The Handmaid's Tale Flashcards
Offred
Oppressed, silent resistance, complexities of rebelling against society, female heroism
a hero - personal integrity against external oppression and restrictions
mind as an escape and form of freedom, expression and rebellion
Janine
unstable, prideful, broken
submission to regime - akin to mary, is submissive to external/societal pressures- upholds societal values of theocracy
easy to succumb due to broken personality - past traumas make one vulnerable to indoctrination
Key scenes - flashback to red centre - breakdown, supermarket showing off belly, pregnancy giving birth
Moira
Strong willed, strong sense of justice, outspoke, brave, hypersexual as form of resistance against patriarchy
resistance and rebellion, injustic of oppressive society, extreme views and in that way contrasts offred’s form of resistance –> in this way atwood critisises exremist behaviours
also put into high light - she is a hero for offred her memory keeps her resistancing in times of weakness this is why she is so upset in finding moira has succumb to the regime
key scenes: breaking out of red centre, tupperware party, flashback moment, jezebels
Aunt Lydia
Cruel, unwavering, believes in what she says
enforcer of oppressive powers and theocratic and patriarchal belifs –> akin almost to goody putnam in that sense
Commander
Stoic, hypocritical
hypocrisy of theocratic powers, irony, oppression, gains the benefits of the society
heavily enforces societal rules and constraints however goes against them by having ilicit reading materials and games
also jezebels - highlighting hypocrisy of religious power figures and the way they manipulate and control the rules to when it suits them
similar to Parris in that sense
Serena Joy
static character - highlighting complexities of female relationships, antagonistic driving tension, antithesis, internalisation of misogyny, fuels dichotomy and division of women
complex character- cruel to make herself seem empowered, takes away from women’s right to choose, not a criticism of women who want to be housewives but rather of those who force values onto others
blue - foil to offred - visually (red v blue)
red = whore and adulterer
blue = connotations of virgin mary connoting innocence and femininity
highlights the virtures prized in this world, ironic because serena joy is not innocent (visual irony)
her freedom - paradoxical, she has more freedom than handmaid’s and most other women within their society and yet she is restrained still
hypocrisy - she is trapped yet ironically she helped to create it and thus this has turned her bitter and cruel
performative nature of religious idelogies to gain control and power over society – serena uses performative to put down women by pushing patriarchal and oppressive ideologies however ultimately she suffers most and believes otherwise
Feminist naratology
non linear narrative structure, flashbacks, present-tense narrations and speculative future elements
purpose
- reflect on oppression and indoctrination - fragmented narrative mirrors protagonists fragmented sense of self as a result of oppression (identity and experiences disrupted and controlled)
- questions narratives of power by resister linear progression and definite closure - open-endedness inviting readers to question and think critically
- multilinear destabilises traditional patriarchal narrative form and engages complexities of women’s experiences resisting offering a simple or singular interpretation of events
Chapter 1 - analysis key notes
episodic structure or vignette strcutre (shows day to day life)
silent rebellion shown through utilisation of memory
offred - name of fred - no identity of own stripped of name and now identity is intrinsically linked to her commander
Chapter 9
theme - resistance and solidarity
finds hidden message - solidarity amongst women/the oppressed –> also highlights controlled nature of Gilead
engage in form of collective storytelling - shared purpose agianst oppression
don’t let bastards grind you down - recurring motif inspiring defiance - subversion of authority
infantilisation - they are compared to school girls
Dystopian Future and speculative fiction - setting
manifestation of patriarchal dystopia
extrapolates contemporary sociopolitical issues into a speculative future serving as didactic tale
reflects anxieties about erosion of rights and rise of totalitarianism particularly regarding women’s autonomy and reproductive rights
geographical and temporal context
controlled theocratic dictatorship
remain geographically familiar - enhancing sense of realism
institutionalised oppression and constant surveillance create an atmosphere of fear and conformity
religious fundamentalism has overtaken government
uses this critique the danger of theocratic regime, where religious dogma dictates all aspects of life
serves as a powerful allegory for any society that allows religious extremism to dominate political and social structure
Socio-political commentary
situates gilead in context of severe environmental degradation and declining fertility rates
serves as critique of current environmental policies and the sociopolitical control over women’s bodies
environmental catastrophe as pretext to strip women of autonomy
explores implications of environmental neglect and extreme measures a society might take to address crises
fertility as justification to draconian control over women’s bodies
temporal disjunction
flashbacks to juxtapose settings of offred’s past life with current reality
pre-gilead - depicted as open, vibrant and filled with personal connections - crucial in highlighting normalcy and freedoms that Offred once took for granted
Gilead - rigidly controlled environments like commander’s house, red centre and public execution sites underscore oppressive and totalitarian nature of regime
Symbolism and Allegory
Red Centre = oppression, control, restriction, conversion
The Wall = (like the woods) restriction, barrier between freedom and oppression
Commander’s Office = liminal space where rules are subverted and manipulated to suit individual pursuit
Serena Joy’s Garden = control, small sense of freedom and control
Jezebel’s = hypocrisy, madonna vs whore
Offred’s room = privacy, private life vs public scrutiny, a place of sanctity
themes
oppression v rebellion
patriarchal/biblical rule vs feminism
captivity vs freedom
identity (past and present self)
power (female agency, language)
gender roles (fertility)
love v hate
home v displacement / belonging v isolation
Hotspots
epigraphs
offred held captive in old gym
offred sees bodies of six hanged men
offred posted to commander’s house
offred meets ofglen goes shopping
see pregnant ofwarren
japanese tourists
offred takes part in ceremony
birth day - ofwarren’s birth
offred’s child is taken (flashback)
moira arrives at red centre
moira escapes red centre
offred begin meeting secretly with commander
janine’s testimony of gang rape
offred takes part in prayvaganza
flashback to luke and offred’s affair
offred is taken to jezebel’s - moira
offred secret affair with nick
offred is fired and bank account closed
offred goes to women’s salvaging
offred mother takes on rally
ofglen kills herself
offred leaves in black van
historica notes
Chapter 9 quotes
“still it was a message and it was in writing forbidden by that very fact, and it hadn’t yet been discovered”
parallel structure - reinforces idea of continuity and persistence
diction paired with alliteration - empahsising strict rules creating dichotomy to demonstrate offred discovery of and the initiation of her desire to rebel
“except by me, for whom it was intended, it was inteded for whoever came next”
inevitability of how in a totalitarian system individuals are going to rebel
cyclical nature - being passed down - empowers them to break down and rebel
Chapter 11
bodily autonomy, power dynamics
“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 determines me so completely”
loss of bodily autonomy in oppressive society = state sanctioned
stripped of agency and reduced to vessel for fulfilling state’s demand
avoidance = internal conflict and dehumanising effect
discomfort and desire to dissociate from body
“he doesn’t make love to me, he doesn’t waste time. He doesn’t use his mouth, he doesn’t use his hands. He doesn’t stroke my hair. I lie on the narrow table as ona mortuary slab as on a plank over a pit”
“he says nothing for a moment, only looks at me, appraisingly. I’ve seen that look before on Luke’s face. I could spell it out for him, if I had words: the Doctor thinks he’s god. He’s looking down on me like that, from a great height, and also from a distance”
power dynamics - patriarchy, loss of bodily control
Chapter 12 part 1
Imprisonment of body and internalisation of oppression and body autonomy
“Did I really wear bathing suits, at the beach? I did, without thought, among men, without caring that my legs, my arms, my thighs and back were on display.”
through reflection on memories = small freedom that’s been gifted -solitude encourages Offred’s silent rebellion
chapter 12 part 2
memories
“why bash your head…”
oppression - prevent handmaids from remembering time before reign = highlighting underlying agenda
remembering daughter - direct form of rebellion
utilise indoctrination by repressing previous memories
“something I missed it”
verbal indoctrination with “they were right”
resistance to accepting Gilead regime despite it being the easier thing to do
“he liked to choose what kind of meat we were going to eat during the week”
- time before
- similarities to current world - undertone of sexism appears dramatically in current society - Luke’s justification of the statement contrasts with current society where no claim made by males are really doubted
- Offred continues seeing humanity in people even through her cruelty - empathy is what keeps her from turning from anyone else - formation of relationship with commander and nick
empathy acts as a protection from the indoctrination
Historical Notes Summary
Transcript of scholarly conference given in distant future
Gilead now period of time in past
Introduced by woman but white male gives presentation
Cassette tapes that contain the story have been found in footlocker in site of well-known station of underground female road suggesting that Offred survives
Historical Notes Significance
Offred’s ultimate fate is unknown
department of Caucasian anthropology - white behaviour is now something to be studied (suggest white are no longer the majority / dominant community and culture
Chairwomen - suggests woman can study again
White man claiming full credit for sequencing story and reconstruction of tale
- organised and sequenced = risk misconstruction
- sharing story was form of resistance – years later story is still claimed by men
- takes away humanness
- human tragedy in history can take away emotion and humanness
Historical Notes Implication
Editors have intervened and made choices about structure of tale
academic community shown role not simply academic
becomes didactic - warning
sense of irony
not objective or unbiased story
historical narrative s are not passive reflections of past events but active constructions that shape present and future ideologies
dominant narrative can obscure marginalised voices and experiences
Red Motif
sexuality, love, passion desire
symbolises sin but also blood and life
represents fertility - handmaid primary function (blood of menstrual cycle)
Eyes motif
symbolise watchfulness of God
eyes represent awareness and clarity - truth
constant survelliance juxtaposed with inability to truely see what is occuring in the world due to oppression
Beauty Products Motif
luxury - makes woman more desirable
draws attention
forbidden - represent freedom of bodily autonomy and sexuality
Uniforms motif
different colours represent different statuses
“I used to dress like that.. that was freedom.”
absence of choice
“we don’t have different clothes… you merely have different women”
uniforms represent control
Flowers and Nature Motif
fertility - sexual awakening and blossoming
serena joy’s garden
nature = freedom
nature only thing that cannot be controlled by regime
nature and handmaid’s have same function
The wall - motif
seclusion and restriction
men hung on wall as warning - scare method of control
allows for indoctrination - no outsiders
Mirrors and reflection motif
physical and spiritual reflection
identity - dissasociation/ detachment (removal)
mirrors removed to prevent handmaid’s from developing sense of individuality
mirror at Jezebels
Sexual Violence Motif
justified new order and regime
jezebel’s full of sexual violence - institutionalised not prevented - hypocrisy
highlights the fallacy of using issues as excuse for control and power
ceremony = sexual violence - state sanctioned
