No one is capable of choosing their emotions; they come as a result of human nature. This can be seen in our behavior throughout life, from the way babies cry when they miss their parents to the reckless actions of teenagers when they feel the urge to rebel. People begin expressing their feelings before they even start crawling. It is an involuntary reflex that comes naturally and continues to our dying breath. The ability to feel emotion is an aspect of humanity that transcends generations. Literature, through the course of time, has changed in drastic ways. It has now moved away from Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter to broader horizons, but similarities can always be found. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale were written almost …show more content…
Gilead values obedience to their core beliefs and use many tactics to maintain it. The citizens often spy on one another and Eyes are spread throughout the society. Offred’s depression and fear is what controls the way she behaves even around Ofglen, who later on became one of her closest companions. “She may be a real believer, a Handmaid in more than name. I can’t take the risk. ‘The war is going well, I hear,’ [Ofglen] says. ‘Praise be,’ I reply. ‘We’ve been sent good weather.’ ‘Which I receive with joy’” (Atwood 24). Offred fears the possible torture she may face if she does anything that is seen as out of line. Much like innocent people confessing to crimes they did not commit in an interrogation, fear is a powerful decider of behavior. Offred knows the punishments that there are for people, she has participated in the executions and seen the dead people on the wall. This instills a constant sense of anxiety and dread that motivates the way she behaves with others. Fear to Offred is like gravity on a meteor, dragging her down