Rebellion Flashcards
‘We learned to whisper without a sound’ (pg.4)
‘Teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach’ (pg.22)
‘A nostalgic smell’/’a treacherous smell’ (pg.47)
‘Something has been shown to me, but what is it?’ (pg.49
‘Got any cig?’
Cigarettes become a symbol of rebellion in the novel so this consolidated Moira to be subversive
‘I almost gasp: he said a forbidden word. Sterile’
We are touching’
Touch is strictly by forbidden by Gileas so both Nick and Offred are breaking the rules - foreshadows their future relationships
‘They used steel cables, frayed at the end’
This shows the vicious action of Gilead and how they use this to evoke fear on others so they won’t rebel
‘Butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will someday get out’
Engaging in pre-GIlead activities like moisturising gives the Handmaids some hope that things can return to some kind of normality
‘I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow’
Offred undoubtedly believes there is a resistance but has no way to prove it - her only choice is just to hope
‘She was now a loose woman’
This is a pun, Moira is free from the restrictions of the red centre but she is also seen as sexually uninhibited
‘The laughter boiling like lava in my throat’
Laughter is an unfamiliar occurrence in Gilead which is why it is dangerous for Offred
‘There is something subversive about this garden’
The garden and nature have life that cannot be repressed however much Serena Joy tries to control it
‘Hope is rising in me, like sap in a tree’
Gilead can not restrict nature as it has its own life - Offred therefore feels a bit liberated
‘I could burn the house down. Such a fine thought’ (p.210)
Offred’s dissatisfaction with her situation means that she would take pleasure in getting rid of where she is right now
‘Like a flag waved from a hilltop in rebellion’ (p.224)
Offred uses a similar expression in chapter 5 - she is always looking out for symbols of hope when she can
‘Why fight? That will never do’ (p.227)
Offred realises that even if she becomes passive this is letting the regime win as they have all control over her
‘Surely her cockiness…will get her out of there’ (p.255)
Even the most outspoken and rebellious women, like Moira and Offred’s mother, have been reduced and oppressed by the regime
‘Only a hand cut off’ (p.277)
‘Only’ is ironic as a hand being cut off is extremely violent and gruesome, this emphasises the extent that the regime uses violence to control its citizens
context for rebellion
in 1980: people were protesting around issues like war LGBTQ righgs and women’s rights
1973 - Roe v Wade protected aboritiin
How does the Commander rebel
his acts of rebellion are a way to justify to himself that the society he created isn’t that bad
he benefits from society but still rebels against it
his hubris is another reason why he rebels - he wants people to understand how powerful he is
How does Seren Joy rebel?
uses Offred as a tool for her rebellion
even though she is unhappy she recognises she benefits in society so her rebellions are more subtle
How does Moira rebel?
she takes direct action to resist Gilead
when she is imprisoned her rebellious spirit is broken as she is resigned to her fate
her escape allows her to take back lower which is seen as a fantasy for the other handmaids
How does Ofglen rebel?
rebels directly as a way to survey and be free of oppression
she is apart of the resistance
