Mental Justifications

“Alone at last, I think. The fact is that I don’t want to be alone with him, not on a bed. I’d rather have Serena there too. I’d rather play Scrabble. But my silence does not deter him. “Tomorrow, isn’t it? He says softly. “I thought we could jump the gun.” He turns towards me. “Why did you bring me here?” I say coldly. He’s stroking my body now, from the stem as they say to stern, cat stroke along the left flank, down the left leg. He stops at the foot, his fingers encircling the ankle, briefly, like a bracelet, where the tattoo is, a Braille he can read, a cattle brand. It means ownership. I remind myself that he is not an unkind man; that, under other circumstances, I even like him.” (254)

Offred’s relationship with the commander is one that becomes more complex as the story progresses. What first starts as a “harmless” friendship between two people who like playing scrabble, becomes a relationship with a weird power dynamic. In the latest chapter; 37-39, readers can see the tension and awareness Offred goes through at the club the commander brought her to.

Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale Offred is unsure of what her relationship with the Commander is. She is aware of the dangers from it, but she also knows if she disobeys, the Commander himself could ruin her. In some sections, it is clear that Offred feels uncomfortable with the way the Commander is acting. She describes it to readers but right after, she backs up the Commander. Almost like a button has switched inside of her swapping for the brainwashed version of her, reflecting how powerless she is in all of the relationships she has had.

In chapter 39 pg. 254, when both Offred and the Commander are in the hotel room he rented out, the Commander starts making a move on Offred. The first first thing readers might catch on is how he is throwing himself at Offred. In a sexual way, he begins to caress her body showing clear intentions that what he wants is intimate. Offred has tried to avoid this sexual tension multiple times, but this time, it seems like there is no escape from it. She is clearly uncomfortable and she shows by the way she describes the situation. “The fact is that I don’t want to be alone with him, not on a bed. I’d rather have Serena there too.” (254) Even with the discomfort, she then changes the way she speaks about the Commander. “I remind myself that he is not an unkind man; that, under other circumstances, I even like him.” (254) This happens very often, Offred will often mentally justify anything that a man does to her. In class discussions, my peer Esther and I were to make the connection that our main character seems to need that attention even if it is bad to be validated or have some sort of purpose.

Learning more about who Offred is and what happened to human society in the earlier chapters, we could see that from the beginning, she craved any kind of power that she herself did not have. Offred used tactics that she knew could cause her trouble just for the thrill. “They touch with their eyes instead and I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me. It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a fence or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach..” (22) Taunting the guardians reflects how far Offred will go to get that validation revealing the need to defend the men who do wrong by her.

This pattern does not only occur with the Commander, I also caught on that Offred did this with her past relationships and just men she passes by in her tale. Luke is one of these examples. One moment that stood out to me was when Offred was telling the story of how Gilead came to be. At that moment, she had just lost her job and access to all kinds of things she owned. Feeling distraught, she wanted comfort from her love. As many recognize, a relationship between two people should be sacred and something one can find comfort with when the worst happens. On the contrary, Luke did everything but truly offer comfort. Passing on the matter and wanting sex with Offred.

“Hush, he said. He was still kneeling on the floor. You know I’ll always take care of you. I thought, Already he’s starting to patronize me. Then I thought, Already you’re starting to get paranoid, I know, said. I love you” (179)

Offred needed that consolation yet she was shut out like a door shutting on your face from not being a wanted guest. The sex most likely happened afterwards without the liking of Offred. Yet with everything that happened, she defended the idea of him, dismissing everything once again. This cycle goes back to the Commander.

When reading The Handmaid’s Tale it is important to see the patterns Atwood drops around the story to expose the main character’s ways. Offred’s self sabotaging ways – defending those who did her wrong– reveals how her mental state is suffering and has been since way back when. Offred’s character is broken and has been for a long time, and experiencing the rise of Gilead botched the way she navigates her relationships. She’s alone and will justify anything as long as she can to keep the relationship’s spark alive.