Gabby lit log 2

“Either he talks or I will. I know it, I can feel speech backing up inside me, it’s so long since I’ve really talked with anyone. The terse whispered exchange with Ofglen, on our walk today, hardly counts; but it was a tease, a preliminary. Having felt the relief of even that much speaking, I want more.”

This quote speaks to a specific feeling that is actually pretty universal and common, but is hardly ever put into words, it’s that feeling of going so long without speaking to someone that it feels like anything you have to say is just stuck inside of you. When Offred says “speech backing up inside me,” It precisely captures something many people experience, even though it’s a completely different situation. It’s not only that she wants to have a conversation but it’s that the words are building up pressure, like she will explode if she doesn’t let them out. This resonates with me because in our current society so many people go though their days have these surface level conversions that feel empty. They talk to coworkers, classmates, friends, family about these surface level things which is exactly what Offred means when she describes her exchange with Ofglen as something that “hardly counts.” People talk constantly but they’re not really truly talking to anyone a lot of the time.There’s a massive difference between common small talk, and deeper conversation, where you’re actually saying what you are thinking or feeling. Think about how many people right now sit in their school cafeteria, or their lunch break at work and talk about assignments or weekend plans but still feel lonely. You might not realize how surface level conversations can be until you have a real deeper conversation. This is what Offred means when she calls her short moment with Ofglen “a tease, a preliminary.” She gets this small moment of real connection and it reminds her of everything she had desperately been missing, which makes her want it more. “Having felt the relief of even that much speaking, I want more.” This line captures the reliability of someone remembering what a genuine connection feels like they can’t just forget ,they begin to long for more. What stands out the most to me about this passage is the way it displays that loneliness isn’t always about being physically alone. Offred is basically never physically alone, there are constantly people around her, but she feels entirely isolated because she has nobody to have these real conversations with. Everything she says and does needs to be controlled and monitored. This reminds me of the way people feel in the real world, many people are surrounded by people constantly, whether that’s at home or at schools, but still feel isolated. People constantly have thoughts and feelings that build up but they don’t know who or where to dump them, just like Offred describes. This passage makes me think about how real conversations aren’t just nice to have, but actually necessary for humans to survive. We need to be heard by others, to be understood. When Offred says “it’s so long since I’ve really talked with anyone” she’s describing something more than just being bored, she’s showing the ways she’s starving for something that is not food, she’s starving for connection. When you can understand what Offred is going through, you can see why she takes risks by having conversations with the commander, when someone is that desperate to be heard, they’re willing to take risks.