The soundtrack of love in a locked Room by(Jay Dutton)

Even though there’s no music in Gilead, if Offred had a playlist similar to mine, emotional r and b the kind that feels like love and quiet rebellion all at once. In the handmaids tale. Chapters 35-39 show offered shifting from fear to need.

She starts seeing Nick in secret,loses trust in the commander, and begins realizing how much of herself she’s already had to bury to live. These songs by drake, jhene,pnd,future and rod , capture the mood and emotion of her life where even love feels like resistance.

Feel No Ways by Drake this song perfectly matches Offred’s growing disconnection from the commander. By this point she realizes her relationship with him isn’t love- its control dressed up as kindness drake says ¨ I had to let go of us to show myself what I could do”and that line shows how offred tries to emotionally separate herself from the commanders manipulative power.¨He was not a monster,to her mind he was the only man she was allowed¨, p 231) This line shows how Gilead traps her into confusing captivity with comfort. The song’s distant, drifting prod sounds like the mental space offred enters when she with him lowkey , polite,pretending. She’s done giving emotion to someone who sees her as property the song by drake becomes the sound of her detachment the moment she stops trying to please him and starts thinking for herself again

Jhene Aiko’s Triggered shows Offred’s emotional reaction to her secret connection with Nick. Aiko´s voice is soft but angry and full of lots and lots of heartbreak and I think thats how offred feels when she first gives in to desire again she’s been silent for so long that the rush of emotion almost overwhelms her. ¨ I tell him my real name, and feel that therefore I am known¨

That moment is like an emotional rollercoaster its not just identity its memory its rebellion which is a recurring things for offred and kind of matches the song Jhene’s Line ¨”You were my muse, now your just just a trigger¨ reminds me of how love in Gilead is dangerous its both healing and painful in my opinion. You can tell that Offred wants to feel something again even though every touch could get her killed the song fits her perfectly because it’s about reclaiming emotion after being told to look away from it and love might leave you triggered

partynextdoors come and see me. This song’s dark late at night vibe tone feels like the secret meetings between offred and Nick that Serena joy arranges. The lyrics describe sneaking around for connection Come and See me for once¨ which matches how Offred and Nick’s relationship is built entirely in whispers and shadows

¨The Fact is I no longer want to leave.¨(p 252) That line hits hard. Offred knows she’s trapped but being with Nick gives her the smallest sense of peace. “Come and See me¨ isn’t romantic in the usual way; it’s lowkey, desperate and quiet which makes it even more powerful. She not chasing romance, more of something that keeps her alive.

Heart On ice by rod wave is a really good one especially based of the artist Rod wave music is about pain and emotional scars all of which define Offred by the end of these chapters heart on ice represents the part of her that has to shut down feelings just to keep moving.

I am a national resource ( p 236) that quote shows how she’s been normalized to a lifestyle of her body not being her own. And rods beautiful bar ¨Put my heart on ice cant let it show captures her emotional numbness to her world every time Offred shows her feelings she could risk a major punishment or heartbreak so she hides her heart just like she hides her thoughts her memories.

These songs tell the story of a woman who has to fight quietly to stay herself. R&B fits because its intimate it lives in emotions that Gilead erase from the norms and emotions such as love pain desire Offred may not be able to listen to music but if she could her playlist would sound like these songs feel no ways shows her rejection of control triggered and come and see me reflect the danger of loving in secret wait for u captures her longing for freedom and heart on ice shows the numbness she has to build to keep from surviving

Together these songs become a voice for what she can’t say aloud they turn her silence into sound proof that even in the most craziest world emotion can be still resistance

The loud, almost alarming energy of “Sirens” by Black Panther instantly makes me think of the Red Center, where Offred and the other women are brainwashed at the start. In Chapter 13, there’s the scene where Janine is forced to confess her gang-rape was her own fault. Offred describes, “Her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? She did. Who was bad? She was” (p. 72). That chanting is terrifying, and the song’s beat feels the same way like a constant alarm that doesn’t stop. Just like real sirens warn us of danger but also freeze us in fear the women’s voices drown out Janine’s individual voice until she has no choice but to agree. This track captures how Gilead uses fear and noise to control people, making it hard for anyone to think for themselves or break away.

“New Kind of Love” – Imogen Heap

This soft, almost dreamlike song connects to Offred’s flashbacks of Luke, her husband from before Gilead. She tries to hold onto the memory of their closeness, but it feels fragile, like something fading away. In Chapter 11, she remembers her body differently than she once did 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” (p. 73). Imogen Heap’s ghostly voice mirrors how Offred clings to the idea of real love, but in Gilead, love doesn’t exist like it used to. Instead, there’s only survival, power, and forced reproduction. The title itself, “New Kind of Love,” is almost ironic because Offred’s new reality is about anything but love. Heap’s song underlines the difference between the warm, messy memories of before and the cold, controlled version of relationships in Gilead.

“Same Script, Different Cast” – Whitney Houston

Whitney’s song could be Serena Joy’s personal anthem in the early chapters. The lyrics are about a woman warning another woman about a man who hasn’t really changed, even if he has a new partner. Serena’s whole life reflects that bitterness because her marriage to the Commander is hollow. In Chapter 8, Offred remembers Serena’s past as a televangelist: “She doesn’t make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home, but it doesn’t seem to agree with her. How furious she must be, now that she’s been taken at her word” (p. 45). Serena used to argue that women should stay in the home, and now she’s stuck in the same cage she built. The song title “Same Script, Different Cast” perfectly shows how men like the Commander keep running the same pattern—using women, then replacing them. Serena knows it, but she can’t change it, which makes her resentment grow even more.

“The Other Woman” – Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey’s vocals match Offred’s role as the Commander’s secret partner. In Chapter 16, during the Ceremony, Offred describes, “My arms are raised; she holds my hands, each of mine in each of hers. This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being. What it really means is that she is in control” (p. 94). Offred is caught between being the Commander’s mistress and being completely powerless. She’s literally “the other woman,” but not by choice. Later, when he sneaks her into his study to play Scrabble (Chapter 23), it feels like the song fits again. Even when she admits, “I want to be here, with him, here, so badly. I want to be held and told my name” (p. 112), she knows she’s being used. Lana Del Rey’s song captures that confusing mix of guilt, desire, and hopelessness that Offred feels in her double role.

“The Girl with the Tattoo” – Miguel

Miguel’s song is the perfect match for Moira. Confident, bold, and unforgettable, she is the “girl with the tattoo” who keeps fighting back against Gilead’s control. In Chapter 22, Offred remembers Moira’s daring escape from the Red Center: “Moira had power now, she’d been set loose, she’d set herself loose. She was now a loose woman” (p. 133). Miguel sings about a girl who leaves her mark, and that’s exactly what Moira does for Offred. She becomes a living reminder that resistance is still possible, even in a world designed to crush it. Just like the song admires the girl’s strength and mystery, Offred admires Moira for being the one who refuses to disappear.

Closing Thoughts

These five songs echo beneath the surface of Atwood’s world. Black Panther’s “Sirens” captures the terror of indoctrination. Imogen Heap’s “New Kind of Love” mourns how intimacy has been twisted. Whitney Houston’s “Same Script, Different Cast” channels Serena’s bitterness. Lana Del Rey’s “The Other Woman” mirrors Offred’s role as the Commander’s hidden partner. Miguel’s “The Girl with the Tattoo” celebrates Moira’s courage. Music might not exist in Gilead, but thinking about these songs proves something important no matter how strict the silence, voices still find ways to break through.