HMT chapters 17-23

Question 1

what type of narration is used in parts of chapter 18?

Answer 1

Multilinear narration: narrative paradox, this is a literary device that contradicts itself but contains some truth.
This is evident in chapter 18, with the stories of what happened to Luke, this adds to Offer’s radical narrative style
There is also the use of hypothetical narration, what happened to Luke are presented as so.

Question 2

what is the significance of the egg in chapter 19?

Answer 2

The egg brings hope and purity- in some Asian cultures it can be seen as a symbol of luck.
Ancient traditions used to link the egg to the creation of the universe.
in 2006 a necropolis under the Vatican revealed an infant who had been buried holding an egg
Mary Magdelen, held out an egg to Emperor Tiberius as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus
The egg can also be seen to represent the creation of the Earth

Question 3

what is significant about the birth ceremony?

Answer 3

this is a rare feeling of freedom in the community, melds feminism and Gilead suggests that neither is good or bad.
Gilead also attempts to deny the reality of the situation- ceremony allows the wives to assert an emotional bond with the baby.

Question 4

what took place in 1979?

Answer 4

in Boston, Massachusetts there was the “take back the night” campaign

Question 5

what was adopted in the 1970s by the feminist movement?

Answer 5

the female sign, used to adopt women’s empowerment

Question 6

what is significant about the term postmodernism?

Answer 6

this refers to the fact that literature is not “real” but it is fragmented and subjective so that different interpretations are possible.