The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood did not pick the words that Offred and the Commander spelled while playing Scrabble randomly. They relate to different aspects of the story.

The larynx is responsible for speech; it is the voice box. It is ironic that Offred spells larynx since she has no voice or say in what she is allowed to do. She is not supposed to spell words either; so in spelling this word, she is breaking all the rules. Not only is Offred spelling words when she is not allowed, she is making a statement about her lack of voice.

A valance is a piece of curtain that covers a window. It shades the window; just as Offred has to shade her face with the wings because she has no value other than her fertility. The valance hides things taking place behind the window, such as Offred’s time with the Commander must remain hidden.

A quince is a fruit that resembles an apple and is used for making marmalades. Marmalade would be a luxury item that would be taken away from the Handmaids; as items such as butter were, butter was hard to come by.

Zygote, a fertilized egg, has a very obvious connection to the novel. The handmaid’s are valued for their fertility, and those who can not bear children are sent to live with the unwomen. Offred has not had a child, so a zygote is of extreme importance for her, unless she can escape Gilead.



The scene in which Offred describes an egg she is having for breakfast was particularly interesting because it relates directly to Offred’s purpose as a handmaid. Offred states, “Pleasure is an egg. Blessings that can be counted, on the fingers of one hand. But possibly this is how I am expected to react. If I have an egg, what more can I want?” (110-111). Offred is staring at an egg discussing the wonders of its shape and warmth. She is obviously unhappy in Gilead, but to have an egg would be pleasure because she would be safe, and not have to worry about being sent to live with the unwomen. This quote summarizes in four sentences the unfair treatment that the women in Gilead receive. They are only good for their fertility, and have few other places in society.



I enjoyed this novel because by the end of it, I felt so connected to Offred; I wanted her to be able to escape Gilead, and be relieved of all her pain. I also enjoyed the humor of Offred’s mother, and of Moira. The way that they were very blunt, and not afraid to say anything was very amusing.

We

D-503 battles an intense internal struggle throughout Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We. He is comfortable in his job as the builder of the Integral, and he enjoys following his daily schedule; they are comforts for D-503. D-503 is bombarded with a problem when he discovers that he has a soul as a result of his infatuation with I-330. He is not supposed to feel emotions like he is feeling because everything is supposed to be precisely calculated according to formula.
The emotions of D-503 are further complicated when I-330 wants to skip some of there scheduled meetings, and O-90 wants to have a child with him. D-503 fights his emotions internally. Does he want to be with O-90 or I-330? Is he comfortable with his current lifestyle, or is his curiosity about life beyond the wall too much to suppress?

Zamyatin illustrates this battle through the numerous ellipses he inserts into D-503’s thoughts. They interrupt his thought process, and illustrate confusion. Following an ellipsis, D-503 switches to another topic; showing that he has many ideas running through his mind at the same time. Zamyatin also uses colors in different descriptions that contribute to different emotions. For instance, the ruins of the finger, outside the wall, upon the return of the integral, are yellow. Yellow indicates caution; just as D-503 was cautious of I-330, the leader of the people outside the wall. Another example is the white gloves of the doctor examining the Jacobs. White is clean and simple; just as OneState has always been simple and comfortable for D-503. The clear skies over OneState become cloudy as if a storm is about to come just before the lift of the Integral; depicting the climax of D-503’s confusion.

It all would be simple if D-503 had not discovered that he possessed a soul. He would have been able to maintain his robotic, monotonous lifestyle, and he would have been happy because he would have been within his comfort zone. However, D-503 does seem happy, despite his internal struggle, that he discovered his soul because of his intrigue with the wild world beyond the green wall. If he was truly, completely happy with his life in OneState, he probably would not have become so infatuated with I-330.



A passage that I particularly enjoyed from We is when the Benefactor speaks to D-503. The Benefactor states:
I ask this question: What is it that people beg for, dream about, torment themselves for, from the time they leave swaddling clothes? They want someone to tell them, once and for all, what happiness is- and then to bind them to that happiness with a chain. What is it we’re doing right now, if not that? … Remember: In paradise they’ve lost all knowledge of desires, pity, love- they are the blessed, with their imaginations surgically removed (207).

I found this passage interesting because happiness is probably the number one thing the majority of people would wish for someone to give them; especially since it can be difficult to decide what makes you happy. It is interesting how the Benefactor thinks that he is giving people happiness because they do not have knowledge of desires or pity, and they do not have imaginations. The people can not think of anything that would make them unhappy, but they also are unable to think of wonderful things in their life. It would be nice is someone could tell you what will make you happy, but only you can tell yourself that because you know yourself better than anyone. This quote is just really interesting because it tells you that the Benefactor had good intentions in the creation of OneState, which you would not assume from the mechanical aspects of the society.




I enjoyed We because it was interesting to look at the story through D -503’s stream of consciousness. The stream of consciousness was annoying at times because D-503’s thoughts become interrupted; however those interruptions showed his internal struggle. I just thought it was really interesting to look at the story in the way that D-503 was thinking it rather than from the point of view of an omniscient narrator or a more typical first person point of view that is explaining past events. It was just easier to connect to D-503’s character when I was sorting out his conflicts with him; rather than listening to recollections of the past. I felt as though I was involved and could help D-503 solve his problems because I was sorting them out as they were presented in his mind.

Anthem

It would seem that a society in which everyone has a job, and works for what is best for the whole would be quite peaceful. Everyone would have a purpose, and something to work for. All the pieces of the society would fit together perfectly, and the society would be harmonious because everyone would have what they need. Would they really?

As in the case of Equality 7-2521, he was very unhappy because he wanted to be a scientist, not a street sweeper. He was not intellectually stimulated. His discovery of the light bulb in the tunnel goes ignored, and Equality is persecuted for putting time into something other than his job.

The reason that Equality 7-2521 is so unhappy is that he has no room for personal growth. Despite the society’s attempts to make everyone work towards the good of each other by removing I from the spoken language, and making them use we to refer to themselves, people like Equality were 7-2521 are individuals. Even the name Equality suggests that all the people have an equal part in the society, but they do not. Some people get to be scientists while others have to sweep streets, and they have no choice in what they do. Where is the equality there? The problem in this society is that they try to squeeze every individual into a specific mold. People have to have room to make their own decisions, and grow as individuals. Only then can they work for the good of everyone, the society. People, to a certain extent, are who they are, and you can not change them. If characters such as Equality 7-2521 were happy, and they had freedom to make their own decisions regarding themselves, they would be better able to work for the benefit of the society because people can not unite as one if they are not one with themselves. If someone is unhappy, they will focus on trying to do what will make them happy; they will not be focused on what is best for everyone because the most primitive of human instincts is to take care of oneself first.




A quote from Anthem that I enjoyed is spoken by Equality 7-2521 early in the novel. Equality 7-2521 states, “But we cannot change our bones nor our body,” (Rand 13). This means that people are who they are no matter what. Someone can change their superficial features, some of their opinions, and attitudes; however at the end of the day, they are who they are. Despite how hard someone may try, I just do not think it is possible for someone to completely change themselves, and rid themselves of their past. Your past is just that, your past. You can learn from it, but you can not change it; it is there for ever.




My opinion on Anthem is indifferent; I neither truly liked nor disliked it. It bothered me that none of the characters had a choice about how they were to spend their lives. It also bothered me that the entire society seemed to take a step backwards in their advancement. I think that you should move forward, and not backwards because there must have been a reason that the lifestyles of the society evolved the way they did. Overall, I did not make a strong connection with any of the characters that allowed me to become involved in the story.

Fahreinheit 451

The TV walls that filled the living room of Guy and Mildred Montag and all of the other homes in town did not just separate the people from the world for a few hours of entertainment; they separated people such as Mildred from several aspects of everyday life.

Mildred spends hours of each day in front of her TV wall absorbed by her program that allows her to play along with the actors on the screen. The news, which is broadcasted through the screen, is manipulated by the government; such as when an innocent man is gunned down so that the government can say that they captured Montag. The wall even informs the occupants of the house that someone is at the door. The majority of the people in Fahrenheit 451 are so enamored with their TV walls that they spend their entire day in front of it. They do not question anything broadcasted over it; they believe everything to be fact.

The trust that the characters have in the media broadcasts, along with their fascination with the TV walls, allows them all to be manipulated by the government. The government uses the technology to keep everyone dumb because knowledge allows people to make informed decisions and to ask questions. Burning books was not the only way that people were kept unaware of the actions of the government. The TV walls isolated people, and convinced them that they were happy. For instance, Mildred rarely interacted with Montag because she would miss her programs, and Mildred believed that the people who were burned in their homes for having books deserved it because she was taught by information she received through her TV walls and from early in life that the information in books was all lies and jargon that was meant to define people from one another, and therefore create controversy. Mildred did not know that those people who were burned were good people with great arsenals of knowledge, or that people were run down on the street because she never investigated information for herself; she just followed what she was told without question. For instance, when Montag informed Mildred that their neighbor Clarisse had been run over, Mildred mentioned that she always thought Clarisse was strange. Mildred never questioned why Clarisse was treated so inhumanely.

Mildred, among others, such as her friend who is burdened by the presence of her children, is numb to many basic emotions. She does not seem to feel pain and sympathy for others, or much true love for Montag. She rarely spends time with him because she is watching programs or with friends, and when she finds out that Montag has books in their home, she calls in the alarm on him. Despite obvious faults in the society, Mildred does not react to any of them. She is isolated by her TV walls and the messages that are broadcast over them. Mildred is manipulated by the false sense of happiness that technology gives her; separated from basic human emotions and events taking place in the society. She is very consumed with what she thinks she wants, and thinks little of anything else.




I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 even though it is a science fiction novel, a genre that has not always been a favorite of mine. There are some startling technologies, such as the dog, but the story is not over powered by scientific jargon and inventions. Bradbury balances his use of technologies in Fahrenheit 451 very well; the technologies supplement the plot and themes, while not overpowering the story so that it is just about the technology. I thought that the TV walls, while it is disturbing how isolating they are, are not that different than technologies we have today. People can buy huge plasma TVs that cover an entire wall, and media can be extremely manipulative just as it is in the novel. Just look at how the paparazzi can publish a picture of a celebrity in a magazine, and many people will believe what ever the article says without any concrete facts that support the story. One could also look at how some books are banned from certain schools, or at how in some countries, the news is edited for content by a government agency before it is broadcasted.

There are probably many people who would act in a similar manner as Mildred because it may be easier to make yourself believe that you are happy, than to question what is going on around you and fight for change; that is not that new of an idea to me. What was disturbing to me about this book was how many comparisons that can be made between this society that clearly had major issues, and the one that we live in.

U2's "Acrobat" and The Handmaid's Tale

The content in this U2 song, "Acrobat", and video are similar to The Handmaid’s Tale for obvious reasons. The video shows U2 drinking with scantily dressed women, and performing in different clips; actions that would not take place in the Republic of Gilead. The lyrics show emotions that are very similar to those that Offred is feeling. For instance, “You can feel the enemy,” Offred feels trapped, as if someone is watching her every move; the windows in the bedroom are just slits, and the picture frames have no glass. The lines, “No, nothing makes sense/ Nothing seems to fit,” relate to how Offred remembers pieces of her former life such as her child and Luke, and she tries to piece together what happened in her mind. These are some of the more obvious similarities between this song and The Handmaid’s Tale, but the similarities go beyond this.

The tone of the lyrics is very similar to the tone Offred’s mother uses. The language is not very proper, and there is cursing incorporated. For instance the lyrics read, “And you can swallow/ Or you can spit/ you can throw it up/ Or choke on it,” this language has an angry, aggressive undertone; similar to when Offred’s mother says, “Fuck that shit, I told them, I’ve started this and I’m going to finish it,” (Atwood 120). Both of these examples show that the person saying them is not going to be easily influenced by someone else’s opinion; they are going to live by their own motives. The lyrics and quote show a fiery attitude that is being suppressed in Gilead.
When the lyrics state, “To take a cup/ to fill it up/ to drink it slow,” it is very similar to how Offred’s mother appears to drink away her sorrows; as Offred describes, “A drink in front of her on the kitchen table … she liked to come over to my house and have a drink while Luke and I cooked dinner and tell us what was wrong with her life,” (120). She uses the alcohol as a suppressor for her pain. The pain in Offred’s mother’s life comes from unfair treatment and objectification because she is a woman; while Offred’s problems come from similar causes, and the lyrics describe a girl who has lost her fire and feels suppressed.

Despite the problems of the girl that "Acrobat" is written about, the last two lines read, “And I know that the tide is turning ‘round/ So don’t let the bastards grind you down,” the same phrase used many times throughout The Handmaid’s Tale by Moira, Offred’s mother, the Commander, and others. In the novel, the phrase is written in Latin and translated to have the same meaning, “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum,” (186). Moira, who has a rebellious personality, says this to Offred to cheer her up, as does Offred’s mother. The Commander also says this to Offred, similar to how U2 is saying this to the girl that is the subject of their song. The Commander tells Offred the meaning of this in a way that makes the phrase seem childish, as it was something he used to write as a schoolboy, but he shows Offred that he has problems similar to hers; he has felt confused, and like everyone is the enemy.

The surface features of the lyrics of this song, just the basic meanings of the words, have similarity to The Handmaid’s Tale, but what is written between the lines, as well as tone are similar as well.