The Handmaids Tale Essay Example

The Handmaids Tale Essay In her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margret Atwood uses symbolism to illustrate the handmaid’s role in the society of Gilead. The handmaids are the women who had broken law of Gilead, and were forced into the role of a surrogate mother for a higher ranking couple. The handmaids had no rights or free will. They were under constant surveillance and this caused them to be very cautious. The author characterizes most handmaids as a tentative and distrustful, which is perhaps why Offred never puts in words the magnitude of her discontent with her new life, because it’s possible she doesn’t truly trust the reader. The author uses symbols such as the handmaid’s dress-code, a pigs ball, and even the handmaids names to give the reader a sense of the handmaid’s imprisonment. The handmaid’s dress-code was a very strict one; it was a dress-code that symbolized their one, sole duty; to bear a child. The handmaids were only needed for their reproductive services, so their dresses were red, to indicate their fertility. As Offred is dressing she describes her uniform; â€Å"Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us. The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen,† (p. 9). The handmaid’s were not supposed to be viewed as sexual beings, (though many people thought of them as adulteresses). The main character Offred describes her and her fellow handmaid’s as two-legged wombs, and nothing more. Their only purpose in life was to conceive a child, which was represented openly by the color of their robes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The handmaids in the novel lead such a caged life that in one of Offred’s many deep reflections, Atwood compares Offreds life symbolically to the life of a prized show pig. The handmaid’s were not permitted to entertain themselves nor flex their intellectual abilities, even simple games such as Scrabble would get them sent away to become an Unwoman, the worst outcome imaginable. As Offred longs for something to distract her, she thinks; â€Å"there’s time to spare. This is one of the things I wasn’t prepared for – the amount of unfilled time, the long parentheses of nothing†¦I wait, washed, brushed, fed, like a prize pig. Sometime in the eighties they invented pig balls, for pigs who were being fattened in pens. Pig balls were large colored balls; the pigs rolled them around with their snouts†¦the pigs were curious, they liked to have something to think about†¦I wish I had a pig ball,† (p. 85). The pigs are permitted to have a ball to entertain themselves, while the handmaids are only left with their thoughts. The author creates a symbol with the ball to demonstrate how the handmaid’s emotional and intellectual needs were valued even less than a pig’s. The handmaid’s names were also a clear representation of their position in society. For example, Offred, or Of-Fred, is a clear statement that this woman belongs to Fred, and Ofwarren, belongs to Warren. The handmaids didn’t even have enough freedom to maintain their real names. They were forced to accept a new patronymic name that striped them from their former identity entirely. Of-fred is a direct indication that these women are being reduced to the value of an object that can be possessed or thrown away if it doesn’t function properly. Atwood uses symbolism to expand the readers understanding of Offreds and the other handmaids’ dire situations. The handmaids’ lead extremely cautious and guarded lives, because any sign of rebellion could get them killed. The author uses symbols such as the dresses that represents the handmaids fertility, a pig that had more privileges than the women, and the handmaids labels to expand the readers understanding of Offreds position and emotions, because as a handmaid, she could never express them fully. The Handmaids Tale Essay Example The Handmaids Tale Paper There are many themes and issues which take place in The Handmaids Tale. All of these themes address the way in which society may be in the future. The meaning of dystopia is an un-perfect world. This plays a centre theme within The Handmaids Tale. Within the first chapters of the novel, Margaret Atwood illustrates a very strong sense of a negative society in which the handmaids are living in. For example; in the opening chapter the place which they are standing in is almost described as a prison or an asylum because the windows are not made of glass, the pictures on the walls have no glass and the net within the basketball hoop has been taken out. This gives the reader an initially instinct that their society is very hostile and intense. Also the women who are called the aunts are described to patrol the corridors with electric cattle prods. This tells us immediately that they handmaids are treated as animals and have a very un-human living. Religion also plays a strong part in The Handmaids Tale. We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This is made apparent to the reader when a very rare dialogue appears with two girls about God. Praise be, Praise be. This is repeated very often throughout the conversation. This can tell us that there are very strong views on religion and all the girls must obide by them. This can suggest to us that the society is very totalitarian, in the sense that everyone must obey rules. The role of the handmaids at this stag is very vague however we do no that the role of the handmaids is to repopulate society so therefore the handmaids are made to reproduce and have children for other women who cant. Where I am is not a prison but a privilege. This shows us that the handmaids are thankful for there position in society rather then being classed as an un-women who are the women that cannot have children. This therefore shows us that these girls are almost brainwashed into thinking that their society is right. I think Margaret Atwood has done this to voice her views on women in society and how men can easily overpower them. The rules, routines and restriction of Gilead, I think is the strongest issue within the first chapters. This illustrates to the reader the extent of how much their future society is a dystopia. The rules are very strict; the handmaids are not allowed any communication between each other and certainly not men. Within the novel a lot of the restrictions for the handmaids is to avoid the temptations of physical attention however this is not just sexually but just normal human contact. For example; and touched each others hands across open space. This shows us the extent of how much they are restricted and almost treated like children who cant be trusted. I think that this again reflects back to Atwoods views on women. This novel illustrates a very stereotypical picture on women and how they are only good for housekeeping and raising children. However this is very strange as this novel is written in the future. This therefore shows the reader that there has been a massive collapse in society and it has reverted backwards. This is very ironic as the novel is written in the future but displays behaviour as it were in the past. The Narrative technique of this novel is very simple. It is written in the first person and in present tense throughout. The narrator of the novel is a handmaid who doesnt have a name. This significant into again women are seen in society and because she does not own a name this shows us that she is not respected nor does she have an identity. Finally Atwood uses a lot of different techniques and language throughout her writing. Atwood uses a lot of rhetorical questions. The effect this has on the reader is to make the novel become more personal and almost as if it were a handmaids tale. Atwood also uses subtle hints of humour in her writing. For example; reds not my colour. I think this is done for many reasons one being to show that the handmaids lives are not really that bad but another which reflects atwoods views more is to shows that however unhappy or controlled a women is they can still adapt and get on with life. Lastly Atwood has written this novel in complex context however I think this is to symbolise the way in which the handmaids feel. Again this is to give the feel of a more personally written novel. Altogether within the first chapters of The Handmaids Tale, many themes and issues have taken strong influence on the readers concept. All of these factors help illustate the novel in a more diverse way. By Jodie Tuley Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Margaret Atwood section. The Handmaids tale Essay Example The Handmaids tale Essay Chapter 24 * Offred reflects on her relations with the commander. Offred feels that she enjoys the company that the Commander gives her. Suddenly she wants to laugh out loud and realizes that she cant because the room that she is in is accessible to all of the members. So she goes to the closet the most conserved place given to her and randomly laughs. * In this chapter, Offred expresses her feelings towards the commander and states that she looks forward to a friendship of some sort. * The chapter ends with the word opening which might mean that she is opening to a new somewhat more happier life and the old life she had, the miserable lonely life is about to be over. We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Chapter 25 * The chapter starts of with a horrifying surprise for Cora as she thinks that Offred has killed her self because she was found sleeping on the closet floor from yesterday night. When Cora sees her alive she relief herself but has dropped and ruined her morning breakfast. Offred already feeling sick from the Birth Ceremony of Janine doesnt mind and only asks for the toast. Offred talks about the beauty of summer, fertility and the garden, signifying for the first time a bit of happiness. Offred talks about his meetings with the commander and games of scrabble and him letting see out dated magazines while he watches her. Offred acknowledges that her new relationship with the commander means more than a meeting between a handmaid and her master. * After asking, the Commander gets her lotion, he watch as she lather on the lotion which shows a bit of lust that the commander has for Offred and shows there relationship as a mistress. She starts to question the meaning of their meetings. Chapter 26 * Once again the ceremony comes up, but now Offred is emotionally involved and is afraid that Serena might find out that she is more than a handmaid to her husband. When the commander tries to touch Offreds face during the ceremony she is afraid and moves her face to the other side. * During the ceremonys now, Offred and the Commander feel awkward because they have to act like they dont know each other; the Commander also states that his wife doesnt understand him anymore, which kind of gives Offred a weakness of Serenas joys relationship. * The way the Commander behaves with Offred during the meetings and the ceremony shows how Offred has become a mistress in this triangle. Chapter 27 * Offred and Ofglen go shopping for groceries again; they pass by the church, the wall and then the university library which is now the police headquarters. Then the go stand in front of the Soul Scroll which is known as computerized factory for prayers. While looking through the shatterproof window, Offred and Ofglen see each other for the first time in a different manner and Ofglen asks when Do you think God listens to these machines? (pg. ), Offred answer opens Ofglen more and they both admit that they are not believers of this society. Offred also learns there is a underground society that Ofglen is involved in. as both of handmaids walk back to their houses glad they opened up to each other, a black van with a eye on it, stops and violently takes a man off the streets and into the van. * Knowing that Ofglen is also a nonbeliever gives hope and a sense of life to Offred because now she knows that her perspective of Gileads society is similarly to that of some others. * The ending of the chapter is sharp as is remind Offred that the smile that exist on her face because of Ofglen is once again reinforced with idea of the power of Gileads people hold. * Another interesting thing was the mentioning of the worlds natural resources being extinct, which were the whales. Tropology Symbolism- Flowers * I would think, Maybe you appreciate things more when you dont have much time left. I forgot to include the loss of energy. Some days I do appreciate things more, eggs, flowers (pg. 210) Offreds appreciation for flowers and eggs depicts that she wants to and needs to get pregnant or otherwise she will be send to the colonies. The joy and freedom that Offred has NOW will be taken away from her. * Shed like me pregnant though, over and done with and out of the way, no more humiliating sweaty tangles, no more flesh triangles under her starry canopy of silver flowers. (pg. 214) the flowers symbolize Serenas hope for Offred to quickly get pregnant so she can be moved to another family. This quote also shows that even though Serena has so much more power than Offred she still has to count on her and has to face the humiliation of receiving a child from this handmaid who she hates so much. Symbolism- Clothes * No need for modesty, in my nightgown, long-sleeved even in summer, to keep us from the temptations of our own flesh. (pg. 201) Clothing which can say a lot about a person, in this case symbolize sexuality, femininity, unity and identity. The quote states that Gileads society wants them to cover there flesh, so no men of Gilead is tempted towards them. The handmaids all wear red and in this case this shows unity and their identity. Perspective Offred * After meeting with Ofglen, Offred has hope, all of sudden she has found some excitement in her life through the commander and now her, I am so excited, I can hardly breathe (pg. 211) even though Offred was given a hope it is automatically shattered when a man is abducted from the streets by the Gileads authorities. This taking away scares Offred and gives her relief that it wasnt her. * So far in this section, her new relationship with the Commander has given her a desire to live, she laugh absurdly in the closet because she feels happy about her situation with the commander, she also enjoys the unconscious pain that she is bring to Serena Joy, meaning Serena joy doesnt know about the meetings so far. The Commander * The most powerful male character in this novel so far is the Commander, and he represents the authority or power of Gilead. Him meeting with Offred shows that he is unhappy with his life, he cant find love or friendship from his wife, the commander is showing a need towards Offred, trying to caress her during the ceremony and watching her while she looks at the magazine or puts on lotions shows, how Offred has become amusing to someone, in this case, the Commander. The commander who was kept hidden or conserved in the first sections has started to open up and we see that he isnt a bad guy, he sympathizes with Offred for using butter as a moisturizers but in a humorous way, he still doesnt realize the pity in this situation where they have to hide scrapes of butter to keep them selfs protected from dry skin. Gileads society * Having a computerized store Soul Scrolls that prints out demanded prayers really shows how important religion is to Gilead society, also the printing of desired prayers bring that idea of manipulating the prayers so they are biases and beneficial to Gileads society. toneless metallic voices repeating the same thing over and over (pg 167) shows the reader how controlling and committed the society is so people of Gilead will pray and another thing I felt was that the machines have taken away the beauty of the religion, like the machines were there to only monitor the environment. Predictions/Questions * I wonder what Nick gets out of the meetings that he arranges for the Commander and Offred, because I mean he probably is doing it for a reason, for getting some goods from the black market or receiving some sort of freedom from the Commander. * Will Serena Joy find about the meetings between the handmaid and the commander or does she already know and has decided to live with the fact? The Handmaids Tale Essay Example The Handmaids Tale Paper The Handmaids Tale is set in the near future in what was the United States but in Offreds time is known as Gilead. Gilead is in the hands of a power hungry elite who have used their own brand of Bible based religion as an excuse for the suppression of the majority of the population. Atwood takes aspects of our society today such as the decline of the Caucasian birth rate in North America, infertility and sexually transmitted diseases and makes a society within Gilead that combats these issues. Atwood states there is nothing in the novel which has not been done already by somebody, somewhere. The Handmaids Tale is Atwoods version of what if? in the most powerful democracy in the world. Atwood takes a common setting which is the United States known to us as the most powerful democracy in the world and takes issues which affect the world today and uses these aspects of life to create a horrifying dystopian novel. Gilead is frightening because it presents a mirror image of what is happening in the world around us. The first sentence in Chapter one is We slept in what had once been the gymnasium. When people have to sleep in a communal place after a natural disaster they are often relocated to a gymnasium or other such place. In this case the reader wonders what natural disaster has hit Gilead and why is it necessary to sleep in a gymnasium. We later on learn that a natural disaster has not struck and this is in fact the work of human beings. This effectively conveys the dystopian world. The people in the gymnasium have had their choice removed. The wall is a significant object in Gilead. It is not a person but it is the most powerful resource in the Gilead regime because it creates fear. We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is for the people within the regime to go and look at. Dead bodies of war criminals hang off this wall and everyone in Gilead knows that if they do wrong they can also end up on this wall. The novel is set in Massachusetts which was home of the Salem Witch Trials and the site of Harvard University. The wall where the corpses are hung is a key location within the novel because it recalls both the wall round Harvard Yard and the Berlin Wall which was still in place the year Atwood began writing The Handmaids Tale. The wall is also a reminder of the Nazi regime when people in concentration camps were shot standing against a wall. Once again Atwood uses events that have happened in the real world to create a sense of fear within the reader. The wall is a physical reminder of Gileads regime and is effective in conveying the dystopian world which Atwood has created. Atwood also uses the technique of switching between past and present which is clearly seen in Chapter six. When speaking about the past the narrator is happy and the reader is given positive descriptions. There are bridges, trees and green banks and young men with their naked arms. Offred talks of the old dormitories, with their fairytale turrets, painted white and gold and blue. These things are reminders of the past. On the other hand, when speaking about the present the reader is given a negative image. Offred tells the reader there are ugly new floodlights mounted on metal posts above it, and barbed wire along the bottom and broken glass set in concrete along the top. This contrast between past and present is also a contrast between beauty and ugly. The present is ugly portraying a dystopian world. Offred says there are still the old gravestones in the churchyard but they are weathered and eroding. This symbolises how although the past seeps through into the world of Gilead it is fading. Aunt Lydia previously told Offred This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary. This is exactly what is shown in the descriptions given by Offred. This new dystopian world is in the process of becoming ordinary. In Chapter two Offred describes the room that she lives in within the Commanders house. She is careful not to say my room suggesting that she has no right to belongings. Even relationships are forbidden and so she does not belong to anyone else either. She is made to seem isolated and emotionless like a doll. Significantly, Offred describes the main street in Gilead as a museum or a model town suggesting the people within it are also models. This makes the reader realise that this is what humans have been reduced to; they have a body but no emotions. The description of the room like Offred is emotionless. Short sentences with abrupt punctuation are used removing emotion from the description; A chair, a table, a lamp. The room is simple and plain with very little in it. Offred states Theyve removed anything you could tie a rope to. In Chapter five the reader is told that Aunt Lydia said There is more than one kind of freedom Freedom to and freedom from. In this life the Handmaids do not have the freedom to take their lives. Their basic choice of whether to live or die has been removed from them. The human becomes a vessel for in this case producing babies. The setting portrays a society with no emotion. Gilead is a factory with the sole aim to produce babies. In Chapter five the reader learns about the main street which leads to the shopping area. First Offred and Ofglen have to pass through a checkpoint reminding the reader that there is a war going on outside Gilead. Then they go down the street towards the market. There are different shops with biblical names such as Milk and Honey and Lilies of the Field. This gives the reader the impression that there is a strong religious influence within society in Gilead. Often in our world religion is used as a justification for our actions. The biblical references within the novel suggest that the regime in Gilead is justifiable because this is what G-d wanted. In this chapter Offred also reminisces about the time when she was a free woman and had her life with her child and Luke, her husband. Although on the surface everything is now under the regime in Gilead Offreds memories signify the past is not totally forgotten. In this chapter Offreds memories resemble our world and the new street in Gilead is the dystopian world. Atwood successfully contrasts these two images conveying the dystopian world in Gilead. In Chapter eleven Offred mentions the Colonies. She talks about the doctor and says He could have me shipped off to the Colonies, with the Unwomen. The Unwomen are the women that rebel against the regime in Gilead. In the Colonies you die of radiation sickness. Effectively, if you do anything wrong in Gilead you are sent out to die and rejected, labelled as an Unwoman by Gilead. The mention of the colonies and its purpose clearly conveys the dystopian world which Atwood has created. Offreds description of the suburban street in Chapter 5 page 33 suggests that it is artificial. It is empty and there is a lack of people and children. This lack of children has resulted in the very reason for the regime. It is the crisis at the centre of Gileads social and political life. This artificial description gives the illusion of peace but Offred comments on the Commanders wife sitting in her garden on page 22 and states From a distance it looks like peace. Gilead is a false image of domestic security where, as Offred says, nothing moves. This statement is strengthened when Offred comments on the difference between centres and borders. This artificial setting gives the illusion of happiness but demonstrates that Gilead is in fact not a happy place and is full of disorder. This disorder is another aspect of a dystopian world. Atwood has explained that the novel is set in the United States because The states are more extreme in everything Everyone watches the States to see what the country is doing and might be doing ten or fifteen years from now. The States are a superpower and often step in to help out in international affairs. Europe often looks to the states to see the future. This is reflected in our technology that has advanced significantly in the past century. Although the novel is a futuristic scenario the protagonist has grown up in the 1970s and 1980s which is close to our time. This novel demonstrates that this society could happen. At the time Atwood was writing her book the cold war was happening and there were problems with both technology and pollution in many countries. In some countries there was also a declining birth rate just as in Gilead. The novel shows the reader what can happen when the government go to extremes in order to stop these problems and makes the society ever more real. Therefore, the presentation and significance of the settings in the Handmaids Tale is crucial in conveying the dystopian world which Atwood has created. Although on the surface Gilead appears to be a pleasant place it is mainly artificial described as a museum and is truly a totalitarian state. The setting demonstrates what has happened from a disaster made by human beings. Offred is provided with a plain and bare room in a house which she cannot even call her own. Her job is to produce a baby for a commander and so she is merely treated as a vessel as are all the women within this regime. Gilead is in fact the United States, Massachusetts. Using a country that the reader is familiar with and writing about aspects such as pollution and feminism which are key issues in society in our time effectively creates a sense of fear within the reader. The lack of choice, freedom and isolation demonstrated by the setting is most effective in conveying the dystopian world which Atwood has created. The Handmaids Tale Essay Example The Handmaids Tale Paper Throughout the entire text of The Handmaids Tale, the ruling totalitarian government does what is in its power to attempt to isolate women from society. Not only do are the women isolated from society in terms of sexual contact (or any contact, for that matter), with men, but they are also individualized within the gender itself and separated from each other. Evidence of this isolation is available throughout the novel in different levels. The first level, perhaps the harshest, is the division of genders, with women like the Handmaids unable to communicate with unmarried men. Offreds separation from men is apparent when she compares herself to the power of a dog bone (29), but the bone is held out of reach (29). This depicts how there is a strict gender division that disallows them to even communicate with each other, much less have sex. For the Angels, they are not even allowed to look at the so- called dog bone. When we are first introduced to the idea of the Angels, Offred mentions that the Angels must stand outside of the gymnasium with their backs to us (10). Offred wishes that they would only look at her and if only something could be exchanged (10). We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The guards of the complex Offred is held in at the beginning of the novel arent even allowed inside it. With the men not allowed in the Red Center and the women now allowed outside of it, they are each isolated from each other. Even though women are isolated from men, they are also separated from each other. Women are segregated further into social classes, such as the Handmaid or the lowly Econowife. These women are separated by their function of society, and they are identified with the color they wear. Handmaids wear red, which Offred is opposed to because she never looked good in red (14). Her opposition to the color shows the limits of her decision-making (if it can be argued that she makes any at all). All women are separated according to their colors, whether it was red, the green that the Marthas wear, black, or the ugly stripes of the Econowives. While all women were separated into classes, identifiable by their color, this was not the end of Offreds removal from society. Even between women of the same class, Offred being a Handmaid, communication is still heavily regulated. Even before she is a Handmaid, when she is in the gymnasium, the other women and she are held with little sense of community. They can only reach out and touch one another when the Aunts werent looking (10) in the dark, showing the sense of separating between women and the enforcement of that separation from women of a different class, the Aunts. When Offred and another Handmaid are allowed to be together (allowed in the sense that it is an illusion that is really an attempt to keep them in line by preying on their fears that the other may be an Eye), they are almost afraid to talk to one another. Praise be (28) is Just one of the many examples of the automated responses that the Handmaids are able to give ach other and anyone else they come into contact with. The mistrust of Handmaids even between one another caused by the Eyes further separates Offred, and indeed all other women. composition of her thoughts is an act of rebellion against that isolation. She thrives on the idea that if she tells her story she is creating a community. Any story that is told must have an audience, so by narrating her story she is believing [the reader] into being (267) and creating a community of her own. Throughout the entire novel, Offred is trying to create a community. The Latin that is carved into the wood of her(? room gives her a sense of connection with someone, even if they had never met. She makes up a story for this person, how they may have actually escaped, and thinking up a story for her to believe makes the person who was there before her real, and she would feel some sort of connection with them. Offred wants to continue this trend when she wants to steal something (114). She wants to steal something, which she decides should be a flower, so she could leave it [under the mattress], for the next woman (115) to have. She uses these objects to symbolize the idea of connection and community within the Handmaids, the ones ho are all connected by that one room and the objects that are found in it. Though Offred looks for connection with the other Handmaids, perhaps the stronger community she feels, the one that dominates her mind for a good portion of the novel, is that with her own family. Luke and her daughter give Offred a sense of community, and she spends an excessive amount of time wondering about Luke and thinking about their past. She explains to the reader her connection with Luke and how the two had an affair before they were married. One night while she lies awake in bed, she thinks up all of the cenarios of what could have happened to Luke the night they were trying to escape into Canada. She dreams up three situations and thinks them all at once because one of them must be (122) true, though she hopes that Luke, their daughter, and herself will one day be all three of us together (122), and obvious longing for the idea of community in her own family as well as the other Handmaids. Resistance to the totalitarian regime and its oppressive nature is, for the large part, futile. This is made obvious by the percentage of women who are bound to their duties. Only one woman that Offred knows of, Moria, has ever escaped. Only one woman out of all of the Handmaids and Econowives and other women has ever escaped, but even that offers some hope for a little while. Even after Moira escapes, she is recaptured and ends up living her life as a prostitute, and hasnt really escaped to freedom. When Offred meets her against she notes that Moira is lacking the rebellious attitude that used to be so central to her (284), and it appears that even Moira, the lesbian symbol of feminism and rebellion against male oppression, has been broken down and now possesses a lack of volition (284). The evidence of he futility of resistance is abundant in the text. Perhaps the biggest, if not the most demoralizing of this evidence is the note that is left behind by the previous Handmaid, the nolite (174). ind, and she makes her a strong symbol of resistance to the Gilead regime. By knowing that the previous Handmaid scratched such a motivating line, not letting the bastards get you down (228), Offred is given a sense of resistance. It isnt until the Commander tells her that the previous Handmaid killed herself that Offred is struck by a demoralizing realization: the previous Handmaid let the bastards get her down. This is strong, upsetting evidence to Offred that perhaps there is no escape and that resistance is ultimately fruitless. When Offred mentions that she feels for the first time, their true power (286), she is basically giving into the regime and giving up all of the past hopes of resistance she had. She says that they can do whatever they like with me. I am abject (286) after Ofglens death, and she now feels compelled to stop resisting and succumb to the Gilead. When she is confronted by Serena Joy after she becomes abject (286), she is completely void of any type of resistance, even when threatened with ending up Just ike the other [Handmaid] (349). Though this does not occur toward the end of the novel, the idea of resistance being useless is drilled into their heads the entire novel. Even after Janine is raped and has to have an abortion, she is made to feel like she is the one who is guilty. She is called crybaby (86) by the rest of the Handmaids when she is recounting the events and cries because of them. The Handmaids are all coerced by Aunt Helena into blaming Janine for her own rape, and that it was her fault, her fault, her fault (85) and that God allowed such a terrible thing (86) to teach her a lesson, teach her a lesson, teach her a lesson (86). When the Handmaids all chant these responses in unison against Janine it seems to break down the resistance that each of the Handmaids has against Gilead. By hearing themselves chant it they are conditioned to think of themselves as second-class citizens and that they are to be blamed by things that may be out of their control. It even forces the Handmaids to despise [Janine] (86) after she begins crying because of how ugly she looks while she is crying, when in fact she is only crying because of he rest of the Handmaids blaming her for her abuse. When the Commander first asks Offred to play Scrabble with him, she is deeply puzzled and amused by it. The Commanders room was thought to be the forbidden room (1 38), and Scrabble was harmless compared to what Offred could imagine being in this room. However, upon considering it a bit longer, though she knew only old men and women played it when there was nothing good on television (1 38), Scrabble now interests Offred the way it hadnt before. Now that the game had been outlawed for he, it seemed dangerous and indecent (138), and the fact that it is onsidered enviable when it hadnt been before. When Offred mentions that context is all (144), she means it in the way that she does when she considers Scrabble indecent. Context is unique to the situation and the way it is perceived. When Scrabble was once boring, now that it is available in a situation where Offred would otherwise not be able to play, it seems enticing. reader, may seem menial and unimportant are now considered sexual or indecent because of the context they are put in. When Offred is reading a magazine, because Handmaids are not allowed to read, the Commander is watching her and Offred nows that he found pleasure in seeing [her read] (153). Offred knows that she should feel evil for reading and that the Commander gets some sort of sexual gratification out of Just watching her read. During the Ceremony, the Commander, as well as Offred, seems blank while they are attempting to get Offred pregnant. He is approaching it as if it is a duty and it should be pleasurable, and when he is done he leaves because he thinks it is impersonal (156). Context plays a large role in him unable to find pleasure in sex with Offred but he finds a large amount of pleasure in watching her read and do hings that are forbidden because of the idea that they are doing things that are considered illegal. Offred sees Gilead as a totalitarian regime that means to take away the ability for Offred as well as other Handmaids to own her own body. She is given freedom from as opposed to freedom to (24). Context is important to the novel because it is from the point of view of Offred. Because it is from her point of view, the entire novel makes Gilead seem oppressive and an evil totalitarian regime. The reader is made to become sympathetic to the plight of Offred and those like her because of the idea hat she is being repressed by a government that step in to power when the government of the United States was taken out. The idea of nolite te bastardes carborun-dorum (54), or not letting the bastards (Gilead) get you down, depicts Gilead as trying to get Handmaids down. The Salvaging, the bodies hanging on the wall, and the abundance of suicide in the novel all paint a portrait of Gilead as uncaring and unfeeling toward the plight of the women. The reader is meant to think this until the Historical Facts section, where Professor Pieixoto is giving a presentation n Gilead. When the point of reference is changed from the oppressed Offred to that of Professor Pieixoto, the readers understanding of Gilead changes radically as well. Pieixoto warns against passing moral Judgment upon the Gileadeans (292) because of the pressure the government was under and the extraordinary circumstances they faced. The presentation of Pieixoto starkly contradicts the portrayal of Gilead by Offreds section of the novel. Declining population numbers as a result of birth control and toxins led to the radical changes in the attitude towards women in Gilead, and women became vessels to try to sustain life. Gilead was strongly driven by religion and the Christian Bible, as was seen in the Ceremony where a man and his wife would use a Handmaid to produce a child to be taken by the Wife. Context as being the most important idea in interpreting a novel is only understood after reading the section with Professor Pieixoto. After the reader is conditioned to being sympathetic toward Offered because it is from her point of view, novel when the novel suddenly becomes understanding, if not sympathetic, to Gilead.