Theme - Religion And Theocracy Flashcards
Gilead is a theocratic government where church and state are combined. Religious language enters into every part of society and religion, specifically the Old Testament, is the justification of many of gileads most savage characteristics. Each month before the ceremony the commander reads the same lines from genesis 30 which is in the epigraph, justifying and moralising the crude intercourse. Yet many of the books biblical quotes are twisted. The theocracy is so rigid about its religious beliefs and so emphatic about the rules it unfolds that it even warps essential values. The handmaids tale is not a criticism of the bible in itself, but a criticism of the way that people and theocracies use the bible for their own oppressive purposes.
“I try not to _______ too much. Like other things now, thought must be __________”
Think
Rationed
• within this passage we see offred describe her room in the commanders house and recalled aunt lydia telling her to “think of it as like being in the army”. She describes the single bed in the room and says she must “ration” her thoughts. This statement highlights the austere, dull scarcity of life in Gilead. Not only has offred lost access to material pleasures, intimacy with others and freedom, but even her thoughts are restricted by the oppressive world in which she lives. Offreds admission that she tries not to think “too much” connotes the governments use of “taking the bible literally” allows them to live such tightly controlled lives and even thinking is a danger.
“There is more than one kind of __________. There is freedom ____ and freedom _______. Now you are being given freedom _______.
Freedom
To
From
From
• offred has continued to describe her walk through the town, reflecting on the differences between the world she currently lives in and the society in which she grew up. She has recalled that there were “rules” for women’s behaviour in the time before. Offred remembers aunt lydia telling her that in the old days women only had “freedom to” and that she should be grateful to be “given freedom from”. To some extent, aunt Lydia’s words seem ridiculous; clearly, offred is far less free than she was before, proving that both types of freedom perhaps shouldn’t be considered “freedom” at all. On the other hand, offreds description of the “rules” for women that existed in the past demonstrates that during this time women were not completely free either. Offreds description reminds the reader that throughout the entire history women have been oppressed and controlled, often with the explanation that it is for their own protection.
“Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating __________ you’d be boiled to _______ before you knew it”
Bathtub
Death
• offred is once again lost within her memories, recalling aunt lydia describing the way women used to dress, all while moira is planning an underwhore party. Offred sees how the extreme misogyny in Gilead came to be, though she notes that at the time people dismissed evidence that society was headed into this direction. As a result, society changed in a severe way without people noticing it until it was too late. This is both and accurate description of historical change and a powerful warning about the world in which we live and the life threatening direction the world is heading in. The handmaids tale carefully depicts how features of our present world might be distorted with nightmarish results, and this passage serves as a warning about how easily this could happen.
“I avoid looking down at my ______, not because it’s shameful or __________ but because it don’t want to see it. I don’t want to look at something that __________ me so completely”
Body
Immodest
Determines
• within this passage we see offred resent her own body in response to the fact that she has been reduced from being a person to being a body, an object or tool appreciated for its only use. Note that this treatment creates a different kind of body shame from the kind promoted by a religious mindset. Offreds thoughts indicate how due to the theocratic government she understands the difference between being treated as a sex object and being “valued” for your fertility as seen within the bible. Though both are equally degrading.
“ a _______ is valued she says, only if it is ______ and hard to get”
Thing
Rare
• in this passage aunt lydia is referring to women’s sexual availability and again, it is clear that Gilead sees women as no more than “things”. Her concern over value is similarly degrading, by implying that women are not just objects but commodities whose value is conditional rather than inherent on the condition they provide fertility. Although her words seem strikingly harsh in the context of the novel, as a reader accustomed to modern day notions she echoes much the kind of language used to promote abstinence among unmarried couples. Even in the most basic sense young women are encouraged to play “hard to get”. By drawing this parallel with our contemporary world, Atwood once again emphasises the contemporary US may not be as far from Gilead as we think and thus enhancing the dangers taking the bible literally proposes.
“But remember that ____________ too is a ________. Perhaps the greatest. Maybe none of this is about control…. Maybes it’s about who can do what to whom and be __________ for it”
Forgiveness
Power
Forgiven
• offred has returned to commanders house after the birth of janines baby, where she thinks about the nature of story telling and memory. She reflects on the “temptation” to forgive and muses that perhaps the Gilead regime is about “who can do what to whom”. Offred contrasts this to the thought of that Gilead is about but control. Yet her words suggest that being forgiven and having a forgiving nature is in fact a more extreme version of control. This passage is an important reminder to readers that even the strictest totalitarian governments are made up of thousands of interpersonal relationships. Her thoughts point out that even the most cruel and oppressive people want to be forgiven for the suffering they inflict on others.
“Humanity is so _________, my mother would say. Truly amazing what people can get used to, as long as there are a few __________”
Adaptable
Compensations
• offred has started seeing nick more regularly, enjoying spending time with him and even idolising him. When offglen offers to help her escape she admits to herself that she no longer really wants to leave. At times, she feels like she loves nick but other occasions she reasons that it is not love but simply a necessity. The world depicted in the novel reveals the truth of offreds mother’s words. Despite how quickly society has changed, and despite how oppressive life now is, people find ways to keep going and survive. However, it is debatable whether or not this is a good thing. While the traits are impressive they are also shown to be selfish. After offred has began to make life more enjoyable she has lost interest in the resistance. Adapting to one’s circumstances can then be interpreted as acquiescing to being controlled by others, as well as ignoring the plight of those who are in a far worse position.
“And so I step up into the __________ within; or the _______”
Darkness
Light
• the eye van has arrived at the commanders house and offered is terrified, wishing that she killed herself while she had the chance. However, nick has told her that the people in the van are actually members of the resistance posing as eyes, which is somewhat supported by the fact that they refuse to tell the commander and Serena joy why they are arresting her. The final sentence of offreds narrative implicates her unsureness or stepping into the darkness or the light. The darkness thus symbolising death, suffering and meaningless of offreds life if she is killed by the state. The light therefore symbolising the antithesis of this, hope, mortality and the possibility of escape from Gilead. The final sentence leaves the reader unsure of offreds fate; given everything else that has happened both the light and darkness are equally as likely to occur. This ambiguity is connected to the ambivalent presentation of human nature. Every major character in the novel has the capacity to act cruel and selfish in a sense, while also possessing some redeeming features. Offreds unknown destiny thus emphasise the fact that people’s behaviour is difficult to predict, and the fate of the world is equally hard to determine.
“We must be cautious about passing _______ __________ on the gileadean. Surely we have learned by now that such judgements are of necessity culture-specific…. Our job is not to _________ but to ___________”
Moral judgement
Censure
Understand
• this passage is taken out of the “historical notes on the handmaids tale” final section of the novel. It is an invented transcript of a speech in the year 2195. At first glance, the passage can be read as a critique of the cultural relativism that has become dominant in the academic world and in contemporary feminism. Although it is good not to be overly judgmental it is difficult to read offreds story and be neutral about the world it depicts. Further it could be argued that not judging on the gileadeans is to treat their society’s oppressive system towards women acceptable. Consider the impact of making professor piexoto a man. Perhaps his dispassionate attitude is only possible because as a man he does not feel the same connection to offreds suffering. On the other hand, his words do resonate with the ambiguous and complexities depicted within offreds narrative, being motivated by a complex mix of selfishness and altruism. In this sense, the professors advice may cohere with the overall message of the novel. Finally, the phrase “our job is not to censure but understand” is significant, given that the handmaid tale has been frequently banned from high school syllabi. Such bans usually occur because local authorities deem the novel to be too sexually explicit but making that assessment those authorities are therefore implying that women’s sexuality and bodies are somehow shameful and should be controlled rather than understood.
