For my second Lit Log on The Handmaid’s Tale, I decided to write about a section of the story that resonates with me. The section in question takes place during the beginning of Chapter 25.

Offred wakes up, halfway in her cupboard instead of in bed. Cora was in the room, dropping the breakfast tray because of the sight before her. She thought Offred had run off, or even died.

After both of the women recollected themselves, Cora started to clean up the spilled food. They knew that too many questions would surround them if anybody knew about this incident. “I saw that it would be better if we could both pretend I’d eaten my breakfast after all [p.152],” Offred thought to herself.

Cora tells Offred that she’ll say the tray was dropped on the way out. That she’ll lie for her. “It pleased me that she was willing to lie for me, even in such a small thing, even for her own advantage. It was a link between us [p.152].”

This section stood out to me, as I’ve experienced links like this before. Links that are specific from person-to-person. Links that aren’t exactly in spite of someone or something else, but in support of dealing with them. They are often out of dishonesty, like this incident with Cora and Offred. But in return, a link between yourself and another will always make you closer.

My strongest example would be with my brother and our dad. My dad often checks my room during the evening to make sure that I’m doing my homework. Doesn’t matter which type of homework I’m doing, just that I’m doing it. One day though, I suppose he was just lazy because he decided to yell across the hallway instead of walking over.

“Is Xavier doing his work?” he shouted.

At that time, my brother and I were chatting and laughing about something random, being unproductive. I was at my desk with my computer shut, and he was sitting on my bed. I knew that I should have started my work by now. In fact, it was after 5:30 and my alarm for it had already gone off. What my brother did next surprised me, though.

“Yeah, he is.” my brother said to my dad. “He is doing his work.”

This moment is the connection I made to The Handmaid’s Tale. My brother pretty much lied for me, even though it wouldn’t have cost much for him to tell my dad the truth. “Even in such a small thing.”

It does get more complicated than that, however. While I didn’t start my homework, my brother was also the one conversing with me in the first place. It’s similar to how Cora would’ve never dropped her tray if Offred had just gone to sleep as normal. They were both factors in this situation. They were in this together. There was a link.

Between the story and my own experience, the actual stakes have both similarities and differences. Offered mentioned that “Rita would get surly if she had to cook a second breakfast [p.152],” and the same would go for my dad if he had to tell me himself to do my work. But then I would have to ask, why would they get “surly?”

With my dad, it’s about discipline and integrity. Being able to have responsibility on my own, for when I eventually leave this house and live my own life. Or at least prove to him that I have responsibility, rather. With Rita, however, it could be more due to the world they are living in. Gilead is such a stricter and ordered place than the one we live in now. It’s more run by fear than integrity. I would argue integrity barely matters at all, actually, with the clubs and Mayday resistance existing. But with so many live-or-death decisions surrounding these characters, little mishaps like ruining a breakfast simply can’t afford to happen as much as they do in real life. They have to be hidden.

Knowing the consequences of the truth, significant or insignificant, is what I believe creates the strongest link between people. The link is especially evident when they do not have to tell each other about the consequences directly. Sometimes–even if the means of achieving them are dishonest–there are just better outcomes. Both of the people involved, those people that have a link, will know that.

“Well, get to it.” my brother said, walking out of my room.

For this Lit Log, I created a visual representation of Chapter 6 from The Handmaid’s Tale. More specifically, I drew the scene regarding the wall of Gilead. The main details here are the two handmaids, Offred and Ofglen, along with the wall and its six hanging bodies.

A goal of mine with this drawing was differentiating the two handmaids without trailing too far from what happens in the actual scene. One key moment I took inspiration from was Ofglen’s tremor, along with Offred suggesting that she was crying:

“I feel a tremor in the woman beside me. Is she crying? In what way could it make her look good? I can’t afford to know. [p.33]”

Due to how Ofglen is described here, I gave her dress a more frantic pattern. This is opposed to the smoother and more vibrant dress worn by Offred, who reveals that she feels a mix of blankness and relief to the hanging bodies. Relief in particular, because she knows that none of these men are Luke.

Since the handmaids’ headgear are often referred to as “wings,” I also decided to give them literal wings behind their heads. Ofglen’s wings are sharp and alert, while Offred’s wings are more relaxed.

In case the differences with the dresses and wings were too insignificant, I also drew the handmaids’ faces next to them. Ofglen is almost squinting, soft tears running down her face, and Offred has a blank stare.

The wall is said by Offred to be at least one-hundred years old. Because of this, I tried to make it look as antique as possible with the different paint splashes, vibrant warm colors, and the messy brick textures in some areas. I wasn’t sure where the gates would fit in this image, but I did draw flood-lights along the wall instead. There are also seven hooks on the wall instead of six, because it’s noted in the story that not all of the hooks are occupied.

Regarding the hanging bodies, the primary quote I took note of was this one:

“A child’s idea of a smile. This smile of blood is what fixes the attention, finally. These are not snowmen after all. [p.32]”

Offred’s description about the bodies being like snowmen inspired multiple things for this drawing. To start, the title of this piece and the writing on the wall behind the men. I also decided to give the bodies a cold bluish-gray color, considering that they’re lifeless. They are compared to snowmen even earlier in the scene when Offred notices the outlines of the faces through the bagged heads, and suggests that they’re like snowmen without the coal eyes or carrot noses. I drew shadows in place of the eyes because of this.

Back to the main quote from before, one of the bags had blood seeping through it in the shape of a smile, “like the mouths painted with thick brushes by kindergarten children. [p.32]” This detail stood out enough for me to put the smiling body in the center, even though that would mean the other five bodies would have to be off-centered. I also made the smile glow a bit, since it’s being seen from far away.

In short, what’s portrayed in the scene are the two handmaids with opposing emotions, the eerie wall in front of them, the lifeless doctors and scientists, and the bleeding smile on one of the bags. I made sure to re-read the chapter before drawing this representation so I could include as many details and perceptions as I could. I believe this chapter in general is significant to emphasize the cruelty of Gilead, and the individuality of the two handmaids. Since it’s pretty early in the story, Chapter 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale serves as part of a well-done exposition.

Far into the future, the sea level has forced all of humanity underground. What has the world become since then?