Lit Log #1

My visual representation portrays the mass amount of symbolism in my school in the form of one big symbol. The water below and the cross-like hanging position represent the place Gilead is in while Offred is telling the story. In the show, it shows they’re in the same place where Obama made his speech. The eye above represents the influence the Eyes have on Gilead as a whole, they cause them war as well as paranoia within Gilead that their own peers may be spies from the eyes. Some say the eyes work with Gilead. The cross-like hanging position also represents the Religious influence on the world of Gilead. As we go within the story we are shown multiple times how religion is the cause of this country. The Handmaid wrapped in all the chains signifies the amount of control men have over them and even though this society was built to “Protect “ women, it does not give them basic human rights. Similar to just keeping someone in a box, as Offred said on page 165 “ A rat in a maze is free as long as it stays in the maze.” This was a reference to how she wasn’t able to travel outside of the walls and that she could go anywhere as long as she stayed within the border. She is also taught forced misogyny which we find out at the confession ceremonies in chapter 13 page 72. They are told to express the times they have been assaulted and then blame it on them. “ But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison, Who led them on, Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She DId. “ Atwood expresses the mass self-misogyny in the society we live in today and how that is the reason most women are brainwashed to love this life of just doing the cooking, cleaning, and bearing just like in this book, they use religion to justify their protection. They’re only used for breeding and caretaking and that’s exactly how the world is. The signs behind the handmaid represent the things Gilead actually stands for. Connecting to the freedom to and freedom from, the freedom they have in Gilead is from the hostility and abuse of men but that takes away their freedom to dress the way they want, act the way they want, and do the things they want. Even in this society of Gilead, we can see that the men have not been fully restricted for their abuse, mainly sexual abuse. There are still loopholes men go into such as the doctors who decide to touch women and use their infertility as an excuse to have sex with them. As well as the commander and his emotional connections with the handmaids and stealing and giving them things just for his pleasure and amusement since he’s lonely. The women don’t really have the freedom to or from anything at all.