Songs that explain The Handmaids Tale

Creep by Radiohead

This song captures Offred’s Feelings of alienation and powerlessness in Gilead. In the song, there are the lyrics “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo,” and this echoes her internalized sense of being an outsider in a society that dehumanizes her. Offred’s identity and her struggle to adjust her past self to her present self as a handmaid are reflected in the song’s tone. For example, she says, “I want to keep on living, in any form,” which resonates with the song’s themes of self-doubt and survival despite feeling out of place

Every Breath you Take by The police

This song’s main theme of surveillance and control parallels the presence of “eyes” and the constant monitoring in Gilead. In the song, the lyrics “Every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you” this mirrors the regime’s overpowering watchfulness over its citizens. Offered’s observation that “The Anuts were the ones who taught us to whisper almost without sound” highlights how language and behavior are polived, making this song a fitting song for the atmosphere of fear and control in Gilead.

Mad World by Tears for Fears

The tone and lyrics of “Mad World” reflect the dystopian reality of Gilead and OFfrede’s sense of loss and confusion. The line “the Dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had” parallels Offred’s memories of her past life and the dullness of her present life. The book doesn’t mention, but makes an example of how Offred’s memories are both a refuge and a source of pain, and that is also shown in this song, too, especially when Offred says, “We lived in the gaps between the stories.” This highlights the chaotic nature of her existence right now.

Respect by Aretha Franklin

Through irony in the context of Gilead’s oppression of women, “Respect” symbolizes the resistance and desire for dignity that underlie Offred’s narrative. The song’s demand for respect contrasts highly with the Handmaid’s enforced submission, especially during the Ceremony, which Offred describes with a lot of honesty: “The commander is Fing. What he’s fing is the lower part of my body.” This song represents the unspoken rebellion and the yearning for Self-direction beneath the surface,

Sound of Silence by Disturbed

The representation of silence in The Handmaid’s Tale is most definitely there, from the whispered conversations in the bathroom to the forced muteness everywhere. “Sound of Silence” captures this theme very well, with the lyrics like “Hello darkness, my old friend,” which invoke the isolation and suppression that Offred experiences. The novel shows this through the language tool as of control “The Anuts were the ones who taught us to whisper almost without sound,” finds a haunting echo in this song’s meditation on silence and communication.