Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale Classroom Blog

Art by  Fanzi 518 The term ‘Grisaille’ refers to a monochromatic painting technique used by artists– a technique where an entire piece is conceived using only the colour grey. To achieve this, artists mix precise quantities of black and white to produce a wide range of grey tones. And while these two colours are responsible for the definition of every shape, black and white in their purest form are scarcely present. People are much the same– never completely belonging to one side of the spectrum, or the other. A similar grey zone was prevalent throughout chapter 28 of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale . During this chapter, we watch through Offred’s eyes as the gradual fall of the United States gives way to the rise of the Republic of Gilead. There are arguably a number of things that may have provoked this turn of events, but most notably, it was the people’s indifference toward any problems that don’t concern them. For instance, even when Offred is stripped of he...

D oes knowledge really lead to power? Is “The more you know the better”, really worth taking into consideration? In chapter 29 of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale , Offred contributes to the reality that when some recognize the influence they have on others, they’ll most likely steer it to their advantage. After so many nights of playing scrabble in the Commander’s office, things start to get less informal and Offred finally starts questioning as to why he started the whole thing in the first place. Which leads to the burning question that seems to drag on throughout the whole chapter. What benefit is the Commander getting from this? An important member of society wanting to put so much effort into spending time with Offred, a Handmaid, an individual treated with such disrespect. Besides, we all know how dangerous and illegal these meetings are and that the chances of Serena Joy finding out are extremely high if we keep in mind what happened to the former Handmaid. In fact, t...

In a world shaped around specific strict rules. The rules either break you or you break them.  In handmaid's tale where women are strongly prejudiced, many are deeply concerned about their well being knowing that one false move could be fatal. thorough many chapters we see are narrator Offred enduring this oppressive regime by knowing when it's time to break the rules and when to stay clear. We witness this fine act of rule breaking on multiple occasions when Offred visits the commander. Offred’s fear of getting sent to the colonies ultimately pushed her so seek further solutions. Her continued apprehension of not being able to produce a baby motivates her to be creative. Her visites are made when Nick signals her either by polishing a car or even wearing his hat incorrectly. During Her visit in chapter 25 the commander gives her a magazine titled the Vogue, a magasin she desperately wants to read. All these secret meeting give Offred a sense on personhood making her life mor...

If I asked you to define power, what words and definition would you use? At first, it might seem easy, but with further reflexion, you would realize that the word is in fact an ambiguous concept. Throughout the centuries, power took on different forms and meanings, leaving us without a true visualisation of its concept. Many would see it as control and abuse of others, which has caused many wars and conflicts since the beginning of mankind. Others may define the idea of power as being able to make decisions that will affect the lives of many, either with positive or negative consequences, just like leaders of countries. However, in chapter 22 of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale , the characters are able to manipulate others in a self-serving way, thus showing that power is not established by a title; it is defined by one’s action, towards themselves or others. I think Atwood does a brilliant job at revealing Gilead’s manipulation of power through her exploration of different ...

A society is created once rules are in place, as well as laws and restrictions meaning that inventing a humanity and a set of mind for a society is relatively easy once one is put in power. In chapter 24, Offred learns that she needs to forget the past and separate the past from reality, such as forgetting her old name and her old life. She needs to live in the present and not the past as well as follow new rules of the society to not be punished for her actions. This lead to the questioning of how easy is it really to create a humanity. I find it very interesting how by her living in the present instead of the past she can gain some kind of power in her household. The commander’s behavior allows Offred to gain something from him. She then comes to explain that by agreeing to meet with him it is considered not okay, a rule of the society. She then states that this meeting “could be important, it could be a passport, it could be my downfall” (180) because she knows it's not o...

As a society we cannot hide from the fact that the unexpected will inevitably occur. Thankfully, it’s when the unexpected transpires that we can both accept and learn from it. This is the complete opposite of what is shown in chapter 19 of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale . In the novel, Offred’s perspective helps us visualize what happens to Unbabies after they’re taken away. We also learn how in the Gilead society it’s not only considered normal to kill these Unbabies, but it is seen as good thing by some. Killing these babies, whatever the reason may be, should under no circumstance be normal or encouraged. In the chapter Offred discusses her fears for Ofwarren and her unborn child. Early in the chapter Offred says: “What will Ofwarren give birth to? A baby, as we all hope?” (139) Here she is referring to the fact that one in four babies that are born in Gilead are not considered normal. These abnormal babies are called Unbabies. They’re called Unbabies because they su...

Sexual Confusion Sexual freedom is what gives us life, but what if I told you that the ability to express sexual freedom would suddenly disappear. How does that affect you? Would we end up losing an important human value? Is it possible that this would lead us to confusion and self-hatred? Well, in chapter 17 of The Handmaid’s Tale , I noticed how Offred’s furious quest for sexual freedom and the desire to be “touched”, caused her to fall back into the regime’s hands. Earlier in the book, Offred had a relationship with a guy named Luke, he seemed interested in Offred and never really obeyed the rules of avoiding eye contact or even talking towards a woman, thus grabbing her attention. In chapter 17, Offred hasn't seen Luke in a while and of course was missing him and even said it here; “I want Luke here so badly.” (Atwood 120). However, Offred’s uncontrollable sexual intensity has put her back into the depths of the regime. “He [Nick] puts his hands on my arm, pull...

When the human brain is missing short-term information, the hippocampus is there to quickly fill in the blanks. But what about long-term information? What about unknown situations? When left to our own devices, the subconscious can begin to overthink. We may construct multiple situations and choose the most likely — or most satisfying one — as the truth. This is normal — expected, even. It is natural for us to desire a conclusion. Offred is different. She doesn’t want to pick the most likely situation, nor the most satisfying. Instead, she picks every situation. “The things I believe can’t all be true, though one of them must be. But I believe in all of them.” (131). I think this says a lot about Offred and the world she lives in. She is hopeful that Luke might be alive. However, she is also resigned to the fact that he could be dead. I don’t know if you could call this optimism. It may be closer to stubbornness. Her refusal to accept any scenario is almost childlike. As if, by den...

Insofar, reading the novel has me thinking about the influence of society over one person. For instance, if you don't follow a trend, you have “no taste”, if you have a different opinion, you have “no brain”, if you look different, you are a “rebel”, and if you don't have the same values, you “don't know what is important”. It seems no matter how hard you try to be  different or to be true to yourself, you will always be rejected b y society. Reading chapter 10 of The Handmaid's Tale just strengthen my opinion, proving th at society’s ideology has the power to coerce one to change in fear of being rejected, revealing the dangerous power of collective belief. Initially, this chapter shows us the difference between the past and the present, especially the contrast in freedom. Afterwards, we realise that the lack of freedom in powerless citizens, like the handmaids, demonstrates the power of the regime over an individual’s mindset. For example, no one can sing old s...

“Someone had lived in this room, before me. Someone like me, or I prefer to believe so” (62).  I believe this story doesn’t start with Offred, but with who was there before her, since every story has its bigger picture. In fact, Gilead's control over the Handmaid’s physical space - Offred’s room - mirrors the regime’s command over her freedom of expression, specifically love and sexuality, making Offred’s diligence vital in order to protect her sanity.   Offred decides to explore her small room, but not as one would explore a hotel room, quickly opening every door and cabinet - usually to find the bathroom and the mini fridge (64). This search was deep and intriguing, scrutinizing every little detail day by day, until “I [Offred] saw that, the evidence left by two people, of love or something like it” (64). This proves how Gilead has control over sex and sexuality. This discovery shocked Offred since it has been so long since she felt loved.  In this new era men and w...

Art by artistlin8 on Tumblr In a modern Canadian society where one has the ability to do almost anything they desire, freedom of action and opinion is often taken for granted. Indeed, despite the inequalities we still face, we are extremely lucky to be able to think our own thoughts and define our own destiny. Our privileged situation only becomes more apparent upon reading Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which brings on further reflections about what it means to be truly free, while simultaneously warning us to stay aware of our living situation as to not wake up in a totalitarianism regime, as the women of Gilead did. Essentially, in Atwood’s dystopian world, characters are forced into positions where they must serve the republic, the women often ending up having the most undesirable roles. Indeed, the way Offred is treated in chapter 11 demonstrates how the patriarchal tyranny to which the women in Gilead are submitted strips one from independence and individuality, con...

Welcome to our classroom blog! NOTE:  As we collectively create this blog, keep in mind that everything you post is public and can be viewed by any person having access to the blog address, including your teacher! Moreover, it will be important for you to respect deadlines as far as your chapter posts are concerned in order to allow time for your classmates to react and respond, which is also part of the task.