Offred while saying her prayers uses The Lord’s Prayer but has her own insights through the prayer. The Aunts would teach the girls a prayer of supplication requesting to be fertile and bear children. Even after all of their time at the Center, both Ofglen and Offred admitted to each other that they are not true believers. “She lets out her breath, in a long sigh of relief. We have crossed the invisible line together. ‘Neither do I,’ she says.” (168.) Even though they don’t think that God really hears their prayers and can save them from this society, Offred continues to pray as she was taught. She both asks things of God while giving the reader information about her emotions. “You might even provide a Heaven for them. We need You for that. Hell we can make for ourselves.” (195.) She humbly prays for the protection of those she knows. Possibly Luke, her daughter, her mother, and others she cares about that are suffering.

Offred prays as though it is simply a habit but elaborates on how these main ideas are affected and shown in her life. “Now we come to forgiveness…Temptation comes next…Then there’s Kingdom, power, and glory.” (195.) She seems to list them as though she does this very often but gives it a spin with her emotions. She is reminded of the lessons the Aunts taught them about being tempted in this new world where there are so many rules. The Aunts convinced them that the less they knew the better off they would be. Offred has learned so much through gossip and now her time with the Commander and states, “The Fall was a fall from innocence to knowledge.” (195.) When sin came into the world, it was Adam and Eve wanting to be in the same position as God in their power. Offred is learning more about the ongoings, gaining knowledge and with that comes power.

Offred’s suicidal thoughts and confusion about life are also introduced more in depth during her prayer. “All you’d have to do, after attaching yourself, would be to lean your weight forward and not fight.” (195.) She has thought about this and acknowledged it before believing that she would be better off dead than here knowing that suicide is something very frowned upon yet somewhat common for the handmaid’s. Offred does not seem to believe the words that are in the prayer and is countering them with the struggles she is faced with in this society. “Oh God. It’s no joke. Oh God oh God. How can I keep on living?” (195.) She specifies how the society is living in has brought her to believe death would be a better option.

Offred’s difficulty with faith is brought to light and the reader is faced with considering the two sides. “I feel very unreal, talking to You like this. I feel as if I’m talking to a wall. I wish You’d answer. I feel so alone.” (195.) Offred talks about the doubts and questions that follow being a believer of a certain faith. Especially when there are so many problems in the world she is in it makes it harder to believe in something you can not see. People today are continuously struggling with believing God is real due to so many things. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says “we walk by faith, not by sight.” This is always a hard thing to accept because it sounds easy but in reality learning to follow a religion where you are only able to rely on that faith is challenging.

Despite Offred’s challenges with her faith and the Aunts religious teachings, she seems to believe in some higher power and that there truly is a God. “I don’t believe for an instant that what’s going on out there is what You meant.” (194.) The reader is not given a background on Offred’s religious beliefs before changes to the society were made, but saying this implies she knows God is good and has a plan. “If I were You I’d be fed up. I’d really be sick of it. I guess that’s the difference between us.” (195.) She acknowledges God’s higher power and the difference between a sinner and God. Offred also prays, “You must feel pretty ripped off. I guess it’s not the first time.” (195.) The reader could relate this to a myriad of things that are going on in Gilead. She is being almost apathetic towards God about the conflicts found in Gilead. Romans 5:12 says “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Offred believes that the sinful actions have happened before because she knows that she is in a sinful world. Compiling so much into one prayer that was already incredibly intricate, Offred gives the reader more insight on her true beliefs.

Ever since the commander sneaked Offred out to the hotel room, we’ve encountered a variety of what I would like to call “Gilead Math”. Similar to the trend TikTok has been going around— we got the girl math, boy math, etc. Gilead Math is a system and systems can not be created by itself. Behind the scenes, there will always be an influencer. I call them the Math-stermind. Welcome to Gilead Math as I slowly uncover the Math-stermind behind it all!

Gilead revolves around a system with circumstances and status. Take away your status and you’re left with nothing. And what happens to people who are useless? “They can go rot in the Colonies.” Gilead Math! From precious chapters, you already know the unwomen’s go to Colonies but you don’t exactly know what happens to them when they are in the Colonies. In chapter 33, you get a sense of what the Colonies were like during Moira’s conversation with Janine. Flashback to when they were at the Red Center— Janine still in her white cotton nightgown, talks to herself like a madman out in the open where the aunt might see her. This is her way to rebel. Compared to Moira’s form of rebellion, Janine’s was more emotional than active. Because Janine stuck out like a sore thumb, Moira had to slap her back to her senses. This was when she revealed a hint of the system of Gilead and the Colonies. “They won’t even bother to ship you to the Colonies. You go too far away and they just take you up to the Chemistry Lab and shoot you. Then they burn you up with the garbage, like an Unwoman.” (pg 216) From here, you get a sense of what the Colonies are like. “You won’t die in the Colonies, but you might as well be dead if you get yourself in there,” is what Moira meant. Going into the Colonies means you are “garbage”. Something that is disposable. “Like an Unwomen.” Moira compares the Chemistry Lab to the Colonies— “They burn you up with the garbage.”

Commander Fred likes playing his part in the play behind the scenes. He’ll do things and you would wonder why he did what he did. He treats everyone like animals— “The Commander likes it when I distinguish myself, show precocity, like an attentive pet, prick-eared and eager to perform.” (pg 183-184) Their roles are designed solely to fulfill his hunger for entertainment. Like a director of a play or a scriptwriter— the pen he withholds has the power of creation. Like the mastermind behind the scene. Status plays a big role in Gilead Math. In chapter 37, we see Commander Fred utilizing his status to its full potential! Commander Fred likes to break the rules as a way to numb his boredom. He decided to bring Offred to the hotel room where he states it’s like “walking into the past.” (pg 235) This was a place with strict surveillance to prevent people from going in and out as they pleased. Knowing that someone like Offred is strictly forbidden there, the commander chooses to do so for the sake of his own excitement. When Commander Fred introduced her to “The Club” Offred replied with “I thought this sort of thing was strictly forbidden,” he responded with “But everyone’s human, after all. It means you can’t cheat Nature. Nature demands variety, for men. It stands to reason, it’s part of the procreational strategy. It’s Nature’s plan. Women know that instinctively. Why did they buy so many different clothes in the old days? To trick the men into thinking they were several different women. A new one each day.” (pg 237) Long story short, different clothes mean a different woman each day. Boom! Gilead Math.

“Commander Fred isn’t a terrible person,” is what he wants us to see him as. Throughout the book he conveys himself as a “decent guy”. He didn’t do anything specifically bad but nothing good either. He cheated on his wife, brought Offred and potentially many other housemaids like Offred out to The Club to “show her off,” but at the same time, he showed them the other side of Gilead— the reality. Offred even thought of the commander as “positively daddyish” (pg 184) while playing Scrabble. Surprisingly, Offred wasn’t using words to describe something sexually (maybe a little). When she said “positively daddyish,” she referred to Luke and how compared to Luke, he’s not “saying bitch in his head.” Then again, he was probably just bored and wanted to get another housemaid in trouble, or even worse, dead.

A Handmaid’s Playlist

What a Wonderful World- Joey Ramone

Offred often has flashbacks about her best friend, Moira, whose free spirit and resilience against Gilead make her a recurring symbol of the “before times”. In one of these flashbacks, Moira and Offred are studying together for an assignment for college. Everything about this scene goes against the rules of the Republic of Gilead. Offred observes Moira as wearing, “one dangly earring, the gold fingernail she wore to be eccentric, a cigarette between her stubby yellow-ended fingers.” (37) The two women are reading, smoking, talking freely, and Moira’s even writing a paper on date rape. I chose Joey Ramone’s version of “What a Wonderful World” because its energetic rock style matches the lively and unrestrained spirit in the two friends, and this genre of music is probably the last thing that would be allowed in the Republic of Gilead. This being said, the lyrics are “What a Wonderful World” and describe everything beautiful and good about the “before times”. This song choice shows how Offred misses her old life, and thinks of the world where she had freedom and individuality, as wonderful.

Have a Cigar- Pink Floyd

During the story, we often see cigarettes being used as a symbol for freedom and hope. In the “before times”, the last day women are allowed their rights is the last day Offred is able to buy a pack of cigarettes, and throughout the book we see people in power, like the Commander’s Wife, smoking frequently. During her first interaction with Serena Joy, Offred notes the cigarette in her hand and thinks, “I looked at the cigarette with longing. For me, like liquor and coffee, they are forbidden.” (14). So when Serena Joy gives Offred a cigarette, it’s like she’s offering her hope. This is especially so, because the two women have been hostile towards each other the entire book, after all, they live in a society where women are pitted against each other. Serena Joy’s offering the cigarette, and Offred taking it, shows a budding mutual respect between the two. I chose “Have a Cigar” for this moment because its title closely resembles the events of the scene, with Serena Joy telling Offred to have a cigarette. But also, the song has a dramatic tune that matches the surreal circumstance Offred finds herself in, in this moment.

99 Luftballons- Nena

This song will be played during the scene where Offred and the Commander argue about the meaning of love. Offred talks about the freedom of falling in and out of love as being part of human nature while the Commander sees love as failure and success, something that can be calculated, saying, “look at the stats, my dear. Was it really worth it, falling in love? Arranged marriages have always worked out just as well, if not better”. In the song 99 Luftballons, two kids innocently release balloons into the air, which are mistaken by international governments as a threat, and ultimately trigger a nuclear war. The song is basically about people in power turning something pure and childlike into something ugly. The Republic of Gilead similarly takes children, family and love, disregards their true meaning, and turns them into a gross process that dehumanizes women.

The Dog Days are Over- Florence and The Machine

“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” or “don’t let the bastards get you down” is scrawled in the cupboard in Offred’s bedroom, scratched there by the previous handmaid. It is right next to the row of hooks that Offred thinks about using when she’s at her lowest point. When I read this, I thought that the previous handmaid wrote it there on purpose to sort of act as a guardian angel for Offred. Whenever Offred would look to the hooks, she would have to see “don’t let the bastards get you down” or, “don’t let them do to you what they did to me”. The writing is there to tell her to hold on to hope, to stay resilient, and to not give up. I chose “The Dog Days are Over” because it sends a similar message, with the lyrics telling a story of perseverance during dark times. When Offred is feeling hopeless, she refers back to the hooks, remarking, “You could use a hook in the closet. I’ve considered the possibilities. All you’d have to do, after attaching yourself, would be to lean your weight forward and not fight.”(195) The previous handmaid’s message is telling her instead, to fight and keep going. Similarly to “What a Wonderful World”, the upbeat and lively energy of “The Dog Days are Over” serve to make the song a perfect theme of protest against the Republic of Gilead.

Gnossienne No. 1- Erik Satie

Offred often talks about the tediousness of her life as a handmaid, reflecting on how much empty time she has, especially compared to the Commander’s Wife’s freedom to knit and tend to her garden. Offred misses the “before times” when she was able to achieve small accomplishments, saying, “I envy the Commander’s Wife her knitting. It’s good to have small goals that can be easily attained.” (13) Instead, everything Offred does has a specific purpose and must go towards the greater good. This is why I chose this song to be Offred’s theme. As far as classical music goes, Gnossienne No. 1 is simple and repetitive, much like Offred’s life in the Republic of Gilead. Even the formatting of the book is like this, with a large chunk of the story simply showing us what the life of a handmaid looks like, and the chapter titles, which align with different parts of Offred’s daily routine, repeating themselves. The book is basically her day over and over, slowly changing itself as the plot develops. Gnossienne No. 1 also has a very melancholy tune that reflects Offred’s situation, and its melody has a dull quality that emphasizes the monotony of her new life.

This books ideology and theme is that man are given the higher power in order to be able and reproduce with women. We can truly use the phrase “It’s a mans world” to describe Gilead, but they wouldn’t have a purpose as men if they weren’t maids or women who also take a major role, yet they aren’t treated equally. In James Browns song titled “It’s a man’s, man’s , man’s world” he points it out, while describing that men have done a lot in society, but it wouldn’t of had been possible without a women or a girl. In chapter 16, a “ceremony” takes place where ofred the main character chooses to have intercourse in order to meet her “duty” as a maid and get pregnant, the purpose of Gilead, reproduction. “This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being. What it really means is that she is in control, of the process and thus of the product”(pg.94) This demonstrates that the women are necessary in order to create life, yes, the man sadly oppress and control this new society, but without women, it wouldn’t be nothing.

“It’s a Man’s, Man’s, “Man’s world” 

Ofred constantly tries to understand why she is used the way that she is used, as a machine, and non-human. Her body was never respected, and we can see that from both the new world of Gilead, and the way her husband Luke treated her after she had gotten fired, he still wanted to have sexual intercourse. She starts to dislike her body, for turning into the only thing people saw and judged. “ 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” (Pg.63) This connects a lot to a song by Billie eilish, titled “ What was I made for” which describes how a woman used to know what she was made for, she felt power over herself, then she’s confused in what her worth is. I believe that this connects so strongly, because ofred explains how she use to wear clothes that displayed her body, now she wants to not even see it herself.

“What was I made for”

Additionally the song by Andra Day titled “ Rise up” has a message which motivates someone to be able and continue no matter what the obstacles are.  We see this as well with ofred, even though there has been moments where she give us ideas that she’ll end her life, she keeps going. Just like there are sad moments, there is also good moments, such as her having Moira, it shows that she wasn’t alone. “I put my mouth to the wooden hole. Moira? I whisper, Is that you? She says. Yes, I say. Relief goes through me. God, do i need a cigarette, says Moira. Me too, I say. I feel Ridiculously Happy” (pg. 73) The song rise up would fit perfectly, because she gets happy and rises up for Moria, knowing that they are both in the same situation. “ And I’ll Rise up high like the waves, I’ll rise up in spite of the ache,and I’ll do it thousand times again, for you.” 

“Rise up”

The Jokers bathroom scene has a soundtrack that holds a lot of emotion in cinema, where just instrumental can convey sadness and madness. It was named “hildur guðnadóttir’ and it’s a soundtrack that shows emotion with the violin. This fits perfectly with “The handmaids tale” just like in the book, in The Joker, the society that is made. Targets a minority, that will surely sooner or later fight back. A scene where this instrumental would most fit is when ofred is with the commander, any time she is with him. This is because, we get to realize how messed up the society has become, and we also understand the uncomfortableness that ofred could feel at that moment. “ I take off my shoes and stockings and my cotton underpants and slide the feathers on, under the tent of my dress. Then I take off the dress itself and slip the thin sequined straps over my shoulders. There are shoes, too, mauve ones with absurdly high heels”(pg.231)

“Hildur guðnadóttir”

For my choice of song, the connection is about religion, how ofred started to pray. In her prayers she shows how she wants to be able and have hope in order to keep going. She gives out a prayer, that she modifies in order to go with what she is feeling. “ But I’ll try it anyway. In hope, as they say on the gravestones. You must feel pretty ripped off. I guess it’s not the first time. If I were you i’d be fed up. I’d really be sick of it. I gues that’s the difference between us.” (pg.195) In this song, it’s someone who is talking to god, and telling him that they are tired, and just want to hold on during the hard times. Something that ofred wants to do as well, but slowly is giving up.

“Im Tired’

This book’s ideology and theme is that man are given the higher power in order to be able and reproduce with women. We can truly use the phrase “It’s a mans world” to describe Gilead, but they wouldn’t have a purpose as men if they weren’t maids or women who also take a major role, yet they aren’t treated equally. In James Browns song titled “It’s a man’s, Man’s, man’s World” he points it out while describing that men have done a lot in society, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a woman or a girl. In chapter 16, a “ceremony” takes place where Ofred the main character chooses to have intercourse in order to meet her “duty” as a maid and get pregnant, the purpose of Gilead, reproduction. “This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being. What it really means is that she is in control, of the process and thus of the product”(pg.94) This demonstrates that women are necessary in order to create life, yes, the man sadly oppress and control this new society, but without women, it wouldn’t be nothing.

It's a Mans, Mans world"; 

https://youtu.be/zQ4Va15uJ2U?si=5pDkYEyR5IfGNaAb

Ofred constantly tries to understand why she is used the way that she is used, as a machine, and non-human. Her body was never respected, and we can see that from both the new world of Gilead, and the way her husband Luke treated her after she had gotten fired, he still wanted to have sexual intercourse. She starts to dislike her body, for turning into the only thing people see and judge. “ 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” (Pg.63) This connects a lot to a song by Billie Eilish, titled “ What was I made for” which describes how a woman used to know what she was made for, she felt power over herself, then she’s confused in what her worth is. I believe that this connects so strongly, because ofred explains how she use to wear clothes that displayed her body, now she wants to not even see it herself.

“What was I made for” : https://youtu.be/dpnTd9Dx2OM?si=F_hbZq6fBnYmdc8_

Additionally, the song by Andra Day titled “ Rise up” has a message that motivates someone to be able and continue no matter what the obstacles are.  We see this as well with ofred, even though there has been moments where she gives us ideas that she’ll end her life, she keeps going. Just like there are sad moments, there is also good moments, such as her having Moira, it shows that she wasn’t alone. “I put my mouth to the wooden hole. Moira? I whisper, Is that you? She says. Yes, I say. Relief goes through me. God, do i need a cigarette, says Moira. Me too, I say. I feel Ridiculously Happy” (pg. 73) The song rise up would fit perfectly, because she gets happy and rises up for Moria, knowing that they are both in the same situation. “ And I’ll Rise up high like the waves, I’ll rise up in spite of the ache,and I’ll do it thousand times again, for you.” 

“Rise up”: https://youtu.be/FBuIBaDSOa4?si=nOxof0oavyybXS5G

The Joker’s bathroom scene has a soundtrack that holds a lot of emotion in cinema, where just the instrumental can convey sadness and madness. It was named “hildur guðnadóttir’ and it’s a soundtrack that shows emotion with the violin. This fits perfectly with “The Handmaid’s tale” just like in the book, in The Joker, the society that is made. Targets a minority, that will surely sooner or later fight back. A scene where this instrumental would most fit is when ofred is with the commander, any time she is with him. This is because, we get to realize how messed up the society has become, and we also understand the uncomfortableness that ofred could feel at that moment. “ I take off my shoes and stockings and my cotton underpants and slide the feathers on, under the tent of my dress. Then I take off the dress itself and slip the thin sequined straps over my shoulders. There are shoes, too, mauve ones with absurdly high heels”(pg.231)

“Hildur guðnadóttir” : https://youtu.be/K61-tK7Xlzg?si=sFjdFtQ4knM-RLdZ

For my choice of song, the connection is about religion, how ofred started to pray. In her prayers she shows how she wants to be able and have hope in order to keep going. She gives out a prayer, that she modifies in order to go with what she is feeling. “ But I’ll try it anyway. In hope, as they say on the gravestones. You must feel pretty ripped off. I guess it’s not the first time. If I were you I’d be fed up. I’d really be sick of it. I guess that’s the difference between us.” (pg.195) In this song, it’s someone who is talking to god, and telling him that they are tired, and just want to hold on during the hard times. Something that ofred wants to do as well, but slowly is giving up.

“Im Tired’: https://youtu.be/RdOX1gqzprc?si=oLQ2WUUP46TxKxza

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Also looking closer into Offred’s and the Commander’ s relationship.)

The “Handmaid” in the title is referring to Offred, the main character. This is clearly revealed as the story is told in Offred’s perspective. However it is more complicated than you think. The story is told from when Offred is living the actual scene but she also narrates it as if it were told from third person. I noticed how there were parts in the book when characters were speaking, their dialogue was not in quotation marks and other parts were. When there was dialogue without quotation marks, Margaret Atwood, the author, would write “I said.” or “He said.” The dialogue that had quotation marks Atwood would write “I say.” or “He says.” This technique used by Atwood allows the reader to picture the scene when there was dialogue without quotation marks but with quotations, Atwood wanted the reader to feel like they were in that scene. To feel what Offred felt.

When I googled the definition of “Tale” it defined it as “a story, especially one that might be invented or difficult to believe.” On page 39 Offred said, “I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it… It isn’t a story I’m telling. It’s also a story I’m telling, in my head, as I go along.” She is letting us know this book is her tale, not everything is true. Chapter 38 basically summarizes Moira’s whole journey after she escaped the Center, it was a long long long journey. Not many would have made it out as sane as Moira did. There was a point where she wanted to end her life. On page 249 it stuck out to me that some dialogue, that had quotation marks, were questions and yet they still ended it with “I say.” “ What about the others? I say”. This observation sparked the question Why is it “I say.” even when it is a question? With the help of my peer, Leticia Desouza we were able to discuss and come up with an explanation. Even though this scene was told in present tense, it is still a tale that she is telling the readers. As Offred mentioned on page 243, Moira told her all about her journey but she could not remember everything. She said, “I’ve filled it out for her as much as I can…” Once again letting the reader know that not everything said is exactly true.

Moira’s character is the life/adventurous element of this whole book. Every time Moira is mentioned something to keep the book interesting happens. When she was at the Center she managed to escape but to escape she tricked Aunt Elizabeth into helping her unclog a toilet Moira purposely clogged. She then threatened Aunt Elizabeth, tied her up and swapped clothes with her to make her escape easier. At the end of chapter 38 Offred seemed like she did not really like the content of Moira’s journey. She said, “I’d like to tell a story about how Moira escaped for good this time. Or if I couldn’t tell that, I’d like to say she blew up Jezebel’s, with fifty Commanders inside it. I’d like her to end with something daring and spectacular, some outrage, something that would befit her.”(250) Offred sees in Moira the courage she does not have. She depends on Moira to feel safe or become free. Before the new government took over Gilead, Moira was already expecting it. Moira already had ties with the Underground Femaleroad. Unlike Moira, Offred was not prepared. Everything to her was all of the sudden that is why she depends on Moira to become free. That is also why she wanted to tell a story of how Moira blew up Jezebel’s with fifty Commanders inside. She herself would not do anything to fight or protest and become free.

In chapter 39 it is illustrated an uncomfortable scene between Offred and the Commander. The Commander took Offred to Jezebel’s, where she saw Moira and explained her whole journey after escaping the center. After that the Commander took Offred to a hotel room at Jezebel’s to sleep with her. Although he acknowledged that the Ceremony was the next day, he still goes on to say, “I thought we could jump the gun.” He starts to caress Offred’s body however the way she worded it shows that she is uncomfortable. “…the left leg. He stops at the foot, his fingers encircling the ankle.”(254) Instead of calling her body “my” she references them as “the” because in this moment she is an object to the Commander. An object for him to get his pleasure out of. Even as this was all happening she continues to defend the Commander though not to someone, she is mentally defending him. “I remind myself that he is not an unkind man; that, under other circumstances, I even like him.” Offred holds onto this idea that the Commander is a good guy because she could end up like the last handmaid, killing herself to end her suffering.

Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, many details of the society of Gilead are revealed slowly throughout the book. Chapter 37 reveals important details about the Commanders and their ‘club’.

As Offred first arrives at the hotel, it looks familiar to her. She thinks to herself “I know where I am. I’ve been here before: with Luke, in the afternoons, a long time ago. (234)” When looking back to page 172, where Offred discusses the nature of her relationship with Luke, she mentions: “So the hotels, with Luke, didn’t mean only love or even sex to me.” This is relevant because it shows how this was the same hotel where she had her affair with Luke, and is now where the Commanders have their affairs. The hotel is a symbol for these relationships, as it has continuously been a place for them.

As I continued my close reading, I noticed the way the colors of clothing in the club were slightly different from the way they are portrayed in the society. Offred observes, “There are men with them, a lot of men, but in their dark uniforms or suits, so similar to one another, they form only a kind of background. The women on the other hand are tropical… (234-235)” Throughout Gilead, the women are assigned many different colors, while the men stick to black and dark green. While this wasn’t as clear to me before, this quote made me realize how colorful they made the women. The women stick out the most, while the men get to hide in their muted colors. In Gilead, women stick out to keep them in line, but in the club they stick out like shiny objects.

Another theme that was constantly brought up throughout this chapter was the mention of shoes. Shoes are a symbol for character, societal place, power or servitude. When the Commander brings Offred to sit down he says “I thought your feet might be getting tired, in those shoes. (236)” Reading this quote reminded me of how, in the previous chapter, when Offred had to lie by the Commander’s feet, she noticed his shoes. “My forehead is against his shoes. I have never been this close to his shoes before. They feel hard, unwinking, like the shells of beetles: black, polished, inscrutable. They seem to have nothing to do with feet. (233)” The Commander’s shoes are a symbol of his character: refined, unreadable. His shoes are an image of himself and his role of power. Offred’s shoes reflect similarly. When she gets her shoes from the Commander, she describes: “There are shoes too, mauve ones with absurdly high heels. Nothing quite fits; the shoes are a little too big… (231)” Offred’s shoes represent how she doesn’t exactly fit her role in society and how out of place she feels.

One of the lines that stuck with me most was during Offred’s conversation with the Commander about the club. When Offred asks why it wasn’t forbidden, he says “Well, officially… But everyone’s human, after all. (237)” This line, as well as the whole chapter, reveal how performative the acts of Gilead truly are. While the women have an abundance of rules, the men get to do whatever they want. The Commander says ‘everyone’s human’ but he is only talking about the men and their needs.

This idea is further developed throughout the chapter under the idea of ‘Nature’, which the Commander has brought up multiple times. The first mention is during a conversation with Offred: “This way they’re [women] protected, they can fulfill their biological destinies in peace… Those years were just an anomaly, historically speaking, the Commander said. Just a fluke. All we’ve done is return things to Nature’s form. (220)” The Commander uses Nature to justify women’s role for childbirth and men’s needs for sex. At the club, in another conversation with Offred, he brings up the idea again, “‘It means you can’t cheat Nature,’ he says. ‘Nature demands variety, for men. It stands to reason, it’s part of the procreational strategy. It’s Nature’s plan.’… ‘Women know that instinctively. Why did they buy so many different clothes, in the old days? To trick men into thinking they were several different women. A new one each day.’ (237)” The Commander acknowledges that men are the problem, but blames women and nature for it. He uses this idea to justify the needs of men and the reasoning for the societal rules for women.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the author Margaret Atwood uses many subtle literary comparisons between her characters and animals. There could be many different reasons for these animal references, as Offred often compares herself to things such as pigs and rodents. However, the reader could point this out as a piece to a larger puzzle. No section perfectly embodies this more than the second and third paragraphs on page 165, chapter 27.

The author begins this chapter with Offred meeting up with her fellow handmaid Ofgled as they start their routine walk into town. Atwood then writes: “Ofglen and I are more comfortable with one another now, we’re used to each other. Siamese twins. We don’t bother much with the formalities anymore when we greet each other; we smile and move off, in tandem, traveling smoothly along our daily track. 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. We’ve been to the stores already, and the church; now we’re at the Wall. Nothing on it today, they don’t leave the bodies hanging as long in summer as they do in winter, because of the flies and the smell. This was once the land of air sprays, pine and floral, and people retain the taste; especially the Commanders, who preach purity in all things” This section contains two important details. To start, the comparison between the handmaids and “rats in a maze” is an example of symbolism as mentioned above. Atwood yet again uses these animal comparisons to emphasize the lack of respect and continuous oppression that these women are facing. This is nothing new for The Handmaid’s Tale, as Offred constantly thinks thoughts of this nature, however why might the author include the sentences that follow?

One reason could be to keep some sort of foundation of humanity for the readers. Looking at examples throughout history, we can see how people have the tendency to dehumanize others. This can be blatantly shown in Gilead, as the handmaids are dehumanized to feel like nothing but tools and machines. When the author continuously makes these references to animals and writes about these people hung on the wall, she may start to allow the reader to dehumanize the characters. Even if they are viewing the story through Offred’s eyes, it may become difficult to understand any of the characters from a realistic perspective. This is possibly why Atwood may have included the sentence, “they don’t leave the bodies hanging as long in summer as they do in winter, because of the flies and the smell.” It allows the characters to be understood even in the most obscene conditions. Even if the commanders are awful and the handmaids are likened to rats, Atwood makes sure to add in human details such as sensitivity towards senses. Even the people in Gilead don’t like the smell. They like things to be neat. By including this just after the rat comparison, Atwood allows viewers to humanize the people within the society, while still noticing the oppression the handmaids have to deal with. The placement appears to be very intentional.

Though this may seem conclusive, other interpretations could of course be made. The concepts of “neatness” and “purity” could play deeper into the themes of fabrication, rather than the aforementioned relatability. This might be due to our modern societies. As cities don’t keep clean in our world, why would they in Gilead? These assumptions create more questions about why Atwood would have this section, as what would be the purpose of further isolating the reader from understanding her writing? When readers interpret this desire for neatness as unrealistic, it further establishes the commanders as villains. The word choice of “purity” could definitely back up this idea, with its naturally negative tone. Atwood most likely allows for readers to draw their own conclusion on how far removed from reality these people are. There’s no question there is evil involved, but how relatable should this hatred towards the government be?

Despite the many different ways of viewing the author’s decisions within this passage, it’s clear that the intentions are to create a sense of isolation or unity between the reader and Offred. These themes can be found throughout the entire novel, as they can be found through close reading and thorough inspection of Atwood’s themes.

My artwork is about the scene where Offred finally talks to her walking buddy Ofglen. It happens when they go by the Soul Scrolls building, and they stop to look in and see the “Holy Rollers” at work. These machines are explained to be prayer machines, writing and speaking prayers that people send in. I decided to go with a sinister look when drawing these praying machines. This was an easy decision. Offred describes them as toneless and metallic, and from their function, they don’t seem visually appealing. The part that I hope stands out on these machines is the eye. Throughout “The Handmaid’s Tale” eyes play a big role in the way the new government “decorates”.They keep the sense of privacy low and people on their best behavior. I drew the eyes looking at Offred and Ofglen, because although they probably aren’t pointed at them in the story, they might as well be.

While they are stopped, Ofglen takes the first step and reaches out to Offred with a risky question: “Do you think God listens to these machines?” After thinking over her options, Offred gives into her curiosity and says no. The conversation that follows is the first of many important conversations that they have together. I think of it as a kind of checkpoint for Offred. Now I want to back up a little because what I drew was the moment right before the dialogue, when they share a moment of eye contact. I think this moment is arguably more important than the conversation, because this eye contact is even more rare than talking is in this world, and it isn’t even face to face, it’s in a reflection! I tried to make this picture look like it was from the point of view of a passerby, an outside perspective, because that’s who we are in this situation. Offred is writing to us, we are looking into her life from what she writes, but if we were to walk by her in person, we would never know who she was. However, if you look closely, you can see a faint reflection in the shatterproof glass of the Soul Scrolls window. This is where I tried to tie it all in with a little bit of symbolism. The machines see the two Handsmaids. they have eyes, and they can see them. They mention bugs (hidden microphones). They could be anywhere, so they can never be one hundred percent sure that they can talk. They are not safe.

My interpretation of the reflection was sort of like a fourth dimension, a safe space to talk for these two renegades. It is meant to seem crazy or weird, because well, the fact that they have to take these precautions just to talk is pretty crazy and weird. I also wanted to portray a sense of disconnect from the surrounding area and the clothes they wear to what they really have their minds on. I wanted to show the shell that they are encased in, and what lies beneath.