Detailed analysis of literary quotes from The Handmaid's Tale

Analysis of Quotes from The Handmaid's Tale

The Cloistered Lifestyle

Quote Analysis "time here is measured by bells, as once in nunneries" "as in nunnery, there are few mirrors." Pg. 18 The negative connotation of the word "nunnery" hints the cloistered and systematic lifestyle of a nun, who has only one purpose in life: to be devoted to God, avoid being involved in the materialistic world and push away human desires. Therefore, this biblical reference to "nunnery" suggests to the readers that the narrator also lives a careful, abstaining, and restricted life with only one purpose in life. The physical appearance is unimportant and thus, 'few mirrors'- in this extract, the name of the narrator nor the narrator's one purpose in life in the society is not mentioned.

Symbolism of Red

"color of blood" “red" "red shoes, "red gloves", "red cloak" "I never looked good in red, it's not my colour". "The colour blood which defines us" Pg18 The language is simple and descriptive. "red", is a common adjective used throughout the passage, it describes the pieces of apparel the narrator is wrapped in. The narrator being fully wrapped from head to toe in red leads the readers to hypothesize that this is the narrator's state of being every day: tied up by the laws of the Republic of Gilead which has full authorities to control her life. The strong colour of red may be tied with the emotions of anger and rebellion the narrator is experiencing. It is hinted that she doesn't enjoy being in this emotional state as she says that "I never looked good in red, it's not my colour". "The colour blood which defines us" may also define the colour of love, true love the narrator may have experienced in the past, and birth/reproduction, the narrator's only role in society.

The Handmaid's Room

"this could be a college guest room, for the less distinguished visitors ... for ladies in reduced circumstances. That is what we are now. The circumstances have been reduced; for those of us who still have circumstances. " This is a house, not a home. The room is not individualized or welcoming. Any Handmaid could live there, and more than one has. While on one hand the privilege of a single room can be seen as one of the few things left to Handmaids, it also denies them companionship and conversation.

Control Through Language

"The door of the room-not my room, I refuse to say my-is not locked. In fact it doesn't shut properly." pg18 The narrator emphasizes how she uses language to retain a small amount of control over her situation. She may not be able to decide much else about her life, but she can control her possessive pronouns. In this case, she refuses to think of the room she's been assigned as hers.

Imagery of a Distorted Shadow

"like a distorted shadow ... some fairytale figure in a red cloak ... A Sister, dipped in blood." Pg19 The "distorted shadow" adds a grey colour to the minds of the readers and thus helps in increasing the gloomy mood. The reference to "some fairy tale figure in a red cloak" suggests how unreal the narrator is feeling at the moment. This may be due to her reluctance to accept the reality andher longing to return to her past life. The last sentence, "a sister, dipped in blood" is another biblical reference and also a metaphor which explains how she is red from head to toe as if "dipped in blood". There is a sense of exaggeration in this description which is linked to imagery which purposefully aids in the understanding of the readers.

The Hunger for Touch

"I hunger to commit the act of touch." Pg21 Metaphorical/symbolic language The narrator alters her "hunger" for something edible, bread, to what would really nourish her: touch, and, correspondingly, love. She wants to touch and be touched, to remind herself of her body and of the feelings that can develop from that sort of tactile sensation.

Serena's Jealousy and Control

"She wanted me to feel that I could not come into the house unless she said so." Wants to show control Hints at Serena's jealousy shown later on Women vs women in Gilead

Handmaids as Technology

"They used to have dolls ... I thought I was sounding like that, voice of a monotone, voice of a doll" pg26 "Without a word she swivels, as if she's voice-activated, as if she's on little oiled wheels, as if she's on top of a music box" (43) (Offred about Ofglen when shopping) The first reference to a handmaid being technological. In this case, Offred is commenting on the doll-like nature of her actions: Here, Offred resembles technology because she is acting out a scripted role; she is creating a public self that is separate from her natural identity. Later, in the fourth chapter, Offred describes how mechanical her shopping partner, Ofglen, seems. Again, a handmaid is being referred to as mechanical or technological, although this time, she is physically doll-like where Offred was emotionally doll-like. In addition to being technological because they are mechanical and doll-like, the handmaids can be considered a technology because they are something invented and utilized by humans in an inventive way in order to achieve a goal. We can easily see how they are used to achieve the goal of procreation, but their own creation (that is, their transformation into something created) is more complex.

Offred's Self-Composition

"I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born" pg76 Offred discusses her creation while contemplating the act of waiting. Key quotation supporting the idea of the handmaids as technology. It encompasses the idea of human invention and creation, poignantly comparing her public self to a speech. Offred composes herself to be the appropriate embodiment of womanhood in Gilead which is ideally a tool used for procreation. The passage also explicitly describes a key difference between the natural and the technological; Offred is a made thing, not something born. In the hierarchy of person, place, or thing, she has clearly been demoted from person to 'thing.'

Linguistic Control in Gilead

"Blessed be the fruit" the "accepted greeting" Control through language"may the Lord open." The "accepted response" Pg.29 "under his eye" "praise be" One of the ways a society oppresses its people quickly is through language. So the handmaids are also given a new vocabulary. The language of their new world is stiff, rote, antiquated, and God-centric. Also stripped of their linguistic power through their names

Offred's Power and Sexuality

"I enjoy the power: power of a dog bone, passive but there." Tries to take control over her body. Uses her sexuality- Offred manipulates the animalistic, simple traits of men in a way to exercise power- through her body.

The Normalization of Horror

"what I feel towards them is blankness." (about the hanged bodies) Her words reflect the power of a totalitarian state like Gilead to transform a natural human response such as revulsion at an execution into 'blankness'- Horror into normalcy

Aunt Lydia on Ordinariness

'Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.' Aunt Lydia's words suggest that Gilead succeeds not by making people believe that its ways are right, but by making people forget what a different world could be like. P43

The Doubled Life

"Doubled, I walk the street." Shows control, one handmaid spying on the other also women vs women. But also more symbolically: Offred is literally doubled because she is walking beside another handmaid dressed in identical clothing. The idea of 'doubling' however, is an essential consequence of any oppressive totalitarian state. Each subject of such a regime naturally lives 2 lives- one official and public, the other unofficial and private. This is obviously true of Offred to an extent this is tied into the division of the novel into 'nights' and 'days'.

Gilead's Internal Control

"Gilead is within you" (aunt Lydia) pg.33 Allusion to bible- Jesus saying 'the kingdom of God is within you". The regime deliberately confuses a spiritual idea with a political doctrine. This quote contributes to the setting. In Gilead, everything is controlled. The place becomes part of you, not just a place where you reside. The republic of Gilead will make the choices: not the actual individuals.

The Dilemma of Protection

"women were not protected then" pg34 Atwood raises a dilemma for us to consider. Women used to be afraid of molestation or rape. These things do not happen in a strictly controlled regime. This is 'freedom from', which, as Aunt Lydia tells the Handmaids, should not be underrated; Atwood's picture of a dystopia is not simplistic.

Freedom From vs. Freedom To

"Freedom to and freedom from ... Don't underrate it" Pg34 Although the Aunts are unpleasant characters in the novel, Atwood is raising a serious moral dilemma about the nature of personal freedom and the point at which it becomes anarchy.Despite all that the women have lost, Aunt Lydia and Gilead argue that they are free now. They have "freedom from" things like sexist catcalls and potential abuse from strangers. They would argue that the women of Gilead should be grateful for such freedoms rather than mourning the other freedoms they've lost.

Restricted Vision and Reliability

"its hard to look up, hard to get the full view, of the sky, of anything." "we have learned to see the world in gasps." Pg40 She literally can't see it but also metaphorically restricted freedom to explore. We as readers see Gilead in 'gasps' too- in Offred's view- just like her, we don't see the full view. This affects her reliability as a narrator- it's her memories- can't write it when in Gilead.

The Freedom of Night

"the night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet." Pg.47 night section More freedom, owns it - owns the time to think of the past and escape These moments eventually give her power to establish who she was, who she is now and who she will eventually become. By doing this, she has enough strength to bide her time and keep hope that one day she would be able to once again achieve her own identity.

Small Acts of Defiance

"I look for the pat of butter, in the toe of my right shoe, where I hid it after dinner ... As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will someday get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire. We have ceremonies of our own, private ones. “ Small acts of defiance- give her a sense of power also gives her a sense of identity for offered, doing something on her own that breaks the monotony of her controlled and calculated existence, gives her a feeling of self that is unattainable by following the shepherd of Gilead like a lost sheep. Executing the heist of the flower is freeing for offered and possibly for the first time since the revolution, she feels alive. When offered says, "I want to steal something ... What should I take? Something that will not be missed." (pg 120) she wants to be "doing something, on [her] own". The act of theft pleases the oppressed woman and makes her think, "I like this". Finally, she is feeling identifiable with herself.

The Narrative as a Story

"you don't tell a story only to yourself. There's always someone else." "I would like to believe this is a story I'm telling. I need to believe it." "If it's a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending." - hopeful? "It's also a story I'm telling, in my head, as I go along. Tell, rather than write, because I have nothing to write with and writing if in any case forbidden." "I'll pretend you can hear me." Pg.49 This is our first allusion to the overall structure of the narrative-which is revealed, in the Historical Notes at the end, to be an oral document-and our first indication that Offred may have an audience in mind. Or not, she's quick to add; it's a very contradictory, circular train of thought. (could also reliable- rigorous research done by Piexoto) Reliability? Sanity? Hopeful but also reliability? Reliability? Hopeful, coping mechanism