Lit Log #2 Looking Through A Mirror

Offred, from The Handmaid’s Tale, is in a world that is against her. She has to obey the rules and follow them perfectly unless she’s punished with death. But in recent chapters, the readers can see Offred getting along with the commander. This goes against the oppressive world, which says that women shouldn’t talk to the commander or even interact with them unless it’s at the ceremony. Even with these interactions with the commander, Offred can’t help but still feel lonely and confused about herself. The reader can especially see this during chapter 39, when Offred excuses herself to the hotel bathroom before having an intimate moment with the Commander. Offred stares at herself in the bathroom mirror and wonders, why am I here? She points out the way she looks that night, and it’s as if she feels yucky about herself. It’s an important moment to point out, as Offred feels out of place, not following the usual pattern of the system. Which is why I created a visual representation of this moment, to capture the emotions Offred carries.

My visual representation is of Offred standing in front of the mirror, with her eyes closed. She has her dress on, and the background is covered in shade. I decided to draw a target on her head, inspired by a previous art internet trend where they draw a target on an innocent figure, doomed to be dead by society. I also drew the sink because on page 254, Offred explains how she wants a toothbrush. I clearly wanted to represent in my drawing that there’s no toothbrush for Offred. She can’t be hygienic, even though she plays a crucial role in this system, yet she’s not allowed to take care of herself. My overall drawing is trying to capture how Offred has to be used as an object and be looked down upon, just because she’s a woman. If she doesn’t follow these rules and can’t give birth by a certain time, she is killed. Which is where the target symbol comes in, a target has been put on her the moment this dystopian world was formed. With no way to defend herself, Offred barely has any chance to escape this target on her. I also decided to make most of the background shaded dark because I wanted to represent how this is a sorrowful moment for Offred. It’s supposed to bring a negative tone to the moment, symbolizing that Offred isn’t happy. Especially as she’s about to have sex with the commander, a man she has no real connection with. One last detail I decided on was that Offred should have her eyes closed. As if she’s trying to hide from evil, trying to conceal the rest of her sanity the best she can. The viewer of my drawing can predict that she’s hiding from the commander, the system, death, or even from the ceremony. Offred wants to escape and feel what it means to live again, but this system won’t offer that. 

Offred’s emotions in this bathroom scene are significant to women's struggles, and I hope I captured that in my drawing. What Offred feels is real and deep. It’s something that readers shouldn’t ignore, as the events could be an insight into what’s going on in the real world. There are many moments in The Handmaid’s Tale that show Offred’s depressing world, and the bathroom scene is just a small example of it.