Topic C
Atwood's dystopian vision is fairly believable as it is still in the "transition" phase from the old free America, to this new society. Offred's constant flashbacks to how free her life used to be makes her very relatable to the reader and makes it seem as if this could happen to them as well. Had the book been set farther in the future of this society where no one remembered the past, the reader would not be able to connect the book to their daily lives, thus making it less believable that this could happen to them.
As far as hope goes, Atwood provides the Mayday resistance. The resistance actively fights the new government and assists the handmaids in escaping if necessary. The ambiguous ending suggests that the protagonist has been helped by the resistance, but it is not for sure. Through this resistance, Atwood conveys that no matter how bas the situation gets, there will always be people fighting to return to at least a normal state.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Handmaid's Tale Journal #2
Topic B
When the society began, Offred's child and husband are taken away from her and she must become a handmaid of the Commander. Once a month she must have sex with him in hopes of getting pregnant and having a child that will be given to his wife. She is only valued for her ovaries, and if she is found to be sterile she is declared "unwoman" and sent away for hard labor. She is required to wear concealing dresses and hat that cover her face. She has basically no freedom, and there are spies constantly watching for those that are not true believers in the new society. The Wife of the Commander hates Offred and takes away some basic needs such as hand lotion. Again, she is only valued for her possible ability to bear children so the outside of her is not cared for. The suicide rate of handmaids is so high she cannot have a razor to shave or anything in her room (like a chandelier) that she could hang herself from. She is not allowed to read or write.
She can only rebel in small ways, or risk death. To take care of her skin she rubs small amounts of butter onto her hands and face. The Commander also invites her to play scrabble with him, which she cannot deny. Not only is playing this word game punishable by death, so is being alone with the commander. He also secretly loans her books and magazines to read. So she can rebel in small ways, but nothing society changing (yet). I'm 2/3 of the way through the book and I have yet to see any larger rebellions or any results from the smaller rebellions.
When the society began, Offred's child and husband are taken away from her and she must become a handmaid of the Commander. Once a month she must have sex with him in hopes of getting pregnant and having a child that will be given to his wife. She is only valued for her ovaries, and if she is found to be sterile she is declared "unwoman" and sent away for hard labor. She is required to wear concealing dresses and hat that cover her face. She has basically no freedom, and there are spies constantly watching for those that are not true believers in the new society. The Wife of the Commander hates Offred and takes away some basic needs such as hand lotion. Again, she is only valued for her possible ability to bear children so the outside of her is not cared for. The suicide rate of handmaids is so high she cannot have a razor to shave or anything in her room (like a chandelier) that she could hang herself from. She is not allowed to read or write.
She can only rebel in small ways, or risk death. To take care of her skin she rubs small amounts of butter onto her hands and face. The Commander also invites her to play scrabble with him, which she cannot deny. Not only is playing this word game punishable by death, so is being alone with the commander. He also secretly loans her books and magazines to read. So she can rebel in small ways, but nothing society changing (yet). I'm 2/3 of the way through the book and I have yet to see any larger rebellions or any results from the smaller rebellions.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Handmaid's Tale Journal #1
Topic A
"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. We are containers, it's only the insides of our bodies that are important. The outside can become hare and wrinkled, for all they care, like the shell of a nut. This was a decree of the Wives, this absence of hand lotion. They don't want us to look attractive. For them, things are bad enough as it is.
[...]
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." (96-97)
"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. We are containers, it's only the insides of our bodies that are important. The outside can become hare and wrinkled, for all they care, like the shell of a nut. This was a decree of the Wives, this absence of hand lotion. They don't want us to look attractive. For them, things are bad enough as it is.
[...]
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." (96-97)
First off, the fact that the handmaids are considered "containers" demonstrates the society’s dehumanization of women. They are valued for their ability to have children and nothing more. The handmaids are often praised for their important role to society, but they are deprived of basic comforts. Again, they are prized solely for their wombs. Also, while the Wives do not control of much in their lives, they can control the handmaids to some extent and seem to make it their mission to make the lives of the handmaids as miserable as possible. Controlling the handmaids is the Wives’ only source of power in their personal lives, besides their gardens. The Wives further the dehumanization of handmaids by deciding they are not worthy of simple things (such as lotion). As the society is fairly new and Offred still remembers her life of freedom, she defies the Wives control in small way (like the buttering). This is Offred’s small way of controlling her life when the entire society dictates her every move. This simple buttering of skin is also a small way of rebelling as it expresses the hope that one day the society will collapse and normal life will resume. This shows that while the handmaids act submissive, they are rebellious and striving toward a better life.
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