Held Captive in the Heat

Lit Log #2 Close Reading:

In chapter 31 of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood gives the readers a deeper look into the inner thoughts of Offred and her struggle through vivid imagery and deep thoughts. The first thing that I notice is that the chapter starts with her repetitive thoughts. Atwood writes, “In the morning I will wake up in my own house and things will be back the way they were.”(199) This line immediately stuck out to me because not only does this particular repetition of wanting to escape this reality she’s in give us a look into how hopeless she feels, but also how repetitive her life in Gilead is, with no sign of improvement or change in the near future. Atwood contrasts this desire of hers with her realization that, “It hasn’t happened this morning, either.” The way that both of these sentences connect with each other in an emotionally broken way is while the first sentence expresses hope and goals, while the second lets the reader know that it is unfulfilled.

The vocabulary and diction are also incredibly important and significant to my understanding of Offred’s character as well. When Offred takes time to describe what summer feels like to her Atwood uses words such as “Breathless” and “Sauna” (199) which automatically struck me first. Breathless not only speak on her how one could lose breath in the hot and warm days but also how she’s being suffocated by her own thoughts in her room trapped and enclosed like how one would be in a sauna. She then writes about how Independence Day was “abolished” (199) which puts emphasis on how her own freedom was as well.I think that another double meaning word she used would be on page 200 when she writes “I’d ike to have Luke here, in this bedroom” she then later mentions an inevitable egg which she refers to being “Lukewarm” like her room. I think that she puts a double meaning on that word because the closest feeling she has to Luke being with her in her bedroom in the summer is the egg.

Atwood’s use of discerning patterns in this book are also very interesting to the readers as well. In this particular section from chapter 31, Atwood’s sentence structure when in reference to Offred’s despair usually includes a lot of punctuation, such as periods, dashes, and commas which creates a tension to the readers with pauses which make the readers understand and break down her feelings more. “I bend over to do up my red shoes; lighter weight these days, with discreet slits cut in them, though nothing so daring as sandals.” (199) Then she uses different types of writing like narration and description which is seen throughout the whole book to help vividly put us into the thoughts of Offred and her experiences. There seems to be paradoxes when it comes to her wanting her independence so badly while being trapped in a place that doesn’t allow that.

In terms of point of view and characterization in this book the readers are being told from the first person perspective of offred. She comes off as an unreliable narrator at times due to her constantly switching between memories of the past and what’s happening in the present. This not only confuses the readers and builds up tension but it also gives the readers another view into offreds psychological state as well. She says, “ I decide I’m only having an attack of sentimentality, my brain going pastel Technicolor, like the beautiful-sunset greeting cards they used to make so many of in California. High-gloss hearts.” (200) This quote shows us more of her struggle when it comes to trying to forget and remember her past while adapting to her issue in the present. Her use of imagery by saying “my brain going pastel Technicolor” and comparing them to old happy greeting cards contrasts to her dull and empty life in Gilead with an emotional disconnection to her brighter past. This really brings the readers into thinking is she starting to slowly lose her mind?

And lastly what really piqued my interest was when she mentioned the “wreath on the ceiling” (200) which to me really was a good way to further describe her entrapment. She calls it a frozen halo, which really a halo is known as a symbol of holiness but to call it frozen, is she saying her purity and wellbeing is also held captive like her in the room?