Intellectual and Emotional Experience through a Close Reading of Page 162 of "The Handmaid's Tale

Reading “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood has been an awakening journey. Page 162, in particular, left an indelible mark on my thoughts, perception, and emotional understanding of what it means to be a woman in a society that seeks to stifle our very essence. It begins with Offred’s contemplation, “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.” Immediately, I was struck by the depth of this revelation. As a high school student in a world that is constantly evolving, I have often felt the pressure to conform to societal norms and standards. There’s a general mold that women are often expected to fit into, a model that dictates our behavior, aspirations, and dreams. Moreover, while today’s society seems more liberating than Gilead, there are moments when I feel like I am being ushered into those ‘blank white spaces,’ pushed to the periphery, as if my story is less significant than the mainstream tales. Like Offred, I have felt that living in the gaps provides freedom, a space unbound by rules and expectations. However, unlike Offred, I haven’t been forced into those gaps; I’ve willingly sought them out in search of individuality. The emotional gravity of Offred’s words made me reflect upon the countless stories of women throughout history, relegated to the shadows, their tales unwritten or undervalued. It also made me think of my own experiences. There have been times in classes where I’ve felt my opinions, especially as a young woman, were overshadowed by louder, often male, voices. And while Gilead is an exaggerated dystopia, the underlying themes of suppression, subjugation, and silence are realities many women face to varying degrees. Margaret Atwood’s prose is hauntingly beautiful. The subtlety with which she addresses harrowing themes is unnerving. As Offred recalls her mother’s generation’s efforts to burn pornographic magazines, she reflects on the paradox of freedom: “Freedom, like everything else, is relative.” It made me wonder: Do we truly understand the nature of freedom? Are we ever truly free, or is freedom just a spectrum where we find ourselves at varying degrees? I’ve grown up believing I live in a free society, but Offred’s musings made me question my beliefs. Maybe freedom is the ability to question, to challenge, and to dream. Or maybe it’s the space between chains, the moments of respite before the next shackling. Connecting this page to earlier parts of the novel, Offred’s reminisces about the time before Gilead took over. The women of the past fought for rights, and their battles seem distant to her earlier life of assumed freedom. As a teenager in today’s world, it’s easy to forget the struggles of women who came before us. The right to vote, the right to work, the right to an education – rights that I take for granted were once a distant dream for many women. The novel serves as a stark reminder that freedoms can be fleeting and must be safeguarded. Offred’s yearning for a simpler past resonated with me, especially in these trying times. It’s easy to become nostalgic, longing for days when our biggest worries were trivial. For Offred, her trivial days were when she had the liberty to love, dream, and live. For me, it’s the pre-pandemic world, where school hallways echoed with laughter and weekends were for outings. But both of us, separated by fictional timelines and very real circumstances, yearn for a sense of normalcy, a return to days of unburdened freedom. What made this section even more intriguing was the fusion of Offred’s resignation with moments of rebellion. This duality is reminiscent of every teenager’s journey, including mine. We oscillate between conformity and rebellion, seeking to find our identity amidst societal expectations. Page 162 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was a poignant reminder of the fragility of freedom and the importance of remembering our history. It made me cherish the liberties I have while also prompting me to challenge and question the status quo. Offred’s reflections, though set in a dystopian world, mirror the trials and tribulations of women across ages, including a high school student like me.