Cost of Conversation

Here we can see the two stalls that Offred and Moira would hide in at a specific time so they could talk for a few minutes. This part of the book shows the lengths they must go to for basic interactions. Interactions that we take for granted every day. You can see the damp floors as the building is fairly run down and poorly cared for. This reflects the dystopian world that they live in where every aspect of their lives is a battle they are desperately trying to win. Covered up by cheap paint that has already begun to peel, the stalls have emerging graffiti that predates their arrival in the gymnasium. The singular window rests high up in the corner of the bathroom, bared off like one you would find in a prison, emphasizing the similarity between their situation and that of a prisoner. The bathroom is dimly lit by one small light hanging from the center of the ceiling. The yellow stained urinals not only show the lack of care shown to the restrooms but also the desperation of the situation they’re in. They have so many women in the gymnasium that they have to resort to using both restrooms. Offred and Moira condemn themselves to these rundown bathrooms for the sole goal of having a conversation. They bring their faces close to a hole in the cracking wooden stalls so they can hear each other’s whispers. Speaking softly so that no guard or aunt can hear their prohibited conversation.

A singular light hangs from the ceiling, trying desperately to light up the room while simultaneously symbolizing their conversation. Their life in the gymnasium is inhuman, the darkness in the restroom. Their simple exchange of words is the light they’re holding on to, trying to overpower the darkness that surrounds them. Speaking to each other for a few brief moments is all they have to look forward to. The only aspect of their lives they still have some control over. Every other human interaction is restricted and overseen by the aunts. Guards who strictly enforce the new rules law, which are vastly different from the lives they used to live. Lives that the handmaids are encouraged to forget. 

However, one’s past can never truly be forgotten. The blue paint that covers the previously graffitied stalls is already starting to peel. Revealing the neon pink art that was once the face of the stalls. No matter how hard the paint tries to cover up the graffiti, it will always be there and it will eventually reemerge. Like the laws that predate Giliad, they have not been forgotten. While the new ways of life have covered them up, they will reappear. To Offred her graffiti is Luke, who she believes will find his way back to her no matter the challenges he faces. The run down stalls show that the old ways of life can weather the storm and return despite a few cracks. No matter how strict Giliad is now, people will find their way back to the graffiti.