Rationale: The Handmaid's Blog

Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams into ashes.Never shall I forget these things, even were I condemned to live as long as God himself.

Offred, since she was Luke’s second marriage, is chosen to be a Handmaid when they are captured from trying to escape. Her daughter is given to another family and Luke’s destiny is a mystery, but Offred is sent to the Red Center. The Red Center is the place where the Aunts train the new Handmaids on proper etiquette. The whole idea of the Red Center is to “shape thought” (Thomas 92). During the Testifying, Janine talks about her experience of being gang-raped when she was fourteen. Aunt Helena then responds with the simple yet contradictory question of “But whose fault was it?” (Atwood 72). The women are taught to believe that it is never a man’s fault for something awful happening “because in biblical times they are considered as transgressors” (Mouda 3). The older women, the Aunts, have even changed their way of thinking to conform to the new standards. The Handmaids answer Aunt Helena’s question with “Her fault, her fault, her fault” chanting in unison (Atwood 72). Offred realizes that becoming a Handmaid is better than death, but is it really? While at the Red Center, they are instructed on what exactly it means to be a Handmaid and what their purpose is. They are to bear children, nothing else. They “are made to believe that they are unholy and unclean if they don’t serve the purpose of their creation” (Mouda 3).

Even though the women who can bear children are “cherished”, the babies are not which can be seen when babies are referred to as “shredders” and “unbabies.” Furthermore, it is interesting that the babies are not “cherished”, but the women who can bear children are because it is illegal to have an abortion and can lead to the doctor being killed who performed it. If the handmaids do not get pregnant within three months then they move down in the hierarchy. It is argued who has it worst in the society, however they all share something in common, being oppressed. The handmaids are not allowed to read, go out into public on their own and even have access to everyday things such as lotion. It is seen as vain and people say, “who are they trying to impress?” when they use such items. Offred steals butter to use as a substitute for lotion because she does not have access to it. Lastly, their names perfectly symbolize their oppression: Offred is Fred’s handmaid; she is “of Fred.” Everyday liberties people take for granted and this dystopia shows what it would be like to live under these harsh laws that can lead to execution.

I noticed that the Handmaids exclusively wear red this reminded me of the book The Scarlet Letter because in the book the protagonist is forced to wear a red “A”. She is forced to wear a scarlet A because she had an affair, they did this to publicly humiliate her. The Handmaids are not necessarily being ostracized but they do commit adultery because the commanders are married. Offred is isolated, she eats alone can not see her family and the only people she regularly talks to are the marthas and Ofglen.

Oppression is a major fret in the contemporary world. Alluding to Ronald Raegan 's policy of supporting the oppressive apartheid in South Africa, Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale, conveys a society where oppression is accepted through forced collaboration and a fear of consequences if not followed. Offred 's internalised oppression is evident when she describes that the Handmaids are treated as 'two-legged wombs, that 's all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices '. This is a metaphor manifesting how the Handmaids come to accept that their purpose is to produce children and showing Offred 's personal oppression and her willingness to comply with the regime. Gillead also manipulates the Bible as a power tool to encourage the citizens to remain content with the theocratic nature of society. This is obvious

In Chapter 5, Offred and Ofglen, 2 Handmaids, can be seen leaving the residence to go shopping. Despite the fact that it is unknown where males are or their state in this society, aside from the guards, Handmaids appear to be the only normal people who can live considerably comfortable, even though they are greatly objectified. Handmaids are guarded whenever they leave the residence and are provided their necessities. Offred has multiple instances where she reminisces about her time with Luke and her daughter, but does not seem to be too emotional about it. It appears as though she remembers the feelings she had, but due to something these emotional feelings have been greatly suppressed. The Aunts in the novel are present to instill the ideals of their society to the Handmaids constantly. The Handmaid’s freedom of thinking of what is considered right and wrong immorally is greatly disturbed by the

"The trouble is I can't be, with him, any different than I usually am with him. Usually I am inert. Surely there must be something for us, other than this futility and bathos" (chapter 39). Offred and Nick begin to meet up behind Serena Joy’s back so many times that she begins to believe that there honestly could be something between them. She slowly realizes that, that the arrangement cannot last but decides to just go along to continue with her rendezvous with Nick for real human attention.

The handmaids are brainwashed to follow the rules, dress how the Gilead Society wants them to, and have no individuality. Offred thinks of herself in a very basic way saying, “i am thirty-three years old. I have brown hair. I stand five seven without shoes. I have trouble remembering what I used to look like. I have viable ovaries. I have one more chance” (143). The way that she visualizes herself proposes curiosity, which Gilead sees as unacceptable. She studies her body to try and comprehend what it was like in her past life and how she got to where she is today. She lives every day following the same routine and questioning her existence. Offred craves to feel rebellious and free again because where she knows that this new society is a

The world is slowly dying, and babies do not come easy. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, the author Margaret Atwood depicts a future where a majority of women are infertile. For the ones that can convince children become handmaids. They become owned by the men they try to convince with. It so difficult to have children because the world is polluted with toxins.

While she is looking out her window, she sees a figure emerge from the shadows. Once he appears, Offred can see that the figure is Nick. The two look at each other and though no words are exchanged, they can both feel what each other is saying. Offred recognizes that there is a lust between the two of them and she struggles with the guilt she feels with lusting for Nick. She talks about how Nick is not exchangeable for Luke, her past husband, and then she remembers this quote that Moira once said to her during their old lives.

She yearned for freedom so greatly, that she resorted to using tried methods of escape; “I’ll fake sick. They send an ambulance, I’ve seen it” (Atwood 89). Through this decision, Moira gave up her defiance to the status quo by attempting to follow the example set by others before her. Eventually, Moira loses the will to apply her wit to any more escape attempts to desert the totalitarian system, especially after so much tragedy and hardship resulting from her time at the Red Center and her failed escape attempt. When Offred met her for the final time, Moira was a prostitute at a club called Jezebel’s, seeming less like the spirited best friend, and more like a mellow and tired stranger.

Imagine a country where choice is not a choice.  One is labeled by their age and economical status.  The deep red cloaks, the blue embroidered dresses, and the pinstriped attire are all uniforms to define a person's standing in society.  To be judged, not by beauty or personality or talents, but by the ability to procreate instead. To not believe in the Puritan religion is certain death.  To read or write is to die.  This definition is found to be true in the book, The Handmaid's Tale (1986) by Margaret Atwood.  It is a heartbreaking story of one young woman and her transformation into the Gilead society, the society described above. In the book, we meet Offred, the narrator of the story.  This

Each individual has a class, or rank, to which he or she has a place. These classes are recognized by hues, and individuals in the gathering must wear attire of that shading. A man's class and delegate shading (blue for immaculateness, red for sexuality) are viewed as more essential than the individual's name or uniqueness. The Handmaid's, not at all like different classes, are totally stripped of their names. The Handmaids are renamed with the prefix Of-consolidated with their Commanders' initially names to demonstrate proprietorship—in this manner, the Handmaid of Glen is named Ofglen, while the Handmaid ofFred moves toward becoming Offred.

I lost Kari on September 2, 2014. She was absent from anatomy that morning and I remember wondering where she was. Minutes passed and the entire school grew silent as we heard the news on the intercom. Nothing would ever prepare me for what was about to happen. Everything changed and what seemed like a heartbeat. Kari will be forever in my heart and on my mind.

The Handmaid's Tale was well received, but evaluations of the possible reality of its bleak dystopian future where a totalitarian government reduces its citizen to social roles and biological functions were more mixed. A New York Times book review condescendingly suggested that a Gilead-like society was unlikely to develop, but the novel raised awareness of the women's issues that the novel addresses has increased worldwide, the novel's resonance has grown.