by David Hill 1 year ago
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The past has a heavy influence on the past, with both characters and the society reflecting on life before the dystopian society.
The Handmaid's Tale is written with a theme of nostalgia, with Offred constantly remembering glimpses of her past life. It is also common for the world of Gilead to be compared to the past. Offred often notices things like high schools and churches being repurposed to fit the needs of the new society.
Reduction of human/societal likeness in pursuit of perfection - people's individualities and rights are abandoned to obtain a "perfect society"
This is a significant theme in The Handmaid's Tale, as people are forced to conform to strict roles and are punished for existing outside those roles.
Information is limited or misused to control or influence people. Language and facts are manipulated, usually to project a false image of the society.
In The Handmaid's Tale, information is limited for women, as they are forbidden from reading and any information other than what is provided by the government.
The Handmaid's Tale is told from the perspective of Offred, which gives readers an immersive view of the world around her, as well as her thoughts and reactions. Offred is a normal person with normal flaws, which makes her relatable to readers. This makes the story more realistic and easy to relate to than if Offred was unusually heroic or fearless. She is vulnerable, scared, and sometimes selfish, which makes her an accurate portrayal of how many readers would react to the situation, which makes the message of the book even stronger.
The story is revealed to the readers in somewhat confusing way, where time is non-linear and many things are revealed through flashbacks. This gives readers a more immersive view into Offred's thoughts and experiences, as it reveals the story in layers that are each relevant to Offred's story.
The presence of quotation marks is inconsistent in the dialogue. When the dialogue is taking place at the time of narration, quotations are used, but when the dialogue is in a flashback, there are no quotations, suggesting that the dialogue isn't exact, perhaps because Offred is remembering everything with limited accuracy. This adds another layer of reliability to the story, especially the characters and the relationships between them.
In addition to the unreliability of the information being presented to Offred, readers must also question the reliability of Offred's narration. As everything in the novel is a memory, it is likely that it isn't entirely accurate. The truth of Offred's narration is also questioned in the historical notes.
Serena Joy is an important symbolic character. She represents the ideal woman in Gilead's society, which makes her an obstacle for Offred. She agrees with the values of Gilead, but is nonetheless unhappy and bitter with her life. She is unsympathetic and only tries to support herself, attempting to exploit Offred into having a child with Nick with knowledge of her daughter. Her selfish nature is necessary for Gilead to function.
Moira is a symbol of Offred's past, and she represents everything about life before Gilead. In the flashbacks, she took advantage of the freedoms that were available in that time, such as her close friendship with Offred and the way she expressed herself. She is also a symbol of rebellion because she successfully escaped. When Offred finds her at Jezebel's she's working as a prostitute, and her rebellious spirit is crushed.
The Commander is an escape for Offred, offering her magazines and a night out. However, he's also a founder of Gilead, and therefore responsible for her imprisonment. Throughout his interactions with Offred, she discovers that he feels trapped in this society as well, and while his offering an escape to Offred seems generous, it's actually for selfish reasons.
Offred has already adjusted to her life as a handmaid, as after her failed attempt to escape with Luke she gives up hope. She is perceptive and observant, desperate for any hints of reality instead of propaganda, and desperate for any hints of her past, such as Moira or Luke. She has a strong sense of self control as a coping mechanism, not letting herself feel or think certain things to stay sane. Before Gilead, she was a flawed, but completely average character that one could sympathize with.
Information is scarce in Gilead, and it is a valuable resource. Citizens are presented with only one televised news program, and are forbidden from obtaining knowledge any other ways, like reading. The philosophy of Gilead is taken from the Bible, but only parts of the Bible that help reinforce their beliefs. Many facts presented in the book are unreliable, to both the narrator and the readers, as they might just be lies to promote a certain agenda.
Death is prominent in The Handmaid's Tale, from the hangings on the wall to the frequent suicides. It's always both an option and a consequence for Offred.
Rebellion under the totalitarian state was often small, but nonetheless a significant theme in the book. The most prominent example of this is Mayday, the resistance group. There are smaller, more symbolic acts of rebellion though, like Offred lifting her head to make eye contact with the guard, and the handmaids looking for butter and moisturizers.
The control over Offred is a significant theme in the book. Gilead takes control over women's' bodies, and attempts to control every aspect of their lives. This relates to a quote from Aunt Lydia, about freedoms "to" and freedoms "from", where in Gilead, one's freedoms "to" are severely restricted, while freedoms "from" are more common.
Symbols:
Clothes - Clothes symbolize the contrast between the past and present, with as women are only allowed to wear long dresses in certain colours now, and they had much more freedom in the past. When Offred sees the Japanese tourists, she reacts strongly to the clothes they were wearing, and the frredom associated with it, as she would have dressed like that in the past but is now forbidden from doing so.
Places - Places such as the room in chapter one have hints of the past, since they are being repurposed.
This theme is strongly shown in the way the story is told, with flashbacks and and a sense of yearning for the past. The past has a strong influence on the characters and society, which is consistently pointed out to show the contrast between the past and present.
