Handmaid's Tale Playlist: Hope

Me and My Husband by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCL3icu9dk

In this song, Mitski begins to describe her life with her “husband” and how she keeps saying “They are doing better”. Mitski emphasizes how they are doing better and will stick with each other. I connected this song to the scene of Ofreed being offered a glittery dress with feathers and makeup. She had to dress outside of her regular handmaid uniform and dress in clothing from the time before. “We glide through the darkening streets. The Commander has hold of my right hand as if we’re teenagers at the movies. I clutch the sky blue cape tightly about me, as a good wife should” (232). Offred in this quote said “as a good wife should” and not “would”. As the reader this made me question how she sees the commander and how she sees herself with him. ”And I’m the idiot with the painted face In the corner, taking up space. But when he walks in, I am loved, I am loved” Mitksi “Me and My Husband”.

These lyrics remind me of the scene when she is blended in the background like everyone else. All the women there wore outfits that weren’t allowed in Gilead and the “Husband” can represent the commander when Offred was given the blue cape and “held it tight like a good wife” and he was “showing her off”. I don’t think she sees herself as a wife to him but more so she fits into the role of a degenerate wife.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road- Remastered 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy709iNG6i8

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John represents the secret resistance the handmaids have in the system of Gilead. It is shown to the reader that there is a system called “Mayday”, an organization of handmaids that collaborates to find a sense of freedom in their oppressed environment. “There has to be an ‘us’. Because there is a ‘them’ now.” Ofglen introduced Mayday to Offred and this new door of hope opened for her. She was yearning for this feeling of an “us” with the handmaids now. It’s the beginning of building sisterhood and they’re gonna be working together to grab their freedom. In the song “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, it says “I should have listened to my old man You know you can’t hold me forever I didn’t sign up with you I’m not a present for your friends to open This boy’s too young to be singin’ the blues”. The lyrics represented to me a feeling of resistance and a door of freedom being opened. “I’m not a present for your friends to open” can also be related to when in Jezebels, the commander was showing her off in her shiny revealing dress to other men in power. “You know you can’t hold me forever” also represents a feeling of hope, that there will be a way out. “Mayday” and “Underground Female Railroad” are people collaborating (handmaids and those that are helping handmaids) and are symbols plotted in the story that gives Offred the strength to not give up.

Watching Him Fade Away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8cFcSq4EIs

“Watching Him Fade Away” by Mac DeMarco represents Offred and Luke drifting away from each other, mentally. Since the story is told from Offred’s point of view, the idea of Luke is dying down and she begins seeing her lover in other people. Offred starts using words such as “was”, representing what she is talking about left in the past. She catches herself and corrects it to “is”, representing the present time. “How long were you supposed to mourn, and what did they say? Make your life a tribute to the loved one. And he was, loved. One. Is, I say. Is, is, only two letters, you stupid shit, can’t you manage to remember it, even a short word like that?” 227. From this quote, the reader can see that Offred keeps referring people in her past that she carded for dearly as “was” and not “is”. The word choice as holds a strong meaning in Attwood’s literacy. “Walk around as if you never cared in the first place. But if you never call, you’ll end up stuck. Without another chance to tell him off right to his face”. Breaking down these lyrics, I connected this to Offred and Luke’s relationship because Offred is forced to wear this expression on her face. She can’t show all the emotions she’s going through, and despite her worrying about Luke, she has to walk around like she doesn’t care about him. But she can’t live that life to a full extent because she still does worry about him. Also when she constructs sentences that consist of playing with the words “was” and “is”, the feeling of being “stuck” that Mac says in his lyrics connects to Offred being in the middle of those two words. If she gives up the of hope that she can see Luke again, she will be stuck. “Without another chance to tell him off right to his face”, when referencing Luke she should refer to him with “is” and not “was” to keep his spirit alive and to keep that hope alive.