noticing how others gain power through forgiveness, Offred can do the same. She may not have control, but she can have power.
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ReplyDelete"I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending, to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off."
ReplyDeleteI think this passage really shows how Offred truly feels. This part encapsulates the affects of her role in the society against her mental health. These words suggest that Offred is not recounting events from afar, looking back on an earlier period in her life. Rather, she is describing the horror of Gilead as she experiences it from day to day. When Offred tells her story (even just in her head) it becomes an act of rebellion. By telling her story, she feels she has some 'control over the ending', but the story she is telling only gives her false hope and that there "will be an ending" some plot twist that will tie the whole story together, when really there will be no ending just the same sentence on repeat. She can hope that someone will hear her story, or that she will tell it to Luke someday. Offred has found the only avenue of rebellion available in her totalitarian society: she denies Gilead control over her inner life.
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ReplyDelete"I am like a child here, there are some things I must not be told. What you don't know won't hurt you." (53)
ReplyDeleteThere are many instances in the book where Offred says to herself a philosophy of the regime, things they believe all lower class citizens must follow or believe in. Offred is obviously saying these sayings to be ironic or make it look like she believes them when really she doesn't. One of these philosophies is "what you don't know, won't hurt you." Many handmaids have no relative idea what is really happen in the society they live. Many are oblivious. Some are believers like the protagonist Offred, but many live in a state of utter ignorance (bliss). One of Atwood's central themes in "The Handmaid's Tale" is the place of an individual in society. This statement "what you don't know won't hurt you" suggests that citizens should go on living their day to day lives doing their jobs and nothing else. Not asking questions, not wondering, not having an imagination. Offred uses irony when talking about this statement, for she knows this is not how things should be. People should have the right to question authority and have free thought. This is an early sign of rebellion in Offred and deeply reveals the corruption of Gilead.
Luke Curnin
"I look at the one red smile... I need to be very clear in my own mind." (33)
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has read "The Handmaid's Tale" can tell you that the color red is important. In this passage, the red of the smile refers to the blood on the hanging bodies and the red of the tulips represents healing. Here, Atwood uses this color red to show how things are not always as they appear. Although the rulers of Gilead think that making everyone where the same color will make them the same, they're wrong. Atwood cleverly uses the color red to undermine the power of the rulers. Her message is that just because things are the same color does not mean they are related. Although all the handmaids may look the same, they're really all different. Some are believers and others are not. Offred has to make these distinctions very clear in her head. Repeating to herself daily that the things are real or "vaild." This gives readers the feeling of society; to be caught in the middle of it feels like a surreal dream.
Luke Curnin
It is interesting that you pointed this out. Throughout the book, it seems as though there was a lot of focus on how Gilead was trying to take away the Handmaid’s identity, but this quote seems to show that they have not yet succeeded in that goal. Offred sees that just because something appears the same or similar, doesn’t mean that it is. Although the government has tried to make it so that each Handmaid is the exact same and is interchangeable with one another, it doesn’t seem that they are quite there. Do you think that over time, Gilead’s intention of taking away all identity would succeed, or do you believe that there will always be differences between each Handmaid?
Delete"Lilies used to be a movie theater, before... We were a society dying, said Aunt Lydia, of too much choice." (25)
ReplyDeleteThis passage reveals how in the world of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" culture has been completely stripped away. Movie theaters no longer exist, movies are not as important to a society as they are now, celebrities are no longer the social icons they once were. In the world that Offred lives in, people are only there to do their jobs, not be cultural, not have leisure or entertainment. In this world, any sign of culture for society has been completely wiped out. For if culture were to exist then creativity would also exist and if creativity exists then imagination exists and if imagination exists then non-uniformity exists. Something we just can't have.
Luke Curnin
"My nakedness is strange to me already. [...] Did I really wear bathing suits, at the beach? I did, without thought, among men, without caring that my legs, my arms, my thighs and back were on display, could be seen. Shameful, immodest. I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it's shameful or immodest but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely"
ReplyDeleteOffred is trying to disassociate herself from her body and what her body represents. What a womens body represents is an idea that is constantly shifting between each women and each society. there used to be a time where a womens body was only seen as a way to pleasure men, then a womens body represented motherhood, and nowadays the women body is a freedom in which to express themselves and their feminity, with their own definition to the word. In the handmaids tale, the womens body is almost seen as how the medival days saw the womens body, as a device to concieve a baby. Offred is only seen as her body, that is her only asset to the society, yet she cannot show her body, she has to be modest in order to not "lead on" the other men. The whole roles that women have in the dystopian society which Gilead is set in absolutely frustrates me beyond belief, the fact that Offred cannot even imagine herself wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She is more than her body. She tries to silently reject the determination society has made about her based on her form and fertility, but it is difficult when this is the only life she knows, remembering the past will only give her false hope.
I really like how you’ve thought about other time periods and how there are always different ideas shifting about the way women dress and how they’re viewed in society. It’s both difficult and sad to see Offred so uncomfortable with her own body, especially when she can recall a time where she was once so content with her lifestyle. She doesn’t even want to see her own skin because this is what determines her and what she is judged by. It seems as though Gilead is getting the power they want when she defines herself this way. Offred thinks her body is the only thing that defines her, yet there’s so much more.
Delete“Maybe it isn’t really about who can own whom, who can do what to whom and get away with it, even as far as death. Maybe it isn’t about who can sit and who has to kneel or stand or lie down, legs spread open. Maybe it’s about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing.”
ReplyDeleteOffred is constantly trying to figure out the deeper meaning of her life and the true essence of her society. I mean she does have a lot of time to contemplate with all the sitting in her room and walking quietly. In this particular passage she is referencing that forgiveness in power. Forgiveness is the power to tell somebody what they did can be forgotten and can move forward from while you also have the power to say you may never move on and they may never be able to move on either. Offred is not concerned with those in power but those who are given the power to continue to make mistakes and commit horrible crimes simply because one forgives them. It is a warning to society to not be so forgetful of mistakes because that allows someone to forgive and allows the transgressions to keep happening again. Although this isn't the first time forgiveness is introduced into the story, we learn from snippets in her past that she was a mistress to Luke and then married him but she seems rather forgiving on the notion of fidelity.When Offred bumps into Nick in the night, illegally, she finds that she is physically attracted to him, but she says, quickly, to her husband, "'Luke, you'd know, you'd understand'" (110). In other words, Luke would forgive a transgression of this kind. Soon she adds that "It's lack of love we die from" and that there's "nobody here [she] can love" (113). So the story in part is about whether or not a person can forgive his beloved for a physical betrayal and about whether or not that betrayer can forgive herself. This all just makes me wonder if this society can be absolved--whether or not individuals, people, whole cultures can be forgiven for what they do.
“I know why there is no glass, in front of the watercolor picture of the blue irises, and why the window opens only partly and why the glass in it is shatterproof. It isn’t running away they’re afraid of. We wouldn’t get far. It’s those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge.” (Atwood 8)
ReplyDeleteThis passage introduces the topic of suicide in The Handmaid's Tale, while also illustrating the theme of confinement that is discussed throughout the book. In Gilead, each class is limited to the actions and tasks that they’re assigned to. The Handmaid's freedoms have been taken away by the authority, and they must act in absolute accordance to the role that has been given to them. The government has taken away all possibilities of escape, even by means of suicide. This shows the control and power that the government has over the Handmaids, and illustrates that they have little to no freedom to do what they wish. Because of this confinement, many contemplate suicide to end their miseries as a Handmaid, but cannot follow through because Gilead has made it almost impossible to do so. This is illustrated in the passage above, as Offred notices that the glass has been removed from a picture frame, the glass in the window is shatterproof, and that the window only opens so far. The confinement in this society is at an extreme, even taking away people’s choice of life. In Gilead, even life is mandatory.
I love your analysis of this topic because of how you went beyond to explain how confinement and control work together to invoke suicidal intent. It is a grim concept to know that as a Handmaid, one may never be able to escape the abuse - both mental and physical - even through death. The small details in this passage certainly add to the overall sense and effect(s) of totalitarian power that is present in the novel - though you phrase it much better.
Delete“There are other women with baskets, some in red, some in the dull green of the Marthas, some in the striped dresses, red and blue and green and cheap and skimpy, that mark the women of the poorer men. Econowives, they’re called. These women are not divided into functions. They have to do everything; if they can.” (Atwood 24)
ReplyDeleteThis passage illustrates the importance of color throughout the book. In The Handmaid's Tale, the color of clothing that each person wears, defines them and their role in some way. The Handmaids wear red, which represents fertility and childbirth. Their role in Gilead is to bear children for the upper class and or elite couples of the society. The color green, which the Marthas wear, can be associated with jealousy. Throughout the book, it seems as though the Marthas resent and are jealous of the Handmaids, due to the fact that the Handmaids are fertile and they are not. The Marthas' clothing being a “dull green” could represent the fact that they are infertile, as often dull colors signify the fact that something is dying. The Econowives wear striped dresses in a mix of red, green, and blue, indicating that they must fulfill the roles of the Handmaid, martha and wife.
Although not stated in the passage, the colors that the Wives and Commanders wear also have significance. The Wives wear blue, which can be associated with the Virgin Mary. This can connect to the idea of motherhood. Mary is known to be the mother in Christianity, and the Wives are given the role of motherhood in The Handmaid's Tale. Blue is also a color that has long been associated with royalty. The Wives wearing this color illustrates the high status that they have within Gilead. Along with this, black often signifies strength, authority and power. The Commanders wear black, illustrating their dominance and control over the society. The color white is also has a significance throughout the book. The daughters wear white until marriage, which symbolizes their innocence and purity. The Handmaids' wings are white as well, blocking them from view of the world. This therefore covers them in the ‘color’ of innocence.
By color coding each group, and forcing them to wear certain clothing, each person’s individuality is stripped. The clothing that they wear reveals status, but prevents them from being unique.
I agree completely with your color analysis. I hadn’t thought about how every stripe on the Econowives dress symbolizes another job they must fulfill. I agree with that, and want to add to it that while Handmaids are looked down upon, Econowives are seen as even lesser, the garbage option for only those who have no other choice. Initially I had thought that their bright, stripped dresses were to attract attention to them, to further demoralize the women who were already seen as poor and overworked. People see them and pity them, but offer them no help and no solutions. I found it very ironic that though the Econowives shared every third stripe’s faded blue color with the color of the prestigious Wives’ gowns, they hold such little power simply because of the red and green mixed in.
Delete“I am Ofglen, the woman says. Word perfect. And of course she is, the new one, and Ofglen wherever she is, is no longer Ofglen. I never did know her real name. That is how you can get lost, in a sea of names. It wouldn’t be easy to find her now.” (Atwood 283)
ReplyDeleteThis passage highlights the idea that individuality is not important in the Republic of Gilead. The government has stripped away identity, and created a society that sees the body and reproduction as more important than one’s personality. This is shown in the book, through things such as the clothes that they wear and the names that they are given. Each class is forced to wear clothing of a certain color and style. This makes it simple to know what group a person is part of, but it masks individuality. No one is allowed to dress as they choose, taking away the sense of expression that people have in current day. Along with this, the uniqueness of names have been taken away. Today, the names people have give them identity, it makes someone themselves. In Gilead, each Handmaid is named after their commander, with the prefix “of” to symbolize their belonging to that commander. By doing this, the regime is removing the Handmaids' ability to maintain a sense of self. This concept shows that each Handmaid is interchangeable and replaceable. Illustrated in the passage above, when a Handmaid changes commander, their name changes as well. When Ofglen leaves, and a new Handmaid comes, her name becomes Ofglen. This society strips identity from each Handmaid, and highlights the fact that individuality is not of importance.
I agree completely with your interpretation of the lack of individuality in Gilead. I wonder how different Gilead would be if each women kept their original name? How much would individuality be impacted? As you point out, taking away the ability to look and act different quickly strip a population of its uniqueness. But is a name truly what makes a person unique? Does a name add that much to a person? I woul say yes, like you did, because if all a person has different from the person next to them is their original name, then they still have an identity to hold onto. Getting lost in a “sea of names” with identical prefixes and no uniqueness is exactly what makes Gilead’s identity strip so real - even your own name is replaceable.
DeleteI also completely agree with your interpretation of this passage. In Gilead the Handmaids are not allowed to have a feeling of individuality or self. The are now in a society all about reproduction and are not meant to stand out in any way. I think because they don't have their original names anymore they are now all the same, and giving them the name "of" shows how they are property, and no longer themselves. If they had their original names that sense of being property wouldn't be as strongly emphasized as it was. They would still all have their own identity from their past lives, and by taking that away they now have no trace of individuality except from their past memories.
Delete“I can spend minutes, tens of minutes, running my eyes over the print: FAITH.It’s the only thing they’ve given me to read.”(57)
ReplyDeleteThe cushion that they accidentally gave Offred I found symbolized her discreet, but strong, hate towards the system. We know that even from the beginning she rebelled against it, and found ways around rules, such as talking with Moira in the bathroom behind the Aunts backs. Offred did not choose to have the Faith cushion, it was given to her. But she chose to keep quiet about it and use it as a tool to give herself a feeling of power against the system. Offred’s mother was rebellious, and Offred inherited much of that, not something that she chose, just like the cushion, but she did choose her friend Moira, who was even more rebellious then her. She also chose to break the law with the Commander, Nick, Serena Joy, and Ofglen. The Handmaids way of being rebellious is quiet, discreet, and unnoticed at first, just like the Cushion’s wording. Offred describes it as faded which is why the word faith was looked over and unnoticed by whoever gave it to her. Ofglen was discrete about her way of being rebellious as part of an undercover group trying to save the handmaides. Her passcode even went unnoticed by Offred at first, just like the word Faith. Even having faith is discrete, any rebel made sure to be quiet, and try to act without being noticed by The Eyes. Offred never looses faith in doubting the laws, she doesn't cave in, and continues to rebel throughout the entire book, just as the cushion never actually looses its wording. She also never looses faith in reminding herself of the memories of Luke and her daughter.
“I can spend minutes, tens of minutes, running my eyes over the print: FAITH.It’s the only thing they’ve given me to read.”(57)
ReplyDeleteThe cushion that they accidentally gave Offred I found symbolized her discreet, but strong, hate towards the system. We know that even from the beginning she rebelled against it, and found ways around rules, such as talking with Moira in the bathroom behind the Aunts backs. Offred did not choose to have the Faith cushion, it was given to her. But she chose to keep quiet about it and use it as a tool to give herself a feeling of power against the system. Offred’s mother was rebellious, and Offred inherited much of that, not something that she chose, just like the cushion, but she did choose her friend Moira, who was even more rebellious then her. She also chose to break the law with the Commander, Nick, Serena Joy, and Ofglen. The Handmaids way of being rebellious is quiet, discreet, and unnoticed at first, just like the Cushion’s wording. Offred describes it as faded which is why the word faith was looked over and unnoticed by whoever gave it to her. Ofglen was discrete about her way of being rebellious as part of an undercover group trying to save the handmaides. Her passcode even went unnoticed by Offred at first, just like the word Faith. Even having faith is discrete, any rebel made sure to be quiet, and try to act without being noticed by The Eyes. Offred never looses faith in doubting the laws, she doesn't cave in, and continues to rebel throughout the entire book, just as the cushion never actually looses its wording. She also never looses faith in reminding herself of the memories of Luke and her daughter.
This is a very good take on the cushion that I would have never thought of or connected back to the things you connected it back to. But now, that I have read your take on this cushion I completely agree with the symbolic outlook you chose to interpret this as. Offred keeping the pillow is completely a symbol for her being rebellious and having this urge for freedom and an urge to rebel. She always seems to be looking for things that she can get away with that are frowned upon in their society.
Delete“Behind me I feel her presence, my ancestress, my double, turning in midair under the chandelier, in her costume of stars and feathers, a bird stopped in flight, a woman made into an angel, waiting to be found. By me this time. How could I have believed I was alone in here? There were always two of us. Get it over, she says. I’m tired of this melodrama, I’m tired of keeping silent. There’s no one you can protect, your life has value to no one. I want it finished.” (293)
ReplyDeleteHandmaids are seen as objects in Gilead, and as Offred puts it, they are “a reproductive organ on legs”, a thing, not a human. Something to be used by a man. This has to be psychologically damaging, esspecally because they remember the freedom, and respect they had before. Offred and many of the other handmaids have been very near to entirely losing hope, giving up, accepting losing the fight, and ending their own life. They know that many of their own have followed through and tied a rope around their own neck, not even one of the unlucky souls caught and hanged lifeless on The Wall. That has to be sickening. Many of the women find refuge in one another, they talk, quiety of course so they are not caught. But they find someone to relate to, they are able to find comfort in one another. The handmaids have even learned how to read lips, whisper quietly, talk while they are walking side by side without giving the slightest hint they are doing so.
In this quote, Offred feels the presence of the handmaid before her as a way to comfort herself. Maybe she feels that her presence is a sign of freedom, “a woman made into an angle” someone who has set herself free. But maybe she sees her as someone who gave up “A bird stopped in flight”. Maybe she sees her as someone who lost the fight. Offred definitely sees her as someone who fought the system, Offred knows that she went to the commander every night just as she does. She knows she dressed in the same feathery costume and snuck out with him. She even chooses to see her dressed in the costume as she “turns in midair”. She sees her as someone who was rebellious until the end, she sees her as her “double”, she finds a piece of herself in her, she finds some sort of comfort in her. But does Offred see her as a symbol of freedom or defeat? Offred pictures her saying “Im tired of staying silent. There’s no one you can protect, your life has value to no one. I want it finished”. Does this bring Offred comfort in knowing she no longer needs to search for Luke or her daughter, or does it bring her a feeling of defeat that the system in too strong? Why is she just now, at the end of the book, at the end of her stay in the Offred household, finding this comfort, if that's what this is, in the past Offred?
“This item—I hesitate to use the word document—was uncurl hod on the site of what was once the city of Bangor, in what, at the time prior to the inception of the Gileadean regime,would have been the state of Maine. We know that this city was a prominent way station on what our author refers to as “The Underground Femaleroad”” (301)
ReplyDeleteI think that the authors choice to include more of a background story, and a second point of view changed the tone of the writing, and the tone that readers walk away with at the end of the book. In the “Historical Notes” section of the book, Professor Pieixoto explains more background to Gildead including more information on how the government worked, why the government was changed, and explained more of its setting. This helps the reader to understand more about the life that Offred had, and they are able to understand parts that she didn't even know about. He also informed us about the many organizations that helped save women from Gildead. We are able to infer that Gilead no longer exists and that women are no longer oppressed. By doing this, it finishes the book with a factual, but forewarning, tone on how governments can take over and completely control its citizens.
In the last chapter we are left wondering what may have happened to Offred, and hope that the black van was her escape, not her end. Professor Pieixoto gives a bit of insight on what her fate may have been, including that Nick may have double crossed her, or that she may have escaped Gilead through Maine. By telling us that the tapes she recorded were found in Bangor, this gives the reader hope that she was able to escape, but also keeps them guessing. The quote above stuck out to me because it gives the book so much more of an intense tone . Bangor is so close to home, and by including it as one of the places in the book made the events that took place there seem so much more realistic. It makes the book feel more like a warning to readers of what a powerful government can do, making the events that Offred suffered through more foreboding.
“He asks, are you happy,” says the interpreter. I can imagine it, their curiosity: Are they happy? How can they be happy? I can feel their bright black eyes on us, the way they lean a little forward to catch out answers, the women especially, but the men too: we are a secret, forbidden, we excite them. (29)
ReplyDeleteOfglen says nothing. There is a silence. But sometimes it’s just as dangerous not to speak.
“Yes, we are very happy,” I murmur. I have to say something. What else can I say?
This passage initially confused me because I did not expect to read about tourists in the middle of such a uniform place. Gilead seems so isolated from any world I know of, or of any persons outside of North America. Until this point, there was no mention of tour groups, other cultural influences, or any impact from the world on an international scale. While some moments of Offred’s flashbacks felt familiar to me as the reader, this was the only instance of her everyday life that I was able to relate to, which was also a bit confusing. I have both watched tourists with similar fascination on the beaches by my home, standing and staring at the waves and marvelling at the sand, and I have also been caught in the tourist trap while visiting places foreign to me, probably seeming just as naive and curious as this group of tourists seemed to Offred.
The last bit of this passage also reminded me of how dangerous the lives of those in Gilead are, and how there is always fear that the Eyes are watching and listening. It made me remember sections of books I’ve previously read that evoked similar fears of government surveillance; books such as ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, and ‘Rumo’ by Walter Moers. Offred’s honest musing of “What else can I say?” made me consider how scary it would be to live in a society where my comments to tourists might turn into a life or death situation, with the government accusing me of defaming them due to lack of freedom of speech.
You are a transitional generation, said Aunt Lydia. It is hardest for you. We know the sacrifices you are being expected to make […] For the ones who come after you, it will be easier. They will accept their duties with willing hearts.
ReplyDeleteShe did not say: Because they will have no memories of any other way.
She said: Because they won’t want things they can’t have. (117)
I found this passage very important to Atwood’s book as a whole because what Aunt Lydia says (and doesn’t say) hold meaning. Part of why Offred seems to struggle so much with her situation as a Handmaid is because of her knowledge of before Gilead’s takeover and her memories of the life she was ripped from. As Aunt Lydia states, Gilead is in a transitional generation. While life on Commanders may be easier as they hold all power but can also cheat the system with clubs and the black market, life for all women, regardless of status of a Wife, Martha, or Handmaid, is especially awful. Offred, for instance, suffers constantly from painful flashbacks to how her life used to be, with her own home, job, money, and true love with her husband, Luke. Gilean women have been stripped of their autonomy, even regarding what they must do with their bodies. Though Aunt Lydia initially seems to acknowledge how difficult it must be for Offred and the other Handmaids to live with past memories of freedom, she then brushes off their pain by saying future generations “won’t want things they can’t have.” While this statement is true (future generations of women won’t know anything other than the ways of their doctrination), Aunt Lydia compares having autonomy, hope, material items, and freedom of speech (among many other rights), to mere lust for objects, referring to these concepts and rights as “things.”
Your take on Aunt Lydia’s blunt, but honest rationale and how it contributes to our understanding of Offred’s experiences versus future generations’ is well-written. The comparison of autonomy and basic human rights to selfish desires is a strong clause that supports the immoral influences of the dystopia. If it hadn’t been for the flashbacks, I believe we would have felt less sympathetic for Offred, seeing as though there would be little development to build off of in the first place, so I am glad you also mentioned those.
DeleteWe play two games. Larynx, I spell. Valance. Quince. Zygote. I hold the glossy counters with their smooth edges, finger the letters. The feeling is voluptuous. This is freedom, an eyeblink of it. Limp, I spell. Gorge. What a luxury. (139)
ReplyDeleteI found this passage especially interesting to analyze. When reading it the first time around, aside from how Offred was allowed to read and spell in the Commander’s office, the only part of this passage that stuck out to me as strange was the word ‘Zygote,’ but after I went back and found formal definitions for each word that Offred spelled, I believe that Atwood picked each word to symbolize themes found in her book, and then counter them.
Larynx “a muscular and cartilaginous structure […] in which the vocal cords are located” - Loss of personal voice and expression is a reoccuring theme in Atwood’s work. Gilead strips everyone of their voice and enforces absolute conformity. Women are targeted more so due to the removal of their right to read and write. Contrary to being forcefully striped of her voice, in the Commander’s office, Offred is given the opportunity to speak her thoughts, express her knowledge, and use her education. She is free to speak and write and read.
Valance “a short curtain or piece of drapery that is hung from the frame of a bed” - Valance curtains are hung off the master bed in Serena and the Commander’s room, which Offred observed to distract herself during Ceremony nights. The rituals that take place during the Ceremony are central to The Handmaid's Tale because without Ceremony nights, there would be no need for Handmaids. Until now, Offred hasn’t been with the Commander in an intimate setting without the presence of Serena and the valance curtains. Without the valance curtains above her, Offred is alone with the Commander and not being used for her body, but being appreciated for her brain.
Quince “either of two small trees, Cydonia oblonga or C. sinensis […] bearing hard, fragrant, yellowish fruit; the fruit of such a tree” - Offred’s purpose as a Handmaid is to, metaphorically speaking, bear fruit. Inside the Commander’s office, Offred’s purpose is to challenge him at a forbidden game of Scrabble. Even as she visits more frequently, Offred is never made to do the job of a Quince tree.
Zygote “the cell produced by the union of two gametes” - Successful reproduction, and the lack of it, are major themes in Atwood’s book. The reason for Offred’s current existence is to be a vessel for children, to create life within herself, and such is the only reason for her to have spent time with the Commander, until this point. Though her purpose in Gilead is to bear children for the Wives, her purpose in the Commander’s office has nothing to do with children or reproduction.
Limp “to progress slowly and with great difficulty” - Handmaid’s lives are scheduled around the needs of the Marthas, Wives, and Commanders. Since Offred was transferred to her Commander’s house, she has been making slow advances with personal freedom, such as attempting to win Cora and Rita’s friendship. Offred limps towards more personal freedom throughout Atwood’s book. The one time in the first half of Atwood’s book where Offred is able to have any personal freedom is when she visits the Commander’s office. Though she must still watch her actions and be cautious, she is able to speak and act and live.
Gorge “a small canyon” - The feelings of being trapped and confined are happened upon again and again in Atwood’s book. Every Handmaid’s room is baby-proofed; anything that could cut, scrape, stab, impale, or wound, has been removed. They are physically confined in their suicide proof rooms, unable to act freely due to fear of the Eye’s surveillance, and trapped by the view that their only use is as an object for reproduction. Each Handmaid is trapped inside their own Gorge. Inside the Commander’s office, Offred holds power. She is free to talk and exist as herself. In the Commander’s office, Offred is able to escape the Gorge she is otherwise trapped in throughout Atwood’s book.
Wow, I hadn't thought to look into the words Atwood chose but they clearly are meaningful to the book. More surface level the words are interesting because they are uncommon. They reinforce the idea that Offred was in fact working in a library before the change happened.
DeleteTo add on to this insight, I think the word 'zygote' in this scenario may also be a reference to how she lived before the rise of Gilead, where she had a thrilling and free life, with a husband and a child that she had of her own will. Instead, she's now restricted to being a concubine for her commander, stripped of her rights and independence, and taken away from her husband and daughter at the beginning of the book when they get caught fleeing at the border. She probably yearns for when she had control of her body, when having kids was her choice.
Delete“I put my clothes on again, why am I frightened? I’ve crossed no boundaries, I’ve given no trust, taken no risk, all is safe. It’s the choice that terrifies me. A way out, a salvation.” (61)
ReplyDeleteThis passage helps to highlight the severity of Offred’s situation, while also capturing the theme of this society present throughout the book. In this society where women of Offred’s status, being fertile, are viewed both as almost godly but also as a piece of property. This passage highlights the stress that is put upon these women to bare children and the severe consequences of not fulfilling “their duty.”
In relation to the book as a whole this passage helps to sum up the views and stresses of this society and helps to add meaning to the importance of bearing children by sharing Offred’s internal thoughts. “I’ve crossed no boundaries” Offred says highlighting the recurring theme of strict rules and guidelines for the handmaid’s, “It’s the choice that terrifies me.” This quote sets the tone for the book, the tone being feelings of oppression and conformity where different is unacceptable. Throughout the novel the reader can feel Offred walking on eggshells with her decisions knowing that one small mistake could be the end for her. This passage encompasses all of these feelings of tone and theme throughout the book in one situation helping to reveal the broader sense of this dystopian society.
I found this passage noteworthy as well because of how Atwood shows the impact of stress through internal dialogue. I like and agree with how you compared the anxiety that we, as the readers, feel for Offred to her “walking on eggshells”. It’s also interesting to note how in this quote, there is a reference to Christianity (“salvation” or deliverance from sin) that relates to the want for personal freedom. The theology here, as it is inferred to have been twisted by the government, makes this statement verbally ironic. It’s so fascinating to see how that develops the nature of this dystopian society.
DeleteWhen I initially read this passage I thought that the most important part was the notion of the choice being frightening. While I agree that it does show the severity of the condition of society, I also believe that it is supposed to give the reader a glimpse into how such traumatic differences in life can change a persons mind. I know for myself at least, not having a choice about something scares me, while having a choice makes me feel more at ease. When Offred says that the choice of something else scares her, I thought to myself that that was shocking. The hope of some other way of life would give me comfort in a world such as the one in this book, not frighten me. I thought it was interresting that the possibility of a better life, but the fact that it was against the rules frightened Offred rather than enthralled her. (-Amy Pollack)
Delete“I look at the one red smile. The red of the smile is the same as the red of the tulips in Serena Joy’s garden, towards the base of the flowers where they are beginning to heal. The red is the same but there is no connection. The tulips are not tulips of blood, the red smiles are not flowers, neither thing makes a comment on the other. The tulip is not the reason for disbelief in the hanged man, or vice versa. Each thing is valid and really there. It is through a field of such valid objects that I must pick my way, every day and in every way. I put a lot of effort into making such distinction. I need to make them. I need to be very clear, in my own mind.” (33)
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, we see the colour red as a symbol with various points of significance. The passage above describes red as life (or a lack thereof), contrasting flowers to the victims’ ill-fated ‘smiles’. By addressing the contradiction in both of these meanings, Atwood emphasises the grim reality of Gilean power and control. This sense of overbearing pressure is inescapable in the smallest reminders and with that being said, Offred’s thought processing is tainted, so to speak. She is anchored by unobscured truth that can be found in her memories and though she is “putting effort in [her] distinction” between “valid objects” and what is dramatised in a way, the text cited reveals how deeply she fears being unclear in her sanity.
I think that the symbolism with red connecting back to life is very true and thoughtful, however when Offred connected the color red back to the color of flowers I think she was trying to get at something deeper. Flowers are generally a common known symbol in everyday life that we live, representing happiness, and life. However, the red from the smiles being the same color is meant to be represented as death, destruction, and sadness. I think that the author is trying to show that two things that have similarities can be completely different, which could also be trying to imply that the handmaids past lives are dead to them, just like the people with the same red smiles are dead. The color that was once associated with flowers and life is now associated with death, and that shows how different their past and present lives are.
DeleteYour insight at the end is so thoughtful! I agree that, especially near the beginning of the book, Offred holds tight to her sanity, guarding her conscious from dark thoughts or madness that might endanger her. Her reality of this dystopia is one so bleak that she appears to struggle to believe it at times, instead forging morbid connections between a flower and a dead man's grin. She fears the reality she may face if she becomes unclear of her sanity in a world where little makes sense.
Delete“We line up to get processed through the checkpoint, standing in our twos and twos and twos, like a private girls’ school that went for a walk and stayed out too long. Years and years too long, so that everything has become overgrown, legs, bodies, dresses all together. As if enchanted. A fairy tale, I’d like to believe. Instead we are checked through, in our twos, and continue walking.” (213)
ReplyDeleteThe juxtaposition shown here creates startling imagery due to its allusion to an innocent school girl activity. The diction used (“Years and years too long”; “overgrown”; “as if enchanted”) adds conviction to the theme of power and control. “Enchantment” is oftentimes used to describe a group or individual having dominance over another. Atwood also mentions how the word connotes fantasy in which a school girl may indulge in on her own volition. In Gilead, Handmaids are evidently not allowed the freedom to be reminded of what their childhoods may have entailed, thus prompting a sense of pathos because of how restricted they have come to be. Human nature yearns for individualism so to see the way in which Atwood compares the proceedings, it may be difficult to imagine undergoing such a loss.
"Careless. I was careless, in those rooms. I could lift the telephone and food would appear on a tray, food I had chosen. Food that was bad for me, no doubt, and drink too. There were Bibles in the dresser drawers, put there by some charitable society, though probably no one read them very much. There were postcards, too, with pictures of the hotel on them, and you could write on the postcards and send them to anyone you wanted. It seems like such an impossible thing, now; like something you'd make up." (p.51)
ReplyDeleteThis passage makes me think about all the things we really do have in life and how terrible and hard it would be for all of us if we ended up in a situation such as one in "The Handmaid's Tail". As I read all the things Offred described and how different her life was now after everything had changed and before when she was living her normal life with Luke and her daughter it got me thinking how hard it really would be.
This passage in particular stood out to me because it describes her missing such a simple thing as writing a postcard to whoever you wanted, or staying in a hotel. This passage has a lot more power in it because she started by stating the fact that she was so careless in her past life. This shows the readers really how much we are missing or how much we don't think about in life. If we were all to be put in this situation then it'd be interesting to see the things that we would think about and look back on, and think, wow I wish I wasn't so careless towards that. I couldn't imagine being in the situation Offred was put in and having to adapt like she did. I feel like I would be taking it a lot harder than she is.
In conclusion This passage and this book in general really made me realize how many things we probably take for granted in our everyday lives, and evokes some pathos making me feel kind of bad that Offred and all the other handmaids have been put in this situation, just living with all their memories of their past lives, thinking of all the things they were carless about, and took for granted.
I think you are absolutely correct about the power of this passage. This passage is meant to get the reader thinking. I think there was more than one goal of this passage as well. The author not only wanted the reader to realize theoretically how much we take for granted, but perhaps to look up and glance around the room. She names specific items and luxuries in this passage that perhaps could be sitting in the same room as the reader, such as a book, the bible, and a dresser. These are all things that are not available to the people in this society, and I believe the author is trying to make a point for the reader to look around at their surroundings and appreciate them. (-Amy Pollack)
Delete“I’m sorry there is so much pain in this story. I’m sorry it’s in fragments, like a body caught in crossfire or pulled apart by force. But there is nothing I can do to change it. I’ve tried to put some of the good things in as well. Flowers, for instance, because where would we be without them?” (267)
ReplyDeleteRepetition serves to add emphasis to a point and the example above is no exception. We are drawn to Offred’s apologetic phrases where she speaks directly to the audience, diction invoking pathos. Her description of the story being “in fragments”, comparing it to a “body caught in crossfire” creates powerful imagery that helps us connect more with the text. Everything that has happened to lead up to this moment is told in a way that forms deep concepts we, as readers, may benefit from considering. Should society’s ability to function be permitted to subjugate the rights of their people? The passage above reveals just how the decisions of a regime impacts those oppressed by it. Fertility is seen as the issue, but according to the Bible, it only stems from the female and never the male, thus creating a strong, yet unjust, system. In order to truly resolve this problem of a low birth rate, Gilead would need to look into a more scientific approach. I am confident to say that the leaders of this dystopia hold religious values over granting fair autonomy to women because of their utilitarian views and courses of action.
"The Commander has a room key. He got it from the front desk, while I waited on the flowered sofa. He shows it to me, slyly. I am to understand. We ascend in the glass half egg of the elevator, past the vine-draped balconies. I am to understand also that I am on display." p.251
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me because it shows how women are always viewed as property in Gilead. In this scene, Offred left the house at night with the Commander, which is a freedom that most of the other handmaids do not experience. But even when she is "free", she is still treated as property.
Atwood repeats the phrase "I am to understand" twice in this passage, which stands out to me. The first time she writes this, it is to show how Offred does not want to go to the room with the Commander, but understands that she does not have the freedom to make that choice. When this phrase repeats, it is to show that Offred knows that she is being "put on display". I think Atwood included this repetition to show that even when Offred, or any woman, is not dressed as a handmaid or doing the work of a handmaid, they are still treated as a man's property. By adding "I am to understand" twice in this passage, Atwood shows the audience that Offred is very aware of her lack of freedom, and knows that she is only experiencing the illusion of freedom.
"I went back to Nick. Time after time, on my own, without Serena knowing. It wasn't called for, there was no excuse. I did not do it for him, but for myself entirely. I didn't even think of it as giving myself to him, because what did I have to give? I did not feel munificent, but thankful, each time he would let me in. He didn't have to. In order to do this I became reckless, I took stupid chances." p.268
ReplyDeleteI saw this passage as Atwood's way of showing Offred's character growth. Throughout the book up until this point, Offred imagines rebelling and thinks about her rebellious friend, Moira, but Offred never steps out of line. Even when Offred was visiting the Commander, she only broke the rules because the Commander was pressuring her to. Until this point in the novel, Offred knows that she only has the illusion of freedom, but she just accepts it. When Offred begins to see Nick, she seems like she is grasping for real freedom. This passage stands out to me because this seems like the first time in the novel that Offred is acting like an actual human instead of a piece of property.
I totally agree with you on how this moment marks a change in Offred. However, instead of a bid for freedom, this felt more like a settlement—as if she was giving in to her situation and making peace with the terrible society. It is around this time that she stops speaking about Mayday, and again, she seems resolved to her fate, simply taking what she can instead of striving for more.
Delete"We line up to get processed through the checkpoint, standing in our twos and twos and twos, like a private girl's school that went out for a walk and stayed out too long. Years and years too long, so that everything has become overgrown, legs, bodies, dresses all together. As is enchanted. A fairy tails, I'd like to believe. Instead we are checked through, in our twos, and continue walking." p.213
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor comparing the handmaids to schoolgirls stands out to me because I feel like it represents the theme of having their freedom taken away. In Offred's mind, she views the checkpoints and lack of freedom as similar to how adults treat children. Atwood also used plenty of imagery in this excerpt by describing how the "schoolgirls" have grown into women. I think Atwood described their physical growth so she could create a contrast between the physical growth of the women and their severe lack of power and freedom. The word "two" also repeats throughout this passage, which I interpreted as Atwood's way of showing that there are many women along with Offred that are experiencing this lack of freedom. I think the overall purpose of this passage was to show that Offred struggles with adjusting to her life as a handmaid and many women are going through the same struggles.
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ReplyDelete“Does he know I’m here, alive, that I’m thinking about him? I have to believe so. In reduced circumstances you have to believe all kinds of things. I believe in thought transference now, vibrations in the ether, that sort of junk. I never used to.” (Atwood 105)
ReplyDeleteThis passage reflects one of the many ways in which the Republic of Gilead has changed Offred. She has faith now that she didn’t used to have, mostly because she didn’t need it to get through her old life. She never had to wonder if Luke knew that she was alive and thinking about him. At this point, though, she needs to believe in these things that she never used to just to get through the day. The Republic of Gilead is an awful place responsible for taking Luke away from her, but at least she’s cultivated some kind of trust that he’s okay and knows that she’s okay. Without that trust, who knows what state of mind she would be in? Without that belief in “that sort of junk,” it’s quite possible that she wouldn’t have lasted in this dystopian world as long as she has.
I agree with you and I also believe that this hope provides a reason to live for Offred. I think this sliver of hope is something very important to Offred and also to the story. It gives the reader something to think about as well, perhaps wondering how they would react to such trauma as Offred has experienced, and what they might be holding onto to keep themselves going. (-Amy pollack)
Delete“Last night he had a drink, Scotch and water. He’s taken to drinking in my presence, to unwind after the day, he says. I’m to gather he is under pressure.” (Atwood 209)
ReplyDeleteIt seems that in this passage, Offred almost feels bad for the Commander. I don’t think he really likes how the Republic of Gilead turned out either, so he probably feels responsible for not doing more to make it a better place. I can only assume that that’s a big part of the reason why he’s been treating Offred like he does instead of treating her like society expects him to. He has a large amount of control over Offred, so he’s treating her as well as he can without getting in trouble with the people who have control over him. I would think that being in his position, though it may not be as bad as being a Handmaid, would be pretty stressful. If he knows that what’s going on in Gilead is bad, yet he has to keep participating in making it worse for others, he’s probably feeling pretty awful himself. I know that if I were in his situation, I would be under a lot of pressure, too, and it seems to me like Offred recognizes that.
I agree that the Commander harbors a lot of sympathy, pity, and guilt for Offred's situation. However, his actions appear to be made in his interests, generally, with a vague belief that he is helping Offred and a complete underestimation for the pain she and so many others go through. I think that while he does have some sympathy, he is still blinded by his own needs and wishes.
Delete“So she’s dead, and I am safe, after all. She did it before they came. I feel a great relief. I feel thankful to her. She has died that I may live. I will mourn later.” (Atwood 286)
ReplyDeleteI feel like Offred comes off as selfish in this passage. First of all, she says she feels a great relief. That’s not something people usually feel when they find out their friend has just killed themself. I understand that she’s relieved Ofglen won’t be able to say anything that could lead her to the same fate, but still, that shouldn’t be her first reaction. Secondly, it seems like she’s making Ofglen’s death about her when she says, “She has died that I may live.” Offred wasn’t the only one who could have gotten in trouble if Ofglen had talked, so Ofglen didn’t simply sacrifice herself for Offred. Offred also says that she’ll mourn later, which surprised me because I would think that she wouldn’t be able to suppress her mourning until later if she really cared about Ofglen. Overall, it seems to me like in this moment, she cares more about herself than Ofglen, which I view as kind of selfish.
"Moira is smoking a cigarette. She takes a drag, passes it to the woman to her left, who's in red spangles with a long pointed tail attached, and silver horns; a devil outfit. Now she has her arms folded across her front, under her wired up breasts. She stands on one foot, then the other, her feet must hurt; her spine sags slightly. She gazes off without interest or speculation around the room. This must be familiar scenery." (p. 239)
ReplyDeleteThis whole section of the book was a little confusing to me. I understand how Offred got there and the general idea of the club like situation. However, there seems to be a lot of women there and there was little to no explanation on how they all got there. I wonder if they were all shown this place after being trapped in a place similar to Gilead, and an inside source such as the Commander is to Offred showed all these women this place. It is just interesting to me that there is this secret club like society with all these women dressed in strange outfits, and the book didn't really explain how they all found out about it, or got there.
"As I'm standing up I hear the black van. I hear it before I see it; blended with the twilight, it appears out of its own sound like a solidification, a clotting of the night. It turns into the driveway, stops. I can just make out the white eyes, the two wings. The paint must be phosphorescent. Two men detach themselves from the shape of it, come up the front steps, ring the bell. I hear the bell toll, ding-dong, like the ghost of a cosmetics woman, down the hall. Worst is coming, then." (p.293)
ReplyDeleteI see this section as very symbolic. Offred connects the van and the men back to many things of her past life, such as cosmetic women and owls. I think this might be foreshadowing that she may get that life again. The men are here to take her, and she doesn't know where she's going, however, later the chapter she states "whether this my end or my new beginning I have no way of knowing", So I think that this prior section that I quoted, where Offred mentions a lot of things that remind her of her life before Gilead, that it means she may be getting out of Gilead, or she may go back to something similar to her previous life. Although, it doesn't come out directly to say that, I just feel like this part of the book has a lot of hidden symbols and comparisons that may be trying to hint at the readers about what might happen to her.
“I rub the butter over my face, work it into the skin of my hands. There’s no longer any hand lotion or face cream, not for us. Such things are considered vanities… The butter is a truck I learned at the Rachel and Leah Center… We all do it. As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will someday get out…”
ReplyDeleteSmall luxuries, or attempts at them, are used as a survival strategy by many of the women seen in the book, and some of the men as well. They serve as reminders of the past. Offred uses butter as a substitute for moisturizer, which she used to have but isn’t allowed.
We also see this with Serena Joy, who smokes, and gives Offred a cigarette (a reminder of the cigarettes Offred used to smoke, in the old world with Moira and on her own.) Even the Commander takes Offred to the club, where there’s access to cigarettes and alcohol, and women dress in the revealing clothing that’s left. The use of little illicit luxuries is also a demonstration of how little many people believe in Gilead, even people as powerful as the Commander.
The luxuries also serve to grant the women in particular a sense of self, in a world where everything about them is depersonalized and controlled by the government, and it's clear the Handmaids in particular are considered interchangeable and disposable. Serena Joy uses Lily of the Valley perfume, and Offred attempts to steal a dried daffodil to keep in her room.
“The van waits in the driveway, its double doors stand open. The two of them, one on either side now, take me by the elbows to help me in. Whether this is my end or a new beginning I have no way of knowing: I have given myself over into the hands of strangers, because it can’t be helped.
ReplyDelete“And so I step up, into the darkness within; or else the light.”
One of the key differences I’ve noticed between “young adult” and “grown up”/“English class” dystopian books is the effect on society that the protagonist has. In the “adult” dystopian books we often classify as “literature” and read in high school English class (Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale, etc.) the protagonist lacks control of their story and seems to almost always end in tragic or uncertain circumstances (Brave New World ends with suicide, Fahrenheit 451 ends with the bombing of a city if I remember correctly, and The Handmaid’s Tale ends with Offred being picked up by people who may or may not be out to help her,) and the society is still left standing.
This is interesting when compared to the more “pop culture” dystopian books that are part of the young adult market and were popular in middle school, (The Hunger Games, Divergent, Uglies, Matched,) which often follow a “normal person in a screwed up society rises to challenge said society” story, end with the dystopian society being overthrown, and usually the protagonist survives (I believe the Divergent trilogy was the one exception to the surviving-protagonist rule, but I also read those books in seventh grade so other books might kill their protagonists too.) There seems to be a conflict between the two, over despair vs hope, defeat vs agency. Maybe it's that adults are expected to be more jaded readers while consumers of YA books are typically younger and assumed to be interested in less bleak outlooks. The “English class” books are also typically older, so it may be influenced by the era in which the books were written, as well as their intended audiences.
“But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger.
ReplyDelete“Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison.
“Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us.
“She did. She did. She did.
“Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen?
“Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.”
Gilead as a whole is oppressive of women as a class of people, but Atwood makes it very clear that women are willing to wield their limited power against each other. The Aunts with their control over the Handmaids even while not allowed to read, and the Wives like Serena Joy, who use their power over the Marthas and Handmaids in their households - women accepting their lot and actively supporting the regime as long as they are allowed more power by men in order to strip power from other women. It’s a very bleak position on humanity, but reflected in history. Some people who are oppressed are willing to work against people like themselves in order to be granted power and privilege by their oppressors - Jewish police in Nazi ghettoes, the Red Guard during the Chinese Cultural Revolution attacking intellectuals and people who disagreed with Mao’s reign even while having their own expression and freedoms stifled by the government, etc. Oppressive groups and governments have figured out that there are always people willing to “sell out” and are happy to utilize them.
"Rita clamped her lips together. I am like a child here, there are some things I must not be told. What you don't know wont hurt you, was all she would say." (p 53)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this passage for the first time I was very conflicted. I could not figure out how to feel about Rita's response. I understand it is supposed to be protective towards Offred, but I couldnt help but be slightly put off by the response. I put myself into Offred's shoes while reading this, and tried to imagine how I would feel if someone told me what Offred was told. I realized that my response would be greatly different in the society I currently live in, versus the one from this book. My first instinct was that if I were told this, I would be angry. I am not a child and I am old enough to know. Then I took into account the situational differences and realized, perhaps Offred is greatful for not recieving an answer. Even though Offred calls herself a child here, this may not be a bad thing. Yes, children are often percieved as naive and a nuisance, but they are also usually protected. Children always have someone with them to ensure their safety, and perhaps that is what Offred is referring to here. Not only is she considered Naive by the household, but she is also something precious that must be protected, similar to a child. (-Amy Pollack)
"The Commander stops, gets into the car, disappears, and Nick shuts the door. A moment later the car moves backward, down the driveway and onto the street, and vanishes behind the hedge. I ought to feel hatred towards this man. I know I ought to feel it, but it isn't what I do feel. What I feel is more complicated than that. I don't know what to call it. It isn't love." (P 58)
ReplyDeleteThis passage caught my attention immediately once I read it. I stopped reading for a moment and tried to figure out what this feeling could possibly be. I was never able to come to a solid conclusion about this emotion Offred describes having towards the Commander. My best guess was a mixture of distaste, understanding, and most of all envy. I believe Offred feels distaste because of the role she plays in his life, a simple breeding machine and nothing more. I believe the understanding may come from the state of society. I believe Offred understands that everyone has a role, and this is the commander's role. What I think may be the strongest emotion in this passage however is the envy. Though I dont believe Offred recognizes it, I believe she may envy the priveleges the Commander has in his role of society. She wants to be as free as he, and be able to go in the car, and live as a person rather than a walking womb. I believe she refuses to accept this emotion though, and that is why she cannot identify it. I still am likely missing some other emotions that are mixed into this feeling, but to the best of my ability, this is what I believe Offred to be feeling, I know its likely how I would react as well. (-Amy Pollack)
I agree with your interpretations about her feelings toward the Commander, I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to live a life like that after experiencing freedom before the installation of the theocratic state of Gilead, but I've no doubt that Offred would feel envious of the Commander who still has all the rights she had stripped from her. Watching him freely drive away when she was only permitted to go out for shopping must be so painful. I think that she might feel rather depressed at this aspect too. It's no wonder so many women who were forced to become 'handmaids' tried to flee the country/commit suicide.
Delete"Eight, she must be now. I've filled in the time I lost. I know how much there's been. They were right, It's easier to think of her as dead. I don't have to hope then, or make a wasted effort." (p 64)
ReplyDeleteThis passage is overflowing with Pathos. Offred is talking about her daughter, who she lost when the society changed into what it is when the novel takes place. I believe this passage is so strong with pathos because the author wants the reader to really feel something, and take a step back into their own lives to appreciate people. By Offred thinking about her daughter, who she doesn't know if she's dead or alive, causes the reader not only to feel sympathy towards Offred, but also perhaps put themselves into her shoes. It forces the reader to think about how they would react to this happening, and to appreciate the people they have. This passage also shows readers that sometimes we lose people way too soon. Even if they are not dead, losing a person can be one of the worst pains, and the author wants the reader to feel something here. This emotion not only forces the reader to take a step back, but also keeps them involved with the story. It makes them want to keep reading, while also helping to better understand the value of a person. (-Amy Pollack)
"When I'm naked I lie down on the examining table, on the sheet of chilly crackling disposable paper. I pull the second sheet, the cloth one, up over my body. At neck level there's another sheet, suspended from the ceiling. It intersects me so the doctor will never see my face. He deals with a torso only." (pg60)
ReplyDeleteIn this passage, I see the protagonist's struggle with her identity following the separation from her family, after she's stripped from her rights and name, practically converted from a human to an object. Offred's body and mind are divided by a sheet, separating her physical body, now used only for reproductive purposes, from her intellectual self where she feels she's losing her identity. She's seen as valuable only for her body (and treated as such), something that is a separate entity from her mind, and here, that separation is literal.
"We are fascinated, but also repelled. They seem undressed. It has taken so little time to change our minds, about things like this. Then I think: I used to dress like that. That was freedom." (pg28)
ReplyDeleteIn this passage Offred is, yet again, reminded of the freedoms she has lost. She's confronted with a group of Japanese tourists and remembers that she didn't always dress like a handmaid, that she was her own person before the rise of Gilead, and the way she "used to dress" represented that—it wasn't solely about personal style but it also represented the freedom she once had, able to wake up in the morning and decide her outfit. Being forced to wear the Handmaid's outfit represents all the control over her body that she's lost, and how quickly she's been assimilated into the mass of similarly-dressing women known as Handmaids.
"Moira had power now, she'd been set loose, she'd set herself loose. She was now a loose woman. I think we found this frightening. Moira was like an elevator with open sides. She made us dizzy. Already we were losing the taste for freedom, already we were finding these walls secure." (pg133)
ReplyDeleteI think this passage shows how successful the Center is at brainwashing women, teaching them to believe in the theocratic laws and ideals of Gilead. It didn't take very long for the Handmaids to stop believing in freedom, as if it had never existed, instead finding security in how their lives are dictated by another. Before, Moira would have been seen as a motivating force for the Handmaids to try and rebel, or escape from the nightmare they're stuck in, but now they are already retreating from their old notions of independence and equality. In a way, I can see parallels between this story and The Scarlet Letter—in both stories the society is conditioned into following 'traditions' that are oppressive, and those who think about their restrictive ideals are too scared about being dragged out of their comfort zone and ridiculed to speak out against it. Except, in the Handmaid's tale, the society is modern and fictitious.
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ReplyDelete