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Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism:

One of the central themes in “The Handmaid’s Tale” is the omnipresent authoritarianism of the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic regime that governs every facet of the characters’ lives. In Gilead, individual freedoms are sacrificed at the altar of state control, and citizens are subjected to surveillance, propaganda, and strict social hierarchies. While Gilead is an extreme fictional example, it is not far removed from the authoritarian regimes that have existed throughout history and still persist in various parts of the world.

In the 20th century, for example, the Cold War era was marked by the ideological struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. The Soviet Union, with its centralized control, suppression of dissent, and state-controlled media, epitomized the authoritarian model. Similarly, the Gileadean regime in Atwood’s novel mirrors the totalitarian tendencies of such governments. This parallel serves as a reminder of the dangers of unchecked power, even in societies that are built on the promise of liberty and democracy.

In the contemporary political context, numerous nations grapple with the consequences of authoritarianism. Leaders in various countries have employed tactics such as censorship, disinformation, and restrictions on individual liberties to consolidate power and suppress opposition. “The Handmaid’s Tale” serves as a stark warning that authoritarianism can emerge even in democratic societies when citizens become complacent or indifferent to the erosion of their rights.

Gender Oppression:

A prominent theme in the novel is gender oppression. In Gilead, women are systematically stripped of their rights, autonomy, and agency. They are segregated into distinct roles, and their worth is primarily determined by their reproductive capabilities. Although the circumstances in “The Handmaid’s Tale” are extreme, the broader context of gender discrimination is an unfortunate reality in many parts of the world.

During the 1980s when the novel was written, women’s rights movements were gaining momentum, advocating for gender equality in various domains, including the workplace and reproductive rights. Atwood’s narrative served as a cautionary tale, reminding readers of the dire consequences of subjugating women and denying them control over their own bodies.

In the modern political landscape, gender discrimination and violence against women persist in many societies. The #MeToo movement and global efforts to combat gender-based violence highlight ongoing challenges in achieving gender equality. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a stark reminder of the importance of continuing to advocate for women’s rights and challenging oppressive gender norms that still endure.

Religious Extremism:

Religious extremism is another central theme of the novel. Gilead is a theocracy where religious ideology is used to justify the oppressive policies and totalitarian control of the state. This concept is not confined to the realm of fiction; it finds resonance in historical and contemporary contexts where religious fervor is manipulated to justify oppressive agendas.

For instance, extremist groups and political leaders have employed religious rhetoric to justify acts of violence, discrimination, and the curtailment of individual freedoms. In the early 21st century, the rise of religious extremism, particularly in the Middle East, brought religious ideology to the forefront of global politics. “The Handmaid’s Tale” stands as a cautionary tale, underscoring the dangers of religious extremism when it becomes intertwined with political power, leading to repression and authoritarianism.

Erosion of Privacy and Surveillance:

Beyond these themes, Atwood’s novel delves into the erosion of individual freedoms and privacy under a surveillance state. In Gilead, citizens are subjected to constant monitoring, both by the state and their fellow citizens. While the degree of surveillance depicted in the book is extreme, it draws attention to the contemporary debates surrounding government surveillance, data privacy, and the balance between security and individual liberty.

In recent years, discussions about mass surveillance, data breaches, and the collection of personal information by both governments and private corporations have taken center stage. The novel forces readers to confront the potential consequences of sacrificing personal freedoms in the name of security, a debate that continues to shape contemporary politics.

Contemporary Political Parallels:

“The Handmaid’s Tale” remains remarkably relevant because of the rise of extremist ideologies and the erosion of democratic norms in contemporary politics. The novel serves as a stark reminder that the gradual erosion of democratic institutions and the rise of authoritarianism can occur in any society, even those with long-established democratic traditions. This is evident in the political developments in various countries where leaders have sought to consolidate power, undermine democratic checks and balances, and manipulate public opinion.

One of the most pressing concerns is the spread of disinformation and the undermining of public trust in institutions and the media. The novel’s portrayal of state-controlled propaganda and censorship serves as a cautionary tale in the age of fake news and information warfare. In this context, “The Handmaid’s Tale” encourages us to remain vigilant, discerning consumers of information, and engaged citizens committed to the defense of our rights and the preservation of democratic principles.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is more than a work of fiction; it is a reflection of larger political realities. Through its exploration of authoritarianism, gender oppression, religious extremism, and erosion of privacy, it serves as a cautionary tale and a call to action. As we confront contemporary political challenges and witness the erosion of democratic norms and the rise of extremist ideologies, “The Handmaid’s Tale” reminds us that vigilance, advocacy, and a commitment to democratic principles are essential in safeguarding our freedoms and building a just and equitable society. Atwood’s narrative, though dystopian, serves as a guidepost for our path forward, prompting us to confront the dangers of complacency and to work tirelessly for a more inclusive, democratic, and equitable world.

“The word colonization, it has the same root as the word colon; it means to digest. Colonization is the process of digestion of one culture by another.” -Winona LaDuke

When it comes to the world of religion, Christianity stands out as a problem child, and a child with a loaded gun at that. It is a religion that holds more power and influence than any other religion by a great deal, and with exceptionalistic views and controversial ideologies, it has had an undeniable impact on the course of history. However, there is not a history it roots itself more deeply in than the history of America. America has danced upon the line between a free democracy and a theocracy since its birth. And while the Founding Fathers implied through the constitution that a distinct separation between the church and state was necessary for their envisioned nation to function properly, America has always been a very Christian nation, through the people and the government. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a testament to the effects of the mixture between Church and State, and what better inspiration to base such a book on than America herself. Of the countless literary elements Atwood has perfected and seamlessly woven together into this story, what often stands out the most is the level of worldbuilding. It is so cruel and despicable that Atwood was forced to remind her audience that “I wasn’t putting anything into it that humans had not already done somewhere at some time.” And while there are a great number of historical instances that serve as her muses, none are more prominent than the ties between early American history and Christianity. As the French and British colonized the land that would one day be taken and transformed into America, they encountered the peoples indigenous to the region. And instead of possessing no religion at all, the natives had many religions that were integral to their very way of life. Now this posed a problem to the missionary colonists whose belief was that their purpose was to show the native peoples the way of Christianity in order to “save their souls” and surely, having seen the path to God, they would convert. Once they saw the light, their meaningless lives would be filled with purpose, they thought. This was not the case. The European colonists and their western traditions wreaked havoc on the relationship between Native Americans and Christian missionaries. Between the genocide, mistreatment of the land, and general usurping, indigenous people developed a reasonably severe distrust towards Europeans. The missionaries saw only one option, and that was taking advantage of the single group of targets most mentally and physically vulnerable: the children. The boarding schools were established, commissioned by a government that was, against the Founding Fathers wishes, completely composed of Christians and run through Christian ideologies at the time. Here, the connections between history and Atwood’s writing begin to make themselves obvious. The first step the boarding school project took was the forceful separation of families. Indoctrination does not work if your subject has a voice to tell them anything else. Both Gilead and America utilized government agents to abduct children and split families, seen in Handmaid’s Tale as the separation between Offred and her daughter. Both of them become victims to indoctrination and while Offred is only mildly affected and resists it to some degree, the same cannot be confirmed for her young daughter who she is shown pictures of holding hands with another woman, presumably her new mother. In real life however, the parents of the children were not given the reassurance that they were safe. Even if the early American government told them such a thing, it would have been a terrible lie for that certainly was not the case. Once the individual is isolated, the next step is to erase their culture and identity. “My name isn’t Offred,” the Offred notes, “I have another name which nobody uses now because it is forbidden.” Like the non-Gileadean civilians during the upheaval of America, the Native American children were given English names, often religious names, and were forbidden from using their old ones, as well as any other words from their native languages. Gilead is not too dissimilar to the Native American Boarding Schools; they’re both based on negative reinforcement training. The Aunts carry cattle prods in the book but not to defend against intruders. Aunt Lydia confidently states they are free from such threats, there’s no reason to fear them, especially not in the presence of the Angels and Guardians. It is clear that they are the Handmaids. The children of the boarding schools were hit, abused, isolated, starved, and even sexually assaulted. They were given such punishments whenever they even showed a fraction of their original cultural identity. Some converted to Christianity, many simply hid their true selves, none believed. “I thought you were a true believer,” Ofglen says to Offred, surprised, “I thought you were.” Both women still cling to their past lives but bury them deep, not out of newfound faith, but fear. The life they lived was proof enough to them that the God Gilead worshiped was not real, not for them. Religion is different for each person. A lantern for dark times, a deep scar from a bitter lie, a fundamental set of truths to live by, or a path to salvation and promise for tomorrow. What you believe is and should be up to you. But Atwood warns us that religion is a dangerous thing and that such beliefs should not be a source of leadership, lest others be smothered by your ignorance for their own beliefs. The word colonization means for one culture to consume another. But the days of conquering are over. It’s time to start building instead.

GNARLS BARKLEY- WHOS GONNA SAVE MY SOUL

Listening to this song reminded me of how Offred thinks about Moira and her blind faith that she is alive. Who’s Gonna Save My Soul, was originally written as an expression of Gnarls Barkley’s reaction to James Brown dying months after he invited them to perform with him. CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse (the band’s two members) had put so much hope in James Brown that they were distraught and lost after he died. Offred and the other handmaids used Moira as an object of their fantasy and wonder to keep them going. On page 133, Offred explains, “Nevertheless Moira was our fantasy. We hugged her to us, she was with us in secret, a giggle;” Offred and her fellow handmaids blindly putting their hope into Moira makes me fear what will happen if she is revealed to have died. The line “I may be just a little selfish, All I have is the memory, Yet I never start to wonder, Was it possible you were hurting worse than me, Still my hunger turns to greed, ‘Cause what about what I need, An’ oh who’s gonna save my soul now.” reveals the song’s narrator using this person to fill their void of hope, no matter what situation they might be in. Offred describes this feeling too by saying that she and the handmaids were just starting to feel comfortable with no hope and nowhere to go but latching on to Moira’s story filled that emptiness.

WISH YOU WERE HERE - LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS

When listening to Wish You Were Here, I immediately found a correlation between the emotions shown in The Handmaid’s Tale and this song. Lee Fields sings this song to convey a feeling of longing for someone who is no longer with him, especially playing on the theme of not taking something for granted. Offred’s storytelling relates to this heavily. An obvious connection between the two is the chorus and title of the song, Wish You Were Here. Offred frequently dreams about Luke, the before times, and when they were happy together and raising a child and wishing he was with her and holding her again. This goes so far for her to imagine Luke and her daughter as if they were with her. “From time to time I can see their faces, against the dark, flickering like the images of saints, in old foreign cathedrals, in the light of drafty candles…I can conjure them but they are mirages only, they don’t last.” (103-104). This feeling of deep longing and emptiness is also explained through the lyrics, “Miss you again, over again, Love will not die, Walkin’ the road, I see you at night, I know you’re right by my side.” These lyrics describe the exact feeling I think Offred is portraying through the quote I picked, missing someone so much everything you see reminds you of them and holding them with you in your heart.

RETTE MICH - NENA

The song Rette Mich by Nena is about the loneliness of being alone at night and the longing you have for someone to come “save you.” The song title itself translates to “Save Me.” On page 96, Offred is bored in her room and longs for the before times. “I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not;” Offred’s longing for Luke increases when she is lonely and bored. Similar to this, Nena sings, “Es wird Nacht, Und die Einsamkeit erwacht, Ruf mich an, komm her, sei bei mir, Rette mich.” This all roughly translates to “Night is coming, And loneliness awakens, Call me, Come here be with me, Save me.” This illustrates how Offred is feeling at the moment, even describing her need for Luke to hold her and comfort her.

IT’S A MAN’S WORLD - JAMES BROWN

It’s a Man’s World by James Brown is filled with themes and lines about men being the main providers for a family. There are also many mentions of women being important and essential to the family, however their importance seems to be only to support the man in his endeavors. This idea is reciprocated in The Handmaid’s Tale by the structure of Gilead, a male-dominated society that is religion based, specifically enforcing the idea that a woman’s only role is to bear children and help in the kitchen (be a “traditional wife”). One person who personifies this idea of women only being there to support men is Serena Joy. On page 45, referring to her, it says, “Her speeches were about the sanctity of the home, about the how women should stay home.” Similar to this James Brown sings, “You know that man makes money, to buy from other men, This is a man’s world, But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing, not one little thing, without a woman or a girl.” His lyrics explain a similar thing to Serena Joy’s speeches, women should stay home and men should essentially rule society.

BEDS ARE BURNING - MIDNIGHT OIL

This song, Beds Are Burning, by Midnight Oil is about the indigenous Australian people and liberating them from being treated as if they were worse. This song connects directly to The Handmaid’s Tale because of the oppression women are facing in Gilead. The chorus of the song is “How can we dance while the beds are burning, How can we sleep while the world is turning.” I imagine this is exactly how Offred feels about the wives and how they agree with the oppression of women. “The Commander’s Wife looks down at the baby as if it’s a bouquet of flowers: something she’s won, a tribute.” (126). This quote describes how Offred perceives the Wives as perpetrators of the system of Gilead.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a story about a human’s experience in life. Margaret Atwood wrote this story through the point of view of Offred, a woman living in a dystopian society. A dystopian society is not something that any reader would have lived through, because it’s dystopian, it’s futuristic, it’s what could happen, right? Well, Atwood takes that definition and flips it, saying that she can only include things that happened in our own world history. So when Offred encounters something horrifying or crazy in her day-to-day life, it makes the encounter even more scary because most likely the reader knows people it has happened to, and how it very well could happen to them. This kind of writing keeps readers on their toes, keeps them curious, because at times, the reader can find themselves reading something of a memory.

Writing that appeals to the senses can also keep a reader interested. Using descriptive words that go above and beyond to describe even the littlest things, like a dresser or a flower entices the reader. Atwood’s use of this writing style is extremely effective at drawing the reader in and pretty much forcing them into situations that they aren’t really in. This can be an enjoyable experience, but it can also be uncomfortable, even off putting. Sometimes it almost makes the reader want to put the book down and take a cold shower, maybe take a walk in the city, enjoy the life they live instead of the one they’re being sucked into. It can also be confusing, the words at times are nothing normal and are structured in run on sentences that lead on and on into a vague answer.

The section that is most descriptive and resonating is the laughing scene. Here’s the context: Offred has just been to her first meeting with the Commander, and she’s reminiscing about what went on. She’s confused, flustered, relieved, and so much more. She feels like there could be an ulterior motive for the Commander to invite her into his room. She thinks, “Is this really just to play scrabble and give a quick kiss?” Nevertheless, she’s back in her room, safe and sound, with no harm done. She starts to remember a documentary that she saw as a little girl on the TV. It was about a woman who was with this Natzi and fourty years later is being interviewed about it. Her appearance is notable in its description: “She was carefully made up, heavy in the mascara on her eyelashes, rouge on the bones of her cheeks, over which the skin was stretched like a rubber glove pulled tight.” She goes on to explain how this woman defends her Natzi husband to this day, but days after the interview commits suicide. Offred then says the most she remembers of this is the makeup.

Perhaps this memory is what triggers the following scene, which is nothing like the one before, and isn’t like any other scene in the book so far. “Then I hear something, inside my body. I’ve broken, something has cracked, that must be it. Noise is coming up, coming out of the broken place, in my face.” Hold on. This sounds very similar to one of my experiences. Let’s continue: “Without warning: I wasn’t thinking about here or there or anything. If I let the noise get out into the air it will be laughter, too loud, too much of it, someone is bound to hear, and then there will be hurrying footsteps and commands and who knows? Judgment.” These few sentences described down to a tee one of my experiences from my past. When I was smaller I used to get panic attacks, and the first time I had one, it pretty much went down just like this. This scene was so descriptive that it brought me back to that moment, I remembered it clearly as day. It was freaky. It was uncomfortable. I remember the fear of other people finding out about it, the judgment. The judgment that Offred faces is far more dangerous than mine would’ve been, but to a ten year old’s brain, it isn’t much different. The only thing is that I would replace the word laughter with crying. In that lies an irony that really brings to life the mental anguish that Offred is put through. Atwood wraps up the chapter as well as the scene with, “All I can hear now is the sound of my own heart, opening and closing, opening and closing, opening–”. It ends with just a blank space, no more punctuation, just the rest of the page blank. I imagine Offred lying there, listening to her heartbeat, hoping it doesn’t rise again, and ultimately succumbing to sleep, just as I have done many times before.

I included the paragraph about the Natzi woman not just because it has good descriptions (although it does), but also because I believe that this is directly correlated to this freak-out. See, when I had a freak out, it was usually due to some sort of trigger, like a memory or a setting. But like Offred’s memory of the documentary, these triggers didn’t seem connected at first glance. However If you look deeper you can find connections that make sense. I think her freak out is due to guilt, being with the Commander even though there are terrible things going on, and women that can’t do half of what she does. See the connection between her and the Natzi women? They’re both playing the same role as the mistress who feigns ignorance and keeps living a more enjoyable life. 

Throughout “The Handmaid’s Tale,” we’re told the story from a first-person point of view and as we read on we recognize that the narrator, Offred, isn’t a reliable narrator. This is a literary technique used to describe Offred’s character without using descriptive words. We can also describe Offred’s character with songs.

“Like A Virgin” by Madonna.

The song “Like a Virgin” talks about being intimate with someone you have such big feelings for, the experience feels new when it isn’t. In the story, Offred is in love with Luke; who we know has a wife. There are multiple times when Offred has expressed hopeless devotion to Luke regardless of his beliefs and her situation with Nick. In the scene when Offred kisses Nick in the closet, it’s implied she still thinks of him. “It’s so good, to be touched by someone, to be felt so greedily, to feel so greedy. Luke, you’d know, you’d understand. It’s you here, in another body.” (pg 99)

“Riot Grrrl” by Bikini Kill

A song about SA and rape culture, “Riot Grrrl” is the perfect protest song to the societal norms within Gilead. The construct of Gilead is very oppressive towards women. From the what they wear to how they must communicate their problems, the women of Gilead must operate in a conservative manor. That is why I think “Riot Grrrl” is a good representation of what most women are possibly feeling. The song is hard punk with sensitive lyrics and given the harsh circumstances the women must oblige to, it wouldn’t be far off to assume they have unconscious anger.

“Misery Business” by Paramore

As said before, Offred is been in a relationship with a married man, Luke. “Misery Business” is about getting back at a homewrecker. Although in this situation, Offred is the homewrecker, the narrator of the song has expressed the joy she gets in being with the guy she wants and the joy of seeing said homewrecker upset about it. “Two weeks and we had caught on fire/She’s got it out for me but I wear the biggest smile/ Whoa, I never meant to brag; But I got him where I want him now.” (Misery Business) I think Offred would like this song because of her mischievous personality.

“Just a Girl” by No Doubt

Although I am basing this song selection off of the title, it does connect to what Offred had to go through when Gilead was becoming what it is. In the beginning of the story, we’re in the gymnasium as Offred is connecting her surroundings to things she has experienced and has not experienced. Remembering how school dances take place in gymnasiums and her longing for a sexual experience, we as readers gather that she is as the song chorus puts it “Just a Girl.” “…as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair. […] There was old sex in the room and loneliness, and expectation, of something without a shape or name. I remember that yearning…” (pg 3)

“Lovefool” by The Cardigans

To be a “Lovefool” means to be in love with someone who does not feel the same. In the book, Offred gets attached to Luke through their affair. She becomes desperate for his love and attention even when he’s not around. However, we are not sure that Luke feels the same. Given that he doesn’t want to divorce his wife, we can assume that he doesn’t feel as strongly about her.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a book that unfortunately by parts relates to how society was before the 21st century. The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in the near future in New England. Specifically in a Partichal, white supremacist, dictatorial theonomic state, which is known as the Republic of Gilead. Throughout the book, there have been uncomfortable scenes that symbolize women’s worth in Gilead. Chapters 16 through 25, reveal horrific moments.

In chapter 16 Olfred talks about the uncomfortable moment she is forced to face. Both the commander and his wive; Serena Joy, want to have a child of their own but chose Olfred’s womb to be the one to carry their child. On pg. 94 Olfred says “Therefore I lie on my canopy over my head. I remember Queen Victoria’s advice to her daughter: Close your eyes and think of England. But this is not England. I wish he would hurry up.” This quote just shows that Gilead looks at women, specifically the handmaids as “baby making machines”. That phrase is pretty harsh but is the best phrase I could use to describe this quote in chapter 16. Due to the role Offred has been given, there is no way of escaping this rule. In Gilead, Men have the primary dominicance and privilege over women. Which means, no matter how uncomfortable Offred may be feeling, there is nothing she could do to avoid it or put an end to. This relates to Former Emperor of The french, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte subordinated women to their father and hubands. He did not approve of women being ones to own their personal property or belongings. Throughout Napoleon’s rules women were forbidden to enter into legal contrats, participate in lawsuits or testify in court. A quote Napolean even said was “Women are nothing but machines for producing children.” While Napolean Bonaparte had been ruling France, It had affected almost every women that lived in france but than women in France decided to take a stand. But even though women had later on took a stand, the emotional damage these women had gone through can never be replaced. Napoleaon had been one of the worst French emperors throughout history due to how he expressed himself about women, and not having equality amongst each other. Always selecting a certain role for a certain group of people.

In Chapter 19, pg. 112 it says; “We didn’t know exactly what would happen to the babies that didn’t get passed, that were declared Unbabies. But we knew they were put somewhere, quickly, away.

I had to re-read this quote multiple of times, because there is clearly something off about it. There is no section in the book that mentions where the “unbabies” are to be sent to or done with. Which just shows even though Gilead isn’t perfect, the rules that have been implemented are to be shape and change how society is in Gilead for the “better”. Gilead does not accept a child that is born with complications or doesn’t fit the standards. This portion of the book specifically resonates with a non-fictional book called the Giver. It’s a dystopian society. Everyone that lives in this society have to follow the rules and if not, one would receive some kind of punishment.

In the book, it talks about how, if twins were born, one immediately has to be dealt with and send to “elsewhere”. Also if the child is born with birth defects or complications, the same procedures will be made. The point I’m trying to make is that these dystopian societies say they want the better for everyone, but it’s the other way around. These dystopian societies are just controlling and allowing fear to build up in certain individuals. Such as women. There was a moment in the book where the aunts spoke about how they were grateful to have gotten their tubes tied. In order to not go through any mishaps. In the book, the Giver, it mentions how each person is assigned to a job, and one has to complete their assessments on time which flows with the Handmaid’s tale, since everyone has a specific role they must meet up to. If not some kind of punishment will be sent to one’s attention.

Overall, the Handmaid’s Tale connects to many different aspects of history, books, and media. One just has to re-read certain phrases in order to understand what the scene is really about because in multiple scenes one can misunderstand a phrase or the overall meaning.

Out of all the techniques Margaret Atwood used in The Handmaid’s Tale, the one that stuck out the most to me was how and when she uses quotation marks. Before reading it is necessary to understand that some parts are told from the main character’s , Offred, memory which she also established she could be making the stories up as she tells them. Other parts are told from Offred’s live point of view.. A technique that Atwoord used to distinguish when the story was being told in present or past tense was through quotation marks. Chapter 7 starts off with, “The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet. As long as I don’t move. As long as I lie still… But the night is my time out. Where should I go? Somewhere good.” (pg. 37) Then Offred starts telling a memory of her and Moira during a time they went to the same school. “You’re getting ashes in my bed, I said. If you’d make it you wouldn’t have this problem, said Moira.” (pg. 37) This memory is told in past tense however it was noted that even when characters said something there were no quotation marks around what they said. This is significant because scenes like this Atwood wants the reader to create an image in their heads contrary to the significance of scenes told in present tense. On page 137 it says, “The Commander is standing in front of the fireless fireplace, back to it, one elbow on the carved wooden overmantel, other hand in pocket.” Offred is telling this story in present tense. When Offred tells a story in present tense she will go into explicit detail about it. The quote from page 137 she makes note of the “fireless fireplace” and how the Commander was standing. The purpose of this is to get the reader engaged, create an image, and also feel what Offred may be feeling in that exact moment. This technique allows the reader to better understand Offred. In the artwork I created I tried to showcase the two different parts. On the top half is Offred going to bed however before she actually goes to sleep she basically scrolls through her memories. I drew her laying in bed with clouds above her head to represent her telling her memories. I chose to add the quote, “Where should I go?” because it is significant to understanding that the next events Offred tells are her memories. She will start telling a good memory she had and then switch to another and another one. The bottom half of the artwork is when Offred was called by the Commander to his office. I specifically chose to not include Offred in this part because when this event occurred Offred told it in present tense from her perspective. I tried to draw this scene as if we were Offred, standing in the room, and seeing it through her eyes.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood introduces the reader to Offred’s life through the aesthetics that have been imposed on her. The present of the text starts in the second chapter, with Offred’s description of the room that she wakes up to each day. Offred’s room is almost entirely plain and she glances over the appearance of each item without a second thought until she reaches the rug. The rug is made from braided rags and Offred describes it as “the kind of touch [believers] like: folk art, archaic, made by women, in their spare time, from things that have no further use. A return to traditional values.” (page 7)
“Folk art” as a category diverges greatly from any other form of art in the way it survives. Art that exists outside of the label of “folk” does so by at some point becoming contemporary, part of a specific moment or movement. Genres of art tend to burst into the zeitgeist with frenetic, cultural energy and largely fade within a century, stymied by competition with other genres. For art to be a part of the “zeitgeist” (time ghost in English) is to be mortal in a strange way. That art can still be an inspiration for others, so it isn’t lost to the future entirely, but an undeniable part of its spirit is trapped in a specific time. Folk art can exist outside of the zeitgeist and thereby last because it keeps a steady and simple ambition: tradition. To be traditional means to plow forward through time, adapting to the changing world, while still maintaining a strong identity.
The inertia of tradition succeeds in keeping folk art alive because it becomes embedded within the values of the people creating the art. Outside of its role as an informer of culture, art is self expression. As a form of expression art can be a way for people to proudly display the things that they believe in. Traditional art declares allegiance to the past, inheriting values from the past and perpetuating a stagnation of cultural development. American folk art is by no means restricted to any one group of people or inherently conservative, but it is certainly a useful tool for some who seek to foster a conservative culture. Within American culture, the values that are prioritized for conservation are mostly centered on patriarchy.

Delia’s Gone - Johnny Cash

This song is exemplary of the type of song known as a murder ballad. This type of song focuses on a murder, often the murder of a woman by her significant other who perceives her as having some sort of immoral behavior that warrants her death. In “Delia’s Gone” Cash sings that he shot Delia because she was “low down and triflin’”.

Beer For My Horses - Willie Nelson, Toby Keith

This song displays the way that much art focused on tradition has an idyllic view of the past even if it is extremely violent. The song contains the lyrics “back in my day, son A man had to answer for the wicked that he done … Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys Hang them high in the street for all the people to see that”, referring to lynchings.

The society of Gilead uses folk art as a tool for maintaining gender hierarchy. In Gilead, having a patriarchy is a struggle for power that is reliant on the belief that men were created by God to be more responsible and therefore superior to women. The illusion that power is held ultimately by God, and not men is reinforced by placing some limitations on men as well as women. But, God’s only action comes after death, so in the dynamics of Gilead control is actually exerted by men. Aesthetics are an important part of the mythology that upholds patriarchy, so any art is limited to fit the value of subservience in women.

You’re Going to Miss This - Trace Adkins

Adkins’ song gives an example of the type of restrictive gender roles that have been put on women in North American history. The song is centered around the life a woman wants to have and the full course of her life from turning 18 is focused on raising children and serving her husband.

Red Solo Cup - Toby Keith

Keith’s dong also exemplifies the harmful gender roles of country music, but this time it focuses on the limitations put on men to avoid any sense of femininity. “And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicles If you prefer drinking from glass”

As a piece of folk art, Offred’s rug represents the “traditional values” that strip Offred of her autonomy and grant power over her life to men. These values are placed in her room without her having any say in it. Art is used here to underpin the ways that the patriarchy in Gilead has removed control from Offred’s life. On page 139 the commander refers to Offred’s room as her house and that is essentially how it functions. In America a house serves as a person’s domain, ownership of a space allows a person to exercise their freedom to express themselves as they please. That freedom has been taken from Offred because even in the space where she has some semblance of privacy, she is not allowed to express herself, all expression is taken care of for her by a rug in a blank room she describes as “government issue” (page 7).

Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves

This song is a commentary on the gender roles that appear in country music, particularly the limitations put on women that clearly are only meant to control them. “If you save yourself for marriage, you’re a bore If you don’t save yourself for marriage, you’re a horrible person If you won’t have a drink, then you’re a prude But they’ll call you a drunk as soon as you down the first one”.

Rogers, A. (n.d.). Sexism In Unexpected Places: An Analysis of Country Music Lyrics. University of South Carolina. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/research/news_and_pubs/caravel/archive/2013/2013-caravel-sexism-in-unexpected-places.php

Literary Hub November. (2018, November 14). On the Complicated Legacy of American Country Music. Literary Hub. https://lithub.com/on-the-complicated-legacy-of-american-country-music/

Smith, C. E. (2021, July 21). The Real History of Murder Ballads in American Music. Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a37078255/history-of-murder-ballads-stagger-lee-true-story/

Jacobs, T. (2019, May 7). Country Hits Increasingly Objectify Women and Glorify Whiteness. Pacific Standard. https://psmag.com/news/country-hits-are-getting-more-misogynistic-according-to-new-research

In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, there is a theme that pregnancy holds great significance throughout the story. The scene above is describing the moment when the main character Offred and another handmaid Ofglen went to a store named Milk and Honey with coupons for certain items. They encounter Ofwarren, also known as Janine; her real name. Both Offred and Ofwarren are outlined in red, to highlight whose point of view the readers are looking through, and the main focus. Atwood states, “As we wait in our double line, the door opens and two more women come in, both in red dresses and white wings of the Handmaids. One is vastly pregnant; her belly, under her loose garment, swells triumphantly. There is a shifting in the room, a murmur, an escape of breath; despite ourselves we turn our heads, blatantly, to see better; our fingers itch to touch her. She’s a magic presence to us, an object of envy and desire, we covet her.” (p. 26)

This quote strongly explains the importance and significance of pregnancy. The general thought the women were having as they waited in line is expressed by the thought bubble above their head. It was an uncommon thing for pregnant women to leave the house to go shopping. These duties are handed off to others when the handmaids get pregnant. The hands reaching out towards the pregnant belly represented certain key phrases such as ‘our fingers itch to touch her’ and ‘an object of envy and desire’. When reading about pregnancy the first time, the women seemed to have yearned for it. This is very important in the story because pregnancy is a representation for survival. In an interaction between the doctor and Offred, readers can begin to understand how serious it is. Atwood writes, “There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren, that’s the law. ‘Lots of women do it,’ he goes on. ‘You want a baby, don’t you?’ ‘Yes,’ I say. It’s true, and I don’t ask why, because I know. Give me children, or else I die.” (p.61)

Throughout the reading it is clear that the majority of women in Gilead are seen as objects. In order to survive, to be ‘useful’, they must be able to produce a healthy child in this corrupted system. It is important to include that the women in Gilead have adjusted to an entirely new lifestyle, norm, and purpose in life after society changed. The freedom of choice has been eradicated in Gilead, and the community is seemingly based on fertility. Women have been portrayed like objects and reproduction machines. In the Milk and Honey store, Offred along with the other women around her, couldn’t keep their attention off of Janine. The bubble is a collective thought between them, and I wanted to express that heavily in the art piece. It became a common vision they shared. The leaves by the closing door they came through represents a recent entry into the store when everyone’s focus shifted to Janine. As the readers learn more about the system throughout the story, the true value of becoming pregnant is revealed.

Violent Crimes -Kanye West In this beautiful song, Kanye reflects on his (learned) attitude toward women throughout his life. He admits with disgust to his past life of misogyny and objectification toward females and refuses to allow his daughter to experience the same. He raps about the birth of his daughter bringing him to the realization of his wrong doings, and how becoming a father taught him to value women as complete people who can think and make decisions for themselves; not objects for him and other men to use for their misogynistic pleasure. He wants to protect her from this male dominated world. His remorse is expressed specifically in this line, ‘Father forgive me, I’m scared of the karma. ‘Cause now I see women as somethin’ to nurture Not somethin’ to conquer.’ Also, I think Kanye realizes that women’s rights are volatile, and are currently being stripped away bit by bit by our government and judicial system. This song demonstrates his willingness to fight for the deserved rights of his daughter and all females.

I think Margaret Atwood has told a story that’s parallel to Kanye’s journey.

In the society of Gilead, women were very much controlled to meet the needs of men. Unwomen are the lowest class, they are women who cannot have children and therefore have no value. Females could easily be classified as Unwomen at the whim of any man. The text states, “He could fake the tests, report me for cancer, for infertility, have me shipped off to the Colonies, with the Unwomen.” Because women in Gilead are only valued for their ability to have children, those who cannot are not even considered women.

There’s something deeper Atwood is trying to say that Kanye is as well.

Throughout the story we learn that Gilead hasn’t existed for very long. Offred leads a full life in regular day America and can clearly remember times before Gilead. A time where women fought for rights that they thought they deserved. That means society made this shift into handmaids and Gilead only a few years before, at most. It’s hard to believe that centuries of suffragette work could be undone in only a few years; but that is exactly Atwoods point. She’s reminding us just how quickly society can regress, reminding us how volatile and in danger our present day civil rights are.

Kanye is doing the same. He’s telling us how quickly his entire world view changed just because of one event. The birth of his child. Handmaids in Gilead exist because of how rare fertility is. While the birth of Kanye’s Daughter made him see women as complete people, the lack of childbirth in America turned society’s view of women into only objects for birthing children, and so Gilead was born. The stories are two sides of the same coin.

You must Love me - Jay Z In this song, Jay Z raps about his real life experiences of being a kid, shooting his brother over jewelry. He raps, “But the adrenaline and my ego hurt combined Drove me berserk, saw the devil in your eyes High off more than weed Confused, I just closed my young eyes and squeezed What a sound, opened my eyes just in time To see you stumbling to the ground Damn what the fuck I done now? Runnin’ around in a circle thinking I’m assed out Hot gun burnin’ my waist, ran straight to Jaz’ house” Jay Z then raps about his brother immediately forgiving him and specifically asking to see him in the hospital just a day later. He raps, “Left the scene how could I go out that way Still you asked to see me in the hospital the next day You must love me”

This reminds me of the theme of sorority in the Handmaid’s tale. Specifically, Offfred’s interactions with Janine. During the testifying ceremony, Janine shares her experience of being gang raped as a child with the other handmaids. In response they shame her and claim that she brought it upon herself. On page 72, the text states, “It’s Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion… But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault, we all chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did.”

Offfred and the other handmaidens in this scene represent Jay Z, attacking, wounding and betraying their sister. But just like Jay Z’s brother, Janine forgives them and they unify in the hospital while helping with the birth of Janine’s child. One page 127, the text states, “We stand between Janine and the bed, so she won’t have to see this. Someone gives her a drink of grape juice. I hope there’s wine in it, she’s still having the pains, for the afterbirth, she’s crying helplessly, burnt out miserable tears. Nevertheless we are jubilant, it’s a victory for all of us. We’ve done it. In both stories, the parties wrong doings are forgiven , because it’s brotherhood/sisterhood that keeps them together.

The Revolution will not be Televised - Gil Scott Heron When I think of Moira, I think of this song. Well, it’s less of a song and more of a call to action, Gil Scott Heron uses his platform to persuade those standing on the sideline to join the civil rights movement and fight against oppression.

Before Gilead, Moira was a vocal feminist, fighting for the downfall of American society’s misogyny. After Moira escapes the camps, Offered reflects on her feelings toward her. On page 133, the text states, “Moira was like an elevator with open sides. She made us dizzy. Already we were losing the taste for freedom, already we were finding these walls secure. In the upper reaches of the atmosphere you’d come apart, you’d vaporize, there would be no pressure holding you together. Nevertheless Moira was our fantasy.” Just like Heron, Moira is a symbol proving you can fight against your oppressors, and just like Heron, Moira makes the HandMaids content with their position feel uncomfortable.

Feel it in the Air - Beanie Sigel Beanie Sigel raps about his paranoia and the guard he keeps up while moving in the street. He describes it as a kind of spidey sense that keeps him out of danger. He raps,”Somethin’ going on, I feel funny Can’t tell me nothin’ different, my nose twitchin’ intuition setting in like Steve vision I still close my eyes, I still see visions Still hear that voice in the back of my mind So what I do? I still take heed, I still listen…I read between the lines of the eyes and your brows Your handshake ain’t matching your smile, aha, you niggas foul (I can feel it in the air)” This song reminds me of Offred’s mistrust. Throughout her narration she talks about seeing through people’s true intentions. For example on page 136 the text states, “ But there must be something he wants, from me. To want is to have a weakness. It’s this weakness, whatever it is, that entices me. It’s like a small crack in a wall, before now impenetrable. If I press my eye to it, this weakness of his, I may be able to see my way clear. I want to know what he wants.” Just like Beanie Sigel, Offfred knows that people usually aren’t what they seem.

Fake Love - Drake Drake sings about the fake love people show him because of his fame and power. This reminds me of the way Offred acts toward the commander, on page 140, the text states”I go to him and play my lips close, against his… He draws away and looks down at me. There’s the smile again, the sheepish one. Such candor. Not like that, he says. As if you meant it.” The Commander recognizes that Offfred doen’t truly care about him, and only kisses him because of the power he holds over her.

The Handmaid’s Tale is packed with real-world connections; the most obvious is the politics around controlling women’s bodies. Gilead uses abortion and clothing as some of the ways of oppressing the women of its society, which can be reflected in our own.

This ongoing theme of controlling women’s bodies in The Handmaid’s Tale is so relevant considering all that’s happened in the past year with Roe v Wade getting overturned. In the book, it depicts ex-doctors that had performed abortions in the time before that have been hanged/killed for it. A real-life comparison that immediately comes to mind is southern states since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Some southern states have not only outlawed abortion but have created laws so strongly against it that anyone that got an abortion/performed one would get a life sentence in prison. In Gilead, people have been taught the propaganda around the concept of abortion. As stated on page 33, “These men, we’ve been told, are like war criminals. It’s no excuse that what they did was legal at the time: their crimes are retroactive. They have committed atrocities and must be made into examples, for the rest.” This has become so sensitive in some states that recent laws to prosecute doctors not only for abortion, but for discussing abortion, or discussing ‘family planning.’ While the consequences for breaking these laws aren’t as bad as what happens in Gilead, real life doctors are made examples of in our society for other doctors as a warning. Just as the people of Gilead understand what happened when they pass a salvaging and see exactly why a man was executed - “Each has a placard hung around his neck to show why he has been executed: a drawing of a human fetus.”(pg 32) - doctors in our society are made an example of through news sources, so people understand the gravity of performing/undergoing an abortion and what the consequences are. That is just recent legal development. Abortion doctors have been killed/assaulted in the USA since the 1980s. Not only that, there have been cases of clinics getting vandalized and even bombed. It’s a very slippery slope between the legal and illegal situations surrounding abortion that could lead to how anti-abortion culture in Gilead works.

The real-world comparisons don’t stop at abortion laws, but other ways of controlling women’s bodies. There may be large differences between Gilead and our democracy, but it is comparable in other parts of the world. Gilead has very strict laws on how women are supposed to live in their society. Every woman has a specific dress code they must follow, and dire consequences if they fail to follow them. This reminds me of other theocracies in the world such as Iran and other countries with Islamic extremes. Mahsa Amini was a woman who was arrested and beaten to death just a year ago for not wearing a hijab correctly. While we are not exactly sure what would happen in Gilead if Offred didn’t follow her Handmaid’s uniform, there have been mentions of being ‘shipped off’ or other extremes for what feels like small reasons. Just like Gilead, our world looks for ways to control women in any possible way, which happens to emphasize on clothing a lot. This method of oppression is often blamed on women. As Aunt Lydia says about men, which is just an echo of our society´s rape culture, “They can’t help it. God made them that way but he did not make you that way.” (pg. 45) Women are treated as objects in our society and Gilead´s. Victim blaming is such a common thing to happen when a woman is assaulted, the first thing that comes up is ¨what were you wearing¨. This idea is especially emphasized on page 55, ¨The spectacles women used to make of themselves. Oiling themselves like roast meat on a spit, and bare backs and shoulders, on the street, in public, and legs, not even stockings on them, no wonder these things used to happen.¨ Completely blaming something like assault on clothing is used in such an oppressive way; reinforcing the idea that ¨It’s not in men’s control.¨ “Modesty is invisibility, said Aunt Lydia. Never forget it. To be seen-to be seen-is to be-her voice trembled-penetrated. What you must be, girls, is impenetrable.” - pg. 28

There are countless other real-world comparisons to be found in The Handmaid's Tale, but the themes on controlling women's bodies are the most significant.  

¨Now and again we vary the route; there’s nothing against it, as long as we stay within the barriers. A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.¨ - pg. 174

This image outlines the use of fear in government and society. This scene takes place while the handmaid and Olglen are walking back from collecting groceries. They decided to take the long way back at home just to peer upon the wall. It is almost as if they are drawn to the scene. The handmaid thinks “I know as well as she does what she’s really after” (30) in response to Olglen wanting to see the church which is next to where the bodies hang from the wall. Why would someone want to see an image they fear? Perhaps to remind herself of her adherence to her role as a handmaid in the new society.

I wanted to have the only color in the piece be the red in the handmaid’s attire. The way they are described in the book gives the feeling of everything around them being dull and less interesting compared to the handmaids so I wanted to convey that in my piece. The red also draws the spectators eye first before the bodies hanging on the wall. My intent was for the viewer to look at the handmaid’s first and follow their gaze to the people up on the walll.

This scene is significant to me because it shows how people, especially governments use and or abuse fear. In the context of the book, fear is used to control people. If you act out of line, you will be strung up on the wall. America is very similar and only less extreme. If you act out of line, you can go to jail or you will pay a fine. Some of the world still follows the handmaid’s tales methods. It’s fear that is the backbone to any governments control over their people. This made me think about whether fear is essential for a country to function. The unfortunate truth is that it is. Without the fear of consequence there would be no societal order. The majority if not all humans possess some extent of greed. The fact of the matter is, we all want something, whether it be an item, a comfortable life, or even a comfortable life for our children. If someone such as a loved one is hurt and needs help, needs something, an item or a cure people break the law today to help them. In today’s world we see people despite possibilities of jail or a fine breaking the law to help or provide for someone they love. The love they feel outweighs the consequences for their actions. This was a driving factor for Luke, the handmaid, and their baby girl. They forged documents, disregarding the fear and tried to flee the country because of love for their freedom and child. Now think if everyone acted like this, society would be chaos. With no fear of breaking the law people would no longer need to weigh the risks and rewards of taking what they want. people would no longer need something as powerful as love to justify breaking the law. With no government, no fear of the consequences for breaking law, what is stopping people from taking what they want? Morality? Sure this could be enough for a small handful of people, but not the masses.

This brings up the question of if humans are inherently evil or not. This can be traced to experiments now outlawed such as The stanford prison experiment and Milgram experiment. The Milgram experiment demonstrated that regular humans would knowingly administer lethal doses of electricity to another person when instructed to do so by an authority figure. If people were inherently good, they would take matters into their own hands and stop delivering lethal shocks of electricity to the screaming recipient. If people were inherently good then the use of fear in government would be needed. How much fear is too much? In the handmaid’s tale, there is the very direct and extensive abuse of fear by the government. You see people disregarding their old life and conforming to a drastically different regime and lifestyle purely because of fear. In America there is the debate of if the death penalty should still be allowed, which ultimately boils down to if the government should be allowed to threaten with that level of fear. Unfortunately the world we live in isn’t so different from the handmaids, its governed all by fear.

The start of the ceremony, is the day where a child is being brought into the world, the world of Gilead. Ofred wakes ready for the special event and hears the sirens of the birthmobile which sounds like the sirens of something tragic happening like a crime and the police turning their sirens on to alert everyone on the road or the siren of a fire truck; it none of those but a siren of life where a van turns those sirens on to alert everyone that someone is giving birth. As soon as the van gets there, there are guardians standing in front of the van covered in a red carpet with other pregnant women in there waiting. The women there were crying and praying for unknown reasons. But soon enough Ofred finds out it’s because they are hoping their child comes out normal without any problems, such as coming out with missing limbs, having a hole in their organs, etc. Looking at this art piece you get to see the reader’s imagination of how the ceremony went. The first thing that would catch your attention is the van, which in this case is the Birthmobile and the three random women inside of the van. If you look deeply into this photo you can see details described early in the text such as the sirens that sound like one that you would hear during death, for ambulances, or a fire, also you can see the curtains on the windows that were mentioned on the page. 111. Once you look at the Birthmobile the second thing you may notice is Offered in a red cloak like seen in the cover of the book, being led by a guardian. She is getting in the Birthmobile in the driveway outside her home as you can see the tall apartment buildings in the background. The last detail you will see in this art piece is that the women in the Birthmobile don’t look too happy and they look like they are crying, hoping their child will come out normal and that they don’t fall in the 1 ⁄ 4 chance of their child coming out as an unbaby. Also, I made sure to make the background feel cloudy and dark because whenever the story takes place in a dystopia the first thing you think of for its setting is a dark place so I colored the background gray. This scene is Important to the story because this is the next step into Offred’s life and it changes the direction of where the story is going. At first, it was about the society they lived in and how life there is different from the lives we the reader are in. Now it is about Offred and these ceremonies that she is getting into and the relationships they are having with other characters such as the commanders and others: Serena Joy, Moria, Jannie, Aunt Lydia, and more. Even when you go on to the latter pages Offred strengthens her relationship with one of the Commanders, and he even lets her do things that aren’t allowed such as read and look at things like magazines.

Lit Log #1 For my Lit Log, I will be doing prompt #1, and comparing a part of The Handmaid’s Tale to a historical context. Specifically, I will be analyzing the later half of Chapter 22, where Moira, having had as much as she could take from The Aunts, frees herself from the re-education camp. I call the reader’s attention to page 133, where the other residents of the camp realize that “…Moira had power now, she’d been set loose, she’d set herself loose. She was now a loose woman.” The way that Moira not only escapes from the terrible fate set out for her, but also makes herself a hero in the eyes of the other handmaids-in-training reminds me very much of the 15th Century Maid of Orleans herself, Joan of Arc. The way they both radiate power, allowing themselves to become the one of the last symbols of hope in their people’s eyes, is too much of a coincidence for me to not notice.

However, there are, I believe, two small differences between Moira and Mdmsl. of Arc, that being their receival among their fellow women, and their beginnings. When Joan was fighting for the Dauphin, she did so out of loyalty to France, but also, sources say, due to the guidance of the Archangel Michael, a prominent figure in Heaven, most well known for dealing the final blow to his equally infamous brother, Lucifer Morningstar, when the latter led a revolution that, if successful, would have displaced God as the ruler of everything. Lucifer’s defeat, and subsequent(not to mention immensely publicized) banishment from Heaven, led to him becoming the being we know and loathe today as The Devil.

Moira, on the other hand, fights only for herself, and against power and religion, as the latter is what got her(as well as the whole country)into this whole handmaid situation in the first place. From that point of view, one might see her as a sort of Anti-Hero Joan of Arc. Not only that, but her reasons for fighting are extremely similar to Lucifer’s as well, both parties wanting more than the fates that those in power had arranged for them. However, for the sake of Moira’s image in the eyes of the readers, I’m going to continue with the Joan of Arc comparison.

However, the difference in their receival among their fellow women is much more, shall we say, hard to distinguish, but can be detected by a keen literary eye. Both Joan and Moira are despised by the men of their era, and admired by the women, of their generation as well as ours, though it is in public opinion where the difference can be found. Where Joan today is lauded with terms of heroism among females and males alike, Moira’s reception is more akin to that of Joan when she was alive, only loved by women, in secret, lest they too be accused of uprising. My point is illustrated best by Offred on Page 133, where she writes: “We hugged her to us, she was with us in secret, a giggle; she was lava beneath the crust of daily life. In the light of Moira, the Aunts were less fearsome and more absurd. Their power had a flaw to it.” The terms upon which Offred is writing this are what I will be discussing next: her escape from the training camp.

Another great author, Roald Dahl, once wrote that most people, when faced with challenges of the highest degree, surrender and hope that things turn out for the best, while others choose to push as hard as they can, with every ounce of strength they have, to overcome said challenges. Moira, as is plainly obvious to anyone who reads Chapter 22 of The Handmaid’s Tale, is one of the latter. The sheer bravery she showed in threatening Aunt Elizabeth like that, followed by stripping her to her skivvies and impersonating her to escape, is reminiscent, like many other things in THT, of the Jews who were forced to employ all manners of deception to escape the Holocaust, in that only those with an unshakeable nerve would have been able to pull it off. After that, though, Moira’s fate is completely up in the air. She seems to have completely vanished from the face of the Earth after escaping the camp. Of course, one can only imagine what sort of effects this has on Offred’s already scarred mind. All I hope is that Moira doesn’t meet the same fate as Joan of Arc, burned at the stake like a marshmallow.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is written about women in this fictional dystopia and how they are treated, but while reading, I see many instances that remind me of my life. As a woman, I have experienced my share of harassment. It began at a very young age. I remember at elementary school, one guy in my class grabbed my chest and tried to play it off as an accident. I didn’t know what to do. At the young age of 10, I was afraid to speak up, scared I’d be told I’m overreacting simply because it was an “accident”. All I did was slap him and walk away. It was all I could get my body to do.

In our society, when a woman is assaulted, the question is always “what were you wearing? “Why didn’t you fight him off?” “Maybe you gave him a signal that you wanted it.” The blame is somehow always put upon the victim, and not the aggressor. The Handmaid’s Tale has the same thought process. When Aunt Lydia says “They can’t help it. God made them that way but he did not make you that way.” (45) When she says this, she is shifting the blame onto the women, saying that it is in man’s nature to behave this way. That it is on the women if they are raped or assaulted. This makes women afraid to speak out, like how I was.

As I got older, it only got worse for me. Being touched without my permission became a constant recurring thing in middle school. From the groping of my chest, to a guy flipping my skirt up and running away. I remember confronting that guy the next day with my friends around me. Once I was done speaking, I pushed him to leave. My friends clapped and encouraged me that I did the right thing. But at that moment I did not feel empowered. I felt weak, similar to how the women in this book feel.

Being raped is a fear I have that is always in my mind. When I am alone taking my train and bus home, I always have that thought in my head. “Is he coming over here?” I keep my head bowed to act like I’m on my phone as I glance up to see where he goes. “Why is he looking at me?” I move so I’m out of his line of sight. If there’s a group of guys, walk fast and don’t make eye contact. If he says hi to me, don’t respond. But then again, no reply could put me in just as much danger.

Countless women have been killed for simply saying no. No to giving out their names, their numbers, or for even not smiling back when spoken to. “Sometimes it’s dangerous not to speak” (29) is a quote I deeply relate to. When you live in a world where anything could set off a man and get you killed, it’s terrifying. When women are catcalled, we are expected to take that as a compliment. We have to hide how we actually feel just to get home safely. The ending scene in chapter 11 reminds me of this. “I must leave the impression that I am not offended.” (61) When I had to read chapter 11, I could not read it. Having to read a descriptive section of someone getting assaulted made me cringe. I can never read or watch a rape scene it just makes me sick. I do not like having to imagine that. I had to skip around that page.

The women in the Handmaid’s Tale society main role is carrying children. It is so important that if you are not able to have kids, you are now an Unwoman and get sent to an island. You are deemed useless. Being sent there is like a punishment. It’s something the women want to avoid. This is clear throughout the book, but is evident after Janine gives birth in chapter 21. Since she has proven herself still useful to this society, “she’ll never be sent to the Colonies, she’ll never be declared an Unwoman. That is her reward.” (127) And that is it.

The need for the woman to bring children into the world as the only thing that makes them useful reminded me a lot of how society in our world is. Although we live in a time where women have more choice of what they want to do with their lives, having kids is always expected. I hear this from my Mother often, as she continues hoping I’ll change my mind and want kids at some point in my life.

Life as a woman is like constantly walking on eggshells just to be safe, just like in The Handmaid’s Tale. The book is a mirror of reality. I see that very clearly.

Right now our country is divided between right and left. Both sides are seemingly trying to pull the country in two opposite directions. I know you said we should write about politics OR religion, but I feel that in this scenario we cannot separate the two. As of 2023 over 60% of the U.S. Population identifies as Christian, and about 25% identify as catholic. A large wave of conservatism has been running rampant through our country for quite a long time now and with social media that wave is only growing with younger people also adopting these older politics. Many of our republican representatives share these very strong, conservative political views that deeply impact women (and men) stemming from Christian ideals.

Abortion has been a very controversial topic for longer than I could probably imagine. Recently, it has still been at the forefront of political discussions and debates with pro-life and pro-choice protests sparking violence. The Handmaid’s Tale has made it very clear that Gilead is a pro-life society and abortion is punishable by death. Even assisting with an abortion can turn you into an ornament on “the Wall” where those killed at the “Men’s Salvagings” are displayed as a public warning.

“Each has a placard hung around his neck to show why he has been executed: a drawing of a human fetus. They were doctors, then, in the time before, when such things were legal. Angel makers, they used to call them; or was it something else?” pg. 32

As tensions around abortion laws have been brewing, most recently, Roe v. Wade was overturned which has greatly upset those with pro-choice values. Remember that The Handmaid’s Tale was written as a precautionary tale and Margret Atwood did not put anything in here that she says humans haven’t already done. Gilead is the direction she believes we are going in and the overturning of Roe v. Wade can be considered a step in that direction.

There has always been a stigma around sex in the catholic church. Many christians believe sex should be for reproductive purposes only, which is why any pre-marital sex is considered sin. The idea is that sex is a means for an end, usually a family. However in Gilead it doesn’t seem to be about starting families. The Commanders and Handmaid’s aren’t raising these babies, and they definitely aren’t starting families. Yet the negative stigma around sex for pleasure is still very present. Despite that, characters have shown clear wants for sex throughout the book. But, it’s not just the sex they want, it’s the intimacy.

“We all do it. As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire” pg. 96 Offred compares the idea of having sex with Nick in secrecy to “shooting someone”.

“He puts his hand on my arm, pulls me against him, his mouth on mine — how I’d like to — My hand goes down , how about that, I could unbutton, and then. But it’s too dangerous” pg. 98 Even the Commander, who is the one that is supposed to be reproducing with Offred and nothing more desires that intimacy.

“I want you to kiss me, said the Commander” pg. 135

Today, slut-shaming has become a very common thing in our society. Stigmatizing and ultimately condemning a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative. The wiki dictionary on slut-shaming defines sluts as “people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality”. As a society we already have “expectations” about how a woman should conduct herself in regards to her sexuality. Everyone is different when it comes to sex and the way they express their sexuality. But most people have a sex drive, and Gilead is designed to suppress them and indoctrinate them to believe sexual expression and desire is wrong.

Janine, a girl who was raped, was openly condemned in class and used as an example for all the other girls.

“Whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says — 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. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.”

“We meant it, which was the bad part.” pg. 72

We are being taught the same things now. Obviously not in such an extreme manner, but the way we see several forms of media portray sexuality and the way we see society respond, similar messages are being spread and understood as true. The most important thing about The Handmaid’s Tale in my opinion is that it is based in the future, and not the past. This book serves as a warning that is extremely relevant now as the wall of separation between church and state becomes less and less stable.

“There’s nothing in The Handmaid’s Tale that didn’t happen, somewhere” -Margaret Atwood

Playlist (feel free to listen to the songs as you read):

DAYLIGHT - DAVID KUSHNER

GOOD GRIEF - BASTILLE

YOUR’RE SOMEBODY ELSE - FLORA CASH

WHO I AM - THE SCORE

HARD SOMETIMES - RUEL

In the Handmaid’s Tale, we follow Offred through her day to day life that seems traumatizing in so many different ways. Offred experiencing awful relationships herself, and bearing witness to gruesome images of those around her are just some of the common occurrences her day may include - yet through all of this, were reminded multiple times of Offred’s desire to steal something.

At a first glance, this repeated detail can seem like it´s unnoteworthy, and a strange choice of a detail to repeat - quite literally in the context of safety concerning situations. To me though, Offred’s desire to steal something seems deeper: it seems like a fight for something to represent herself with.

In our world, I see self expression as fundamental to human existence - people represent their values, identity and aspirations in everything they do. Whether in person or online, communities people choose to be a part of are key to their identity - identity can be signaled or fulfilled by joining religious congregations, social groups and sports clubs. Clothing items also let people show off their individual style, and sometimes even show beliefs for social / political norms.

In Gilead, Offred has none of this. She, along with all the other women of Guiliad are stripped from their personalities and valued by society solely for their labor and reproductive roles. Women are classified by their roles: Wives, Handmaids who have babies, or Martha’s who clean and cook. Handmaid’s like Offred take on the literal names of their commanders (¨Of - Fred¨), and all of them are assigned a strict dress code.

I don’t see Offred’s desire to steal something as an evil craving, a means to upset the item’s owner or even just a desire to get a useful item. I see it as solely a craving for something to represent herself. Who wouldn’t crave this item like if they were in Gilead? Offred stealing this item would object to the rules of Guilead, object to the roles of power, and give her a physical, rebellious keepsake. Looking at it would be a reminder to how she did not conform to Guilad’s rules - she was better than them!

Later in the text on pages 136-137, once we’re already introduced to Offred’s desire, Atwood seems to further touch on this interest and illustrate it as a true personal Journey Offred feels she needs : Offred says “It’s an old one, he said, a curio of sorts. From the seventies, I think. A Vogue. This like a wine connoisseur dropping a name. I thought you might like to look at it. I hung back. He might be testing me, to see how deep my indoctrination had really gone. It’s not permitted, I said. In here, it is, he said quietly. I saw the point. Having broken the main taboo, why should I hesitate over another one, something minor? Or another, or another; who could tell where it might stop? Behind this particular door, taboo dissolved.”

Initially, this was confusing. It goes against the sensible solution of why we kept hearing about Offred’s desire to steal something. How does an antique, rare Vogue article not sound like the perfect thing? How could Offred be such a beggar and chooser? It even had the illegal element that Offred desired?! Later on though, I realized the embarrassingly obvious intention as to why this was included by Atwood, that answers all of the questions as to why the item stealing was brought up so many times: this desire of an item, isn’t just a desire for a single physical item that represents Offred, it’s a desire for the journey of that item. The commander giving this item to Offred, not only takes away from the illegality and power proving desire of truly stealing something - but it also makes it come from someone she hates.

Offred recognizes she is far from herself ; Offred even recounts memories of her younger self in an alien-like way. For Offred, this item stealing detail shows us that she needs this personal improvement - but even if she steals the perfect item - Offred will be far from fulfilled. Assuming that Atwood will eventually wrap up the book in some heartwarming way (given so far gruesome nature) that completes Offred’s journey - makes me think that something big will happen. No simple end to the book like Guilead’s end to the oppressive society or Offred’s escape could do the job ; I think Offred will have to do something incredibly dominant to reach a far opposite of the power she feels now. Maybe kill the commander.

This artwork represents the relationship between the Handmaids and the Commander in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Just like with a shepherd and his sheep, the Commander both controls and cares for the Handmaids. Like a shepherd used his sheep for their wool, the Commander uses the Handmaids for their ability to conceive. Shepherds must watch over their herd, like the Commander watches over his Household. Throughout the book, the Handmaid’s are controlled in everything they do, who they can talk to, where they go. Etc. They are simultaneously manipulated, through indoctrination and punishment. In chapter 13, the narrator even compares herself to a farm animal, saying, “I wait, washed, brushed, fed, like a prize pig.” (69) She and her fellow Handmaids are treated like animals, to serve a singular purpose. This idea is significant because Gilead relies so heavily on its power structure to function the way it does. The Handmaids are at the very bottom of the pyramid, while the Commander sits at the top. The Handmaids are powerless, like animals in a farm, and have no choice but to follow the commands they are given. The Handmaids are treated as less than human beings, as simply baby machines.

The book also contains a lot of Biblical references and imagery that I wanted to emphasize in my artwork. Sheep and shepherds are a common metaphor in the Bible, typically with God as the shepherd and his “children” as the sheep. Because Gilead is a very religious based society, I wanted to extend this metaphor through my artwork. I chose to have all the sheep looking at the Commander to reference the scene where the Household is listening to him read the Bible. At this moment, the narrator thinks, “we’re all watching him. It’s the one thing we can really do, and it is not for nothing: if he were to falter, fail, or die, what would become of us?” (88) This relates back to the sheep and shepherd metaphor because the Handmaids must rely on the Commander, he is their leader. I wanted my artwork to explore the line between control and care. The Handmaids must be devoted to their Commander, but not by choice, more because they see it as their duty. The Handmaid’s identities exist only as an extension of the Commander. The narrator asks “what would become of us?” because she cannot separate her existence from his. Even their names are linked to their respective Commander. The narrator’s name is “Offred” because her Commander’s name is Fred. Her identity can only be “of” him. Overall, I was very intrigued and unsettled by this relationship while reading, so I wanted to analyze it in my Lit Log.

“The Handmaid’s Tale,” written by Margaret Atwood, has drawn from many historical sources to flush out the events and world of Gilead. This is because Margaret Atwood herself was born on November 18, 1939. She has seen drastic changes in society and put some historical parallels into “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Atwood said, “ When I wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, nothing went into it that had not happened in real life somewhere at some time. Some key events that would inspire Atwood in her life are World War II, the beliefs of Nazi Germany, and the rise of the conservative Christian right in the 1980s. In this essay, I will be focusing on the two influences that helped shape the world of Gilead.

Margaret Atwood was born three months after the start of World War II. Her early childhood was filled with memories of seeing her neighbors being sent off to war. World War II, more specifically, Nazi Germany, inspired the world of Gilead in major ways. The most direct parallel between Nazi Germany and the world of Gilead are the handmaids and the extra wives of SS men. Heinrich Himmler was an avid supporter of polygamy. The Nazis claimed that monogamy was satanic and created by the Catholic Church. Many high-ranking Nazi officials would claim these extra wives or mistresses. This was called the Lebensborn program. These women would be used to birth children of “racial purity”. You can draw clear parallels between the SS men, the commanders, the handmaids, and the extra wives. During the creation of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a movement raged through America that sought to return America to “traditional” values. This movement was known as the conservative Christian movement. The Conservative Christian Right is a movement dating back to the 1940s and is the second major inspiration for the society of Gilead. Gilead is hinted at to be America throughout the story.

“We had flannelette sheets, like children’s, and army-issue blankets, old ones that still said U.S.”- page 4

“The Handmaid’s Tale” takes place in a theocratic nation where belief in Christianity is compulsory, and gender roles are rigid and driven to their extremes. In Gilead those who go against its norms will be either banished, killed, or beaten ruthlessly.

“What they are hanging from is hooks. The hooks have been set into the brickwork of the Wall, for this purpose.”… “Each has a placard hung around his neck to show why he has been executed: a drawing of a human fetus. They were doctors, then, in the time before, when such things were legal.” – Page 32

Gilead is the ideal American future for Christian conservative movement. In the book, there are characters directly based on key figures of the conservative Christian movement. For example, you have Serena Joy, who was based on Phyllis Schlafly, an anti-feminist. You can see this in the book.

“She was good at it. Her speeches were about the sanctity of the home and about how women should stay home. Serena Joy didn’t do this herself. She made speeches instead, but she presented this failure of hers as a sacrifice she was limiting for the good of all.” Page 45

This is a direct parallel to the real woman. Phyllis Schlafly was a woman who preached the same beliefs and was a key figure in the conservative Christian right.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” is a cautionary tale in addition to being a brilliant work of fiction. “The Handmaid’s Tale,” written by Atwood, presents a society in which social emancipation has only regressed while time has advanced. Atwood draws these stark similarities to actual historical occurrences. From Nazi Germany to the conservative Christian movement, Atwood was warning the reader against allowing these regressive and conservative ideas to corrupt and swallow them. Hopefully after reading “The Handmaid’s Tale” you will take this message to the real world.

Six Feet Under- Billie Eilish

Six Feet Under by Billie Eilish, a haunting song about love and loss, resonates deeply with the themes in The Handmaid’s Tale. The song’s melancholic tone and lyrics reflect the underlying despair and longing that permeate the life of Offred. In this society where women are stripped of autonomy and identity, Offred, like the persona in “Six Feet Under,” experiences a symbolic death - the loss of her past life, name, and family.

The line “Our love is six feet under” particularly echoes Offred’s silent mourning for her illicit relationship with Nick and the burning memories of her husband, from whom she’s been forcibly separated. Both the song and the book explore themes of love’s remnants in the face of oppressive forces, the burial of the characters’ former selves, and their struggle to maintain hope and identity when everything has been taken away. Through this lens, “Six Feet Under” encapsulates the emotional landscape of The Handmaid’s Tale.

You’re somebody else - Flora Cash

You’re Somebody Else by Flora Cash mirrors the internal conflict Offred experiences in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The song’s chorus, “You look like yourself, but you’re somebody else,” reflects the cognitive dissonance Offred undergoes, forced into the role of a Handmaid while remnants of her former self linger. She navigates this by dissociating from her current reality, a psychological defense mechanism poignantly captured as she states, “I try not to think too much. Like other things now, thought must be rationed” (116).

Offred’s dissociation is further evidenced when she forgets portions of her past, her identity blurred and eroded by Gilead’s oppressions. She admits, “I can’t remember what my real name is” (84), signifying her loss of self, similar to the song’s narrative of not recognizing someone once cherished. The line “Well you talk like yourself. No, I hear someone else” from the song echoes Offred’s struggle to connect with who she was before Gilead, her past self becoming a stranger. Both the novel and the song artfully express the haunting journey through loss, adaptation, and the human spirit’s resilience amidst the erasure of identity.

Atlantis- Seafret

The song Atlantis by Seafret captures the profound sense of loss and helplessness. Atlantis parallels the despair in The Handmaid’s Tale, its lyrics about a distant utopia reflecting Offred’s sense of helplessness and her shattered reality in Gilead. Her feeling of confinement is vividly captured, mirroring the song’s narrative of an unreachable haven.

Offred’s overwhelming sadness and sense of loss resonate with the song’s chorus, “I want you to know that I can’t let you go.” She clings to her past yet feels powerless, a sentiment echoed in her poignant realization: “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print” (20). Both the song and the novel encapsulate a longing for what once was, underscoring a shared theme of enduring spirit amidst loss and captivity.

Homesick- Boywithuke

Homesick by Boywithuke resonates with the profound longing and sense of loss that Offred experiences in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The song’s essence of yearning for something unattainable deeply reflects Offred’s internal landscape as she aches for her child and the life she was forcibly untethered from. This intense longing is palpable when Offred painfully reflects, “I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable” (127).

Her memories are faint, almost out of reach, yet charged with emotions she cannot suppress. “The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet. As long as I lie still,” (52), Offred muses, indicating her silent calls and yearnings for a savior, for a return to her past life — calls that she knows, heartbreakingly, will go unanswered.

The idea of missing something you can’t have in the song mirrors Offred’s helplessness and desire for her previous freedoms, a life that’s now a mere shadow. Her situation in Gilead is a constant reminder of those unreachable memories, making the song’s theme of homesickness an apt metaphor for her emotional exile.

Take me to Church- Hozier

Take Me to Church by Hozier connects deeply with The Handmaid’s Tale, both critiquing institutionalized religion’s corruption. The lyrics “We were born sick, heard them say it” reflect Gilead’s doctrine, where women are inherently flawed and need strict governance. This ideology is evident when the Aunts indoctrinate handmaids: “We learned to whisper almost without sound…We learned to lip-read…our heads flat on the desks, our hands at the sides of our faces to shield our words from the other girls…Aunt Lydia said.” (154).

Similarly, “I’ll tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife” from the song captures Gilead’s brutal retribution system, paralleling the fear Offred feels: “I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it’s shameful or immodest but because I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to look at something that determines me so completely.” (63), underscoring the oppression she endures due to the twisted religious dictates.

The song and the book both serve as stark reminders of the dangerous trajectory when religion is corrupted for power, highlighting the perilous outcomes of blind faith and authoritarian control in society, hinting that such influence rarely, if ever, leads to a just end.

Liquid Smooth by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfurc6KcMwk

Liquid smooth by Mitski is about recognizing that youth and beauty is a privilege. This privilege wants other people to notice it in you before it is gone; referring to getting older and plain.

Liquid smooth implements the idea of a woman’s body being seen as an object to men “my skin is plump and full of life”. We see Offred referring to this idea with her own body. “I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation… Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping.” (pg. 73)

The women in The Handmaid’s Tale are living in a civilization where the youth are more fortunate. Older women like the wives aren’t successful the way the handmaids are. Yes they have power compared to them, wealth and husbands. But they can’t have what is mostly important in the society of Gilead, children.

Once more to see you by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9yfLGT_ozQ

Once more to see you by Miski explores the strong desire to be with someone even with the circumstances of trying to maintain an image to the public. Mitski explores this by singing about important moments individuals experienced together.

“If you would let me give you pinky promise kisses, Then I wouldn’t have to scream your name. Atop of every roof in the city of my heat. If I could see you. Once more to see you.”

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the main character Offred is alone and often depressed. Her past life is gone, and the person she loved the most is as well. Throughout the book, Offred calls out to Luke in hopes he will hear her. “I looked up at the blind plaster eye in the ceiling… I wanted to feel Luke lying beside me, but there wasn’t room” (pg. 52). Offred’s state of mind is fragile and the more time passes, her deepest wish is to have someone by her side.

Bag of bones by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf0rzDVijC0

Bag of Bones by Mitski is a song about feeling trapped in one’s routine while being lost and looking for an escape. Mitski explores the song’s character as their messy room, translating to the chaos of their life and mind. “I’m all used up, pretty boy, over, and over again.” We see this feeling of being trapped with Offred’s character multiple times in The Handmaid’s Tale.

In chapter 7, Offred is able to explore the memories of her life in hopes to escape. The memories in the beginning are good and later become dark. The complete tone shift shows the chaos that is going in her mind. “I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance.” (pg. 39) Offred is tired and deeply wants to escape, she has hopes but hopes might not last forever.

Wife by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7FwNXxgl10

In the song Wife by Mitski, the deep exploration of the struggle of women defining themselves in relation to their marriage shows a sense of entrapment. Offred is not the only one that might feel trapped. Every woman character seems to have their own trouble relating to their new life. The chorus reveals that the speaker feels pain to her partner by their inability to have children together. Like Serena Joy, she daydreams about having a song and giving a name of her own.

The speaker in the second verse wants to break away from the “cliff” and find her own path but she is again held back by her inability to give children. Serena Joy is met with this fate. She spends time gardening for this exact reason. “Maybe it’s just something to keep the wives busy, to give them a sense of purpose.” (pg. 13) Hoping to take her mind away from everything she can’t give, she does things in hope to give something.

Me and my husband by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU_Dbxciei8

Me and my husband by Mitski explores the idea of companionship, unconditional love, and stability. Mitski reflects upon the dying good moments and the comfort of her marriage. The song explores the character’s sentiment towards her husband and that she is grateful to be able to depend on the man in her life.

This dynamic is seen with Serena Joy and the commander. Eversince the new age of Gilead has set in place, her relationship with the commander has undergone turbulent waters. With her inability to give children, their relationship is a mere picture and something to display stableness in the family. “As for my husband, she said, he’s just that. My husband. I want that to be perfectly clear. Till death do us part. It’s final.” (pg. 16) With her old life gone and everything she had power over, Serena Joy guards what she does have heavily in hopes she won’t lose it again.

¨The Handmaid’s Tale” is a novel that takes us into the disturbing world of Gilead a theocratic regime characterized by control and manipulation. In Chapter 13 of the book, we are introduced to Janie, a character who shares a traumatic experience, which serves as a reflection of how oppressive societies can manipulate and control individuals. As Janine’s story unfolds, she shifts the blame onto herself, a response encouraged by the oppressive to real-world historical, religious, and societal contexts where victims of various forms of oppression are pressured to internalize blame, resulting in profound psychological consequences.

Janine’s harrowing story initially appears to be recounted with an unsettling sense of pride, which gradually transforms into an admission of guilt. This transformation highlights the psychological manipulation and coercion employed by the oppressive regime of Gilead. Janine, like many others in her society, has been indoctrinated to internalize blame, even for traumatic experiences that were beyond her control. Blaming the victim is a common response encouraged by oppressive societal concepts. Victims of oppression, whether it be gender-based violence, political persecution, or systemic discrimination, often find themselves pressured to shoulder the blame for their own victimization. This phenomenon reflects a deeply ingrained culture of victim-blaming, which has persisted throughout history. It insinuates that victims bear some responsibility for their suffering, a notion used to discredit their experiences and silence their voices.

The historical context of the inquisition serves as a poignant example. The Inquisition, established by the Catholic Church during the 5th to the 19th centuries, aimed to enforce religious orthodoxy but resulted in the persecution and suffering of those deemed heretics. Similarly, Gilead’s society wields religious authority to suppress dissent and manipulate personal narratives, particulary evident in Janine’s testimony.

Living in societies where victim- blaming is prevalent takes a toll on the psyche. In Gilead, as in many real-world situations, the widespread victim blaming and insistence on personal culpability for traumatic experiences can erode self- worth, self-esteem, and emotional well being. This reflects a harsh reality where individuals who have experienced trauma must contend with the weight of societal judgment and their own-self blame. In both the fictional world of the novel and the historical context of the Inquisition, we can observe the manipulation of religious institutions and the use of religious narrative to justify persecution and suffering are recurring themes. These instances underscore the importance of safeguarding religious freedom and maintaining the separation of church and state.

Aunt Helena’s role in Janine’s testimony is significant, as she represents a figure of authority within the regime. Her manipulation of religious rhetoric to justify Janine’s suffering evokes historical instances where religious institutions have been used to legitimize oppressive practices. This includes situations in which religious leaders have sanctioned systemic abuse or discrimination, leaving individuals to grapple with the weight of their religion being manipulated to control and oppress them. The response of the other Handmaids, who shift the blame onto Janine during the Testifying event, underscores how the regime fosters a culture of victim-blaming.

This mirrors real-world contexts where victims of sexual assault, abuse, or any form of violence often face scrutiny and blame, contributing to a culture of silence and self-blame. The chanting of “Her fault, her fault” serves as an example of how societies perpetuate harmful stereotypes and narratives that perpetuate abuse and injustice. This offers a poignant commentary on the dangers of intertwining religious authority with oppressive rule. It serves as a stark reminder of how religious institutions, when co-opted by authoritarian powers, can be used to justify persecution and suffering, often at the expense of individual agency and truth. The passage also demonstrates how totalitarian societies can use psychological manipulation, victim-blaming, and religious authority to silence and control individuals who have experienced trauma. This psychological manipulation is a powerful tool for oppressive regimes, as it forces individuals to participate in their own subjugation.

In conclusion, the psychological toll of victim-blaming, as portrayed in “chapter 13” is not confined to the fictional world of Gilead. It reflects a grim reality in real-world historical, religious, and societal contexts, where individuals who have experienced trauma are pressured to internalize blame. The parallels between Janine’s experience and historical instances such as the Inquisition underscore the need to challenge oppressive systems that perpetuate harmful narratives and victimization. “The Handmaid’s Tale” offers compelling commentary on the complex interplay between power, control, and individual resilience in the face of adversity. It serves as a stark reminder of the profound impact of oppressive ideologies on the victims.

In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood all of the handmaids are basically prisoners. The only thing that people can’t stop them from doing is remembering their old life, and imagining who they would have been if they weren’t handmaids. “The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet. The night is my time out. Where should I go?…I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling… if it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending.” The main character Offred talks about what she did when she was younger with her mom, and remembers the old times with her best friend Moira. Those parts make me think of myself, when I sit at school during lunch or lay in bed trying to fall asleep. I think about my home, Poland. I like to go back to Poland in my head, I like to keep the memories just how they are, remember all the vacations with my parents, my childhood friends and all the things we would do at the park and in our little town. However, at the end, a lot of the times I end the story a different way than it actually happened, so that I feel better about moving here. I just tell myself a story about how coming here was better for me. Tell myself that if I was in Poland I wouldn’t have met all my friends, played sports, and had all the opportunities that I have here. Sometimes deep down I hope I would have hated it more in Poland than I do here, even though deeper down I know I would be happy there. Offred talks about her memories more than actually thinking about how her life would be right now, if everything was still normal; but I still feel like I have a personal connection to Offred, when she mentions having her free time. This connects to when Offred would watch television in the morning, and if there was nothing to watch she would put on “Growing Souls Gospel Hour ” where they told Bible stories for children and sang hymns. “The first time was on television, when I was eight or nine… one of the women was called Serena Joy. She was the lead soprano…the woman sitting in front of me was Serena joy. Or had been, once.” When she was 8, Offred used to watch Serena on television, 25 years later she’s her handmaid; this represents how we never know what will happen next, everything can change overnight; the only thing that will never really change is our ability to make stories, and remember everything that has happened to us before. Serena used to be this big, famous, person, but now she’s a nobody; her life changed out of nowhere, and now she’s doing the same thing to Offred. I used to watch American movies with my parents. I would dream about going to an American high school with a football field and going to games with my friends… but now that I’m actually here, it’s nothing like the movies I watched. “ the things I believe can’t all be true, though one of them must be. But I believe in all of them, all three versions of Luke. Whatever the truth is, I will be ready for it.” This part from Chapter 18 I feel summarizes Offred’s true feelings. She needs to have hope; hope that everything will end soon, she gets to see Luke again and her daughter. She hopes to get to live with them again, cross the border successfully and never have to worry about being taken away from them, and being killed for something that people shouldn’t have to worry about getting killed over. She hopes that she can go outside anytime she wants, go to the store and talk to people, find Moira and tell her everything that has happened to her. She hopes for her “old life” back. The Handmaid’s Tale is a representation of the word hope, and shows the reader that anything can change in life, but the past is never gone, and imagination can make or break a person.