Atwood has introduced a number of characters and themes just in the very short opening chapter, she has left the reader guessing about a lot of things and has already gripped the reader as the reader wants to learn more about Gilead and it’s inhabitants.
Chapter two brings the reader to Offred’s present (our future); it is in this chapter that we learn more about Offred, about handmaids and about the way society functions in Gilead.
The chapter starts with Offred describing the room she is in. She explains about how measures are taken to stop Handmaids committing suicide. ‘They’ve removed anything you could tie a rope to.’ The reader assumes that Handmaids must have killed themselves before, Offred never mentions of such an incident but if it weren’t a possible occurrence then there wouldn’t be any reason for handmaid’s “owners” to take such measures. Through suggesting the possibility of suicide Atwood has communicated to the reader that the life of a handmaid is an extremely unhappy one. The theme of suicide appears several more times within the novel, with some more subtle references to knives and other sharp objects Offred is banned from touching. ‘I know why there is no glass, in front of the watercolour picture’. This raises questions for the reader about Offred; it makes the reader question her quality of life, state of mind and her role as a handmaid. This is when it begins to appear that Offred had very little choice about becoming a handmaid.
Atwood uses questions to invoke the reader into thinking like Offred. ‘Waste not want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?’ Atwood is presenting Offred as a very thoughtful character and she invites the reader to share Offred’s thoughts. Offred is being put to use as a handmaid, however she longs for something different, she wants to return to her old life. Atwood presents Offred as a very broken character. She wants to rebel but realises that it wouldn’t achieve anything if she did, Atwood’s Offred seems very emotionally detached to her present situation. It strikes me that almost all of Offred’s emotion is tangled in her memories.
Offred refuses to attach herself to the room, she chooses not to voice her own opinion but as she frequently does in the novel, she refers to something Aunt Lydia said. ‘Where I am is not a prison but a privilege’. I think Offred uses Aunt Lydia as an excuse to detach herself from her situation. If Offred can convince herself that she is lucky, or even if it’s not as bad as it seems then it makes it much easier for her to cope. Offred states that the room ‘could be a college guest room’ or ‘a room in a rooming house… for ladies in reduced circumstances’. Offred describes a very non-specific type of room. She attaches nothing personal to it and uses it to expand her detachment between her mind and body. Atwood is inviting the reader to try and understand Offred properly for the first time. Atwood has presented Offred’s body as very vulnerable, but has attempted to demonstrate Offred’s strength of mind to the reader.
Offred describes that she is given clothes to wear. This further goes on to extend what the reader already knows about the suppression of Offred and other members of Gilead. ‘Everything… is red: the colour of blood, which defines us.’ Atwood uses red because it symbolises fertility, the menstrual cycle and childbirth, which is a Handmaid’s function within Gilead. However red can also symbolise sexual sin. Atwood may have meant this literally because technically the handmaid’s are committing adultery, however I think that it reflects the way Offred feels about her own body.
Further on in chapter two we learn about the choice Offred had to make, the choice that led to her becoming a handmaid. ‘Go to the Colonies, Rita said. They have the choice.’ Offred had to make a choice between being cast out of society and probably starving to death or becoming a sex slave, with her fertility being the only thing she is respected for. Rita claims that she ‘wouldn’t debase herself like that’; this demonstrates some of the ill-feeling women of Gilead hold toward handmaids. It is this comment that first introduces the reader to an associating between handmaids and whores. Rita is suggesting that Offred is amongst the lowest of Gilead society, Rita may be jealous that Offred can still conceive when most women can’t any more but judging by what Offred’s ability to conceive has led her to, I doubt Rita would be jealous. Atwood has attempted to reveal opinions people would hold for the handmaids, this presents the reader with a different way of looking at handmaids. Up until now readers would have felt sympathetic towards Offred, but now they are given an alternative viewpoint. Would the reader still feel sympathy for Offred if they had no idea what was going on in her mind?
Offered tells the reader of some of the conversations she has heard. Including a couple of gruesome stories about handmaids, ‘stabbed her with a knitting needle’ and ‘It was toilet cleaner she used.’ This allows the reader further incite into the world of Handmaids. It is clear that there are risks, most of all from the wives of the men they have to sleep with.
Offred often overhears conversations, this is how Atwood is able to introduce other characters and their opinions of Offred, by doing this Atwood has allowed the story to contain points of views that contradict Offred’s. What’s intriguing here is that despite Offred being the narrator and main protagonist, Atwood still feels it necessary to justify her and introduce opinions the reader may not have otherwise thought of.
Chapter three shows the reader for the first time the type of relationship Handmaids share with the commander’s wives. It is clear that the Commander’s wife (Serena Joy) holds almost no respect for Offred. She refers to Offred as ‘the new one’ and tells the Guardian accompanying Offred to ‘leave it on the porch.’ It is not clear whether or not the commander’s wife is referring to Offred’s bag or to Offred. Atwood has presented the implication that the Serena Joy sees Offred as a thing, or a tool. Serena Joy is clearly playing a power game with Offred and is attempting to set her in her place.
In chapter four the reader is introduced to Nick. This is the first time the reader and also the first time Offred have come across Nick. Atwood uses Offred’s first impressions to tell the reader about Nick without revealing too much. ‘I think of how he might smell.’ Offred is looking very closely at Nick and my impression is that she is attracted to him. Nick notices Offred looking at him and he winks at her. In my opinion Nick’s wink has mirrored Offred’s feelings of attraction, only far more blatantly. I think that Atwood has used this approach to show a mutual attraction between both of them and it also allowed her to show the reader that Nick is different from most men in Gilead.
Throughout the novel there is a theme of sexual tension. Offred purposely acts provocatively when she is walking away from a checkpoint at the end of chapter four. Offred explains that the guards ‘will suffer, later, at night’ because ‘they have no outlets now except themselves, and that's a sacrilege.’ Offred is teasing the guards; she knows about their situation and exploits it for her own fun. This shows Offred’s slightly rebellious side, and it also demonstrates that she has some power through being provocative. I think Atwood’s aim is to communicate that Offred is still human and that she hasn’t accepted her role within Gilead. Atwood has also communicated the power women could have in this community if men didn’t run it.
Towards the end of chapter five some Japanese tourists approach Offred and Ofglen. The reader learns that Gilead is different to the rest of the world. Offred claims that she is ‘fascinated, but also repelled’ by the clothes worn by the female tourists. However the clothes worn by the tourists are similar to the clothes Offred used to wear before Gilead was created. ‘It has taken so little time to change our minds’ claims Offred. Atwood has demonstrated how a person’s society can reflect a person’s opinion. Offred has been detached from any culture different to Gilead’s and this has caused her to start thinking like a true believer.
Atwood has chosen to question Offred’s values; the Japanese interpreter asks if she is happy. ‘Yes, we are very happy’. It seems illogical that she wouldn’t tell them the truth about a society she hates. The reader already knows that she is not happy. She has had her child taken, her husband has disappeared and she has lost everything that was once important to her, however her answer gives the reader a chance to see how surpressed she is within this society. ‘What else could I say?’ She is worried that the interpreter is an eye and this prevents her from answering honestly. It is this sort of fear that Atwood has introduced that shows the reader that whatever Offred does is a risk and that she is so scared that she’s never herself in case she is being watched.
Chapter six further cements the link between Offred and flowers. Descriptions of flowers frequently appear in the novel, they are usually a reference to female sexuality and always share a link with Offred’s life. In chapter six some blood on one of the bodies hung to the wall reminds Offred of Serena Joy’s tulips. ‘The red of the smile is the same as the red of the tulips in Serena Joy’s garden’. Within the novel red is very important as it represents everything Offred is used for within the society. It is very interesting that Atwood choose tulips as the flower of Offred’s focus as tulips are flowers used almost entirely for decoration and produce no fruit, like most of the women in Gilead. Atwood has again used subtle references to develop a character.
A similar method is used in Chapter eight when Offred returns from shopping with Ofglen. It is just after Offred has noticed Nick that she starts to comment on the flowers. She says that they are ‘redder than ever’ further suggesting fertility, however it is unclear whether the flowers represent Offred’s fertility or Nicks – maybe both. Atwood uses very sexual language when describing the flowers this time. She uses language such as ‘thrusting’ and explains how the flowers ‘turn themselves inside out, then explode slowly’. I think language like this enhances the sense of attraction and sexual desire between Offred and Nick. Atwood has clearly chosen these words carefully and I think she had a very clear intent.
In chapter seven the reader is first properly introduced to Moira. Offred is in the room she has been given, she uses this ‘time out’ to think back through her memories. Atwood likes to use this approach to show the reader what Offred’s life was like before and how much she has changed since becoming a handmaid. Offred usually remembers non-eventful situations and everyday conversations with no real point. ‘Lets go for a beer. You’re getting ashes in my bed…’ These conversations seem trivial to the reader but Atwood uses them to demonstrate how it is the simple things Offred is denied that are important to her.
In chapter nine we get a further sense of Offred’s longing for freedom. She is remembering when she used to stay at hotels; she remembers all the luxuries that she used to exploit without even thinking about it. ‘I could lift a telephone and food would appear on a tray’. This is another fairly simple thing that most readers would take for granted, however it is a sense of freedom that Atwood is trying to present to the readers. Atwood chooses simple things because she knows that it is simple things people will be able to relate to. Atwood creates a real sense of grandeur with modern society and make modern day seem much more glamorous than perhaps it is. However it is the suggestion that everything we take for granted could be taken away from us that really enhances the impact of Offred’s emotional turmoil.
The reader understands Offred’s distress, and in chapter nine Offred discovers that she has the opportunity to commit suicide while checking the cupboard of her room. ‘The walls with their brass hooks – how could they have overlooked the hooks?’ Offred has discovered a way of taking her own life and she describes ways in which she can do it. ‘A stocking, that’s all you’d need.’ This suggests to the reader that Offred is actually considering taking her own life. The reader knows that Offred is not going to take her own life, at least not for about another two hundred and fifty pages, but the suggestion is still quite scary. By now the reader has built a relationship with this character and the reader has no choice but to imagine someone who is so depressed that they are willing to take their own life. It is only when she discovers the Latin words ‘ Nolite te bastardes carborundorum’ that she seems to gain the mental strength to carry on. She ponders the words and tries to imagine the person who wrote them, she imagines the person like Moira and starts to build a relationship with the old handmaid who left the message. It is fitting that the words mean ‘don’t let the bastards grind you down’ even if Offred doesn’t know what it means. Atwood has clearly chosen words that hold a clear message of holding on and fighting and that it is this message that stops Offred from considering suicide. The words Atwood has chosen show us an active resistance; the words suggest that handmaids have the ability to turn their depression and hatred from their weakness to their strength. I think that this message is an insight into what Offred is going to have to achieve in order to survive her current experience.
In chapter ten Offred is reminding herself of old songs and hymns she used know. Atwood has chosen songs that seem to relate directly to Offred. Offred reminds herself of the hymn “Amazing Grace” the line ‘could save a wretch like me’ seems that it could be a way Atwood has used to represent Offred’s feelings. It is also worth noting that Atwood has changed the last line of verse one from “was blind, but now I see’ to ‘was bound but now am free’. Atwood has changed the last line to words that clearly represent Offred’s own ambitions. Offred also reminds herself of a song that contains the lyrics ‘I feel so lonely I could die.’ Offred has been separated from her husband and her daughter and the reader knows that she has considered suicide. Atwood has clearly used songs to communicate to the reader Offred’s deep thoughts and feelings.
In chapter eleven Offred is offered the chance to get pregnant. When she has to see the doctor she is shocked when the doctor offers to make her pregnant. ‘I could help you. I’ve helped others.’ This raises a number of interesting questions, is this man really trying to be compassionate, trying to help? Or is he just another example of how men in Gilead take advantage of women. Offred refuses to let the doctor impregnate her, this could be a trap; it could be a test to test her loyalty. However at the end of the chapter Offred claims ‘it’s the choice that terrifies me. A way out, a salvation.’ It is unusual for Offred to have a choice; it is scary for her as having a choice will lead to consequences. This is Offred’s first major chance to break away from the rules of Gilead and she chooses not to. Atwood has shown the reader, how despite having a strong survival instinct, Offred is not prepared to take risks. She may need to get pregnant to survive but it is much more than survival Offred wants. She wants freedom as well.
I think ‘The Handmaid’s tale’ is a very well written book, it is obvious from the way that Atwood presents Offred that she is a very clever author. She develops Offred perfectly and the reader truly sympathises with her throughout the book.
Offred has a very peculiar sense of survival, she is in a horrendous situation but she refuses to actively protest against out of fear. She knows that voicing her opinions would not achieve anything and even though she wants to rebel and wants to resist she can’t find a safe way of doing it. Offred copes by gaining courage from all sorts of different sources, her memories of her daughter, of Luke and of Moira, the writing in the cupboard and her hatred for her situation.
Her situations constantly develop and change over the course of the novel, but one thing remains consistent. If she wants to survive she has to have a baby. The ways the situations develop are extraordinarily gripping, there isn’t any real action but the more the reader reads the more they start to feel for Offred. We see Offred go from wanting to kill herself to devoting her energies to surviving and coping until she finds a way to get out. Some readers may disagree with me and claim that she is stuck in a rut and that she is just accepting it but I think the text suggests that the last thing she’s done is accepted it – she’s just trying to survive.
I think that Atwood’s narrative technique is very clever. By using a first person narrative Atwood has allowed the reader to really get to know Offred. The reader also learns about some of the things that happened and how society has changed, but only ever in very small parts of information. This method keeps the reader intrigued and makes the author want to read on in order to find out more. The use of symbolism in the flowers is also very well used, some people may question whether or not the flowers are necessary but I think they allow Atwood to communicate certain things to the reader that otherwise may have been too blatant and interrupted the rhythm of the text. However I am not a fan of Atwood’s dialogue. It never seems real to me, just two people exchanging dull facts, maybe that’s the way conversations are in Gilead but in other novels dialogue is usually an important way of creating characters.
