Motifs Flashcards
‘The colour of blood, which defines us’ (pg.8)
White wings framing my face’ (pg.9)
‘There are worms, evidence of the fertility of the soil’ (pg.17)
‘We are fascinated but also repelled. They seem undressed’ (pg.28)
‘Mayday used to be a distress signal, a long time ago’(pg.43)
‘The tulips along the border are redder than ever opening no longer winecups but chalices; thrusting themselves up’ (pg.45)
‘I thought it was an isolated incident, at the time’
This suggests that there were signs before Gilead was put in place that children were becoming scarce, the phrase ‘at the time’ evokes the sense that this had been repeated
‘I do not say making love, because this is not what he’s doing’
Human relationships and interactions are heavily restricted and this is even evident in the one opportunity of intimacy there is
‘This is not recreation even for the Commander. This is serious business’
The simple sentence is very matter of fact and detached from the whole situation showing that Offred takes little pleasure in the ceremony - recreation is a pun on words
‘It’s lack of love we die from’
Offred repeats her desire for human love and interaction
‘This is a reconstruction’/ ‘if I am ever able to set this down in any form’
Metafiction is used by Atwood to portray the artificial nature of her novel - it almost breaks the fourth wall as the reader knows obviously Offred was able to tell her tale eventually
‘It is an oasis of the forbidden’
The Commander office unleashes a new world for Offred which she has been restricted from previously
‘Finger the letters. The feeling is voluptuous’
‘The library is like a temple’
This again links to the restriction of language and books from the public
‘Womens Prayvaganza’ (p.222)
The combination of the words ‘pray’ and ‘extravaganza’ is important when considering language is already restricted by banning reading and writing for most, the further reduction of words creates even less of a freedom to express.
