ipl-logo

How Does Offred Change In The Handmaid

572 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How religion is presented in the handmaids tale

I will evaluate how the character Offred has changed through time. Before she was a handmaiden she was very carefree and did not care for the rules of Gilead. Before Gilead sets its totalitarian rules in place Offred is young and carefree. Though she does not mention her life before becoming a Handmaiden often, when she does it often includes her daughter and her husband Luke. At one point, Offred mentions that she was romantically involved with Luke while he was still married. She also describes being with Moira. Moira is Offred's closest friend, she is very headstrong and outspoken. Offred feels that as long as she has Moira she will be taken care of because of Moira and her strong personality. Eventually, Moira and Offred are taken to the …show more content…

… Nevertheless Moira was our fantasy. We hugged her to us, she was with us in secret, a giggle; she was lava beneath the crust of daily life” (Atwood 133). Prior to saying this, Offred explains how word of Moira’s escape spread to everyone. Subsequently, she explains the effect it has on her and her peers. She says that the thought of escaping is so strange, so unbelievable that it makes the women dizzy. This is because many of them were starting to believe that being a handmaiden was the absolute best option for them. Despite all of this, says Offred Moira became a fantasy for many. She became a mythological figure, a beacon of hope. Many grasped onto her story and used it to get through everyday life. After she became a handmaiden she slowly assimilated into the lifestyle of a handmaiden and began to agree with Gilead's laws. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Handmaids are like animals in captivity, controlled by their Commanders and the Commanders' wife. It is the Handmaid's job to provide a child for the barren couple and do certain chores, such as shopping for food. Due to this treatment, many Handmaids start to believe and practice the extreme rules of

Show More
Related
396 Words | 2 Pages

At the beginning, the reader gets a sense of some post-war dystopia feeling as the setting of a nostalgic setting turned into a prison begins to unveil. Here is when the reader first learns about the main character, Offred. Offred is a female and as the story goes on, the reader finds that she is what is called a “Handmaid”. The purpose of her role, to be a vessel to bear a child for the Commander. Offred begins in a very oppressive setting, with Aunts who have weapons and indoctrinate the society's ideals into her.

Read More
951 Words | 4 Pages

He even thinks while in the golden country with Julia “There was a direct, intimate connection between chastity and political orthodoxy.” (133). His newfound identity, gained from his relationship with Julia is clearly expressed and senses of this is also found in Offred's situation with Nick. Since Offred's past husband, Luke, is presumed to be dead or gone in some form, Offred has no emotional connections towards anyone actively in her life.

Read More
1394 Words | 6 Pages

Just like Hamlet, Offred was also unable to trust anyone other than her best friend, Moira because of the situation she was placed in. Since Offred was a handmaid nearly all of her human rights were taken away, because of this she was unable to build relationships of trust with other people. She had lost all connections with people she loved, with the exception of Moira. Gilead, a world where all the citizens are obligated to obey those in power, none of the people had any meaningful relationships such as friendship or companionship. As shown by Offred 's statement: "We aren 't supposed to form friendships, loyalties, among one another" (Atwood 353), people were expected to not create new relationships.

Read More
931 Words | 4 Pages

To endorse the dehumanization of non-conforming women, as well as allow men to receive sexual pleasure without religious reprehension, they are labelled Jezebels and forced to work as sex slaves. Due to her role in the Bible, Jezebel has become an archetype for a power-hungry, violent, and promiscuous woman. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Jezebel’s is a club in which Commanders come to initiate sexual activity with women of once high standings, including a sociologist, a lawyer, and a business executive (275). Moira, an educated and once outspoken individual tells Offred that “the Aunts figure [the Jezebels] all damned anyway,” as well as that “they’ve given up on [them] so it doesn’t matter what sort of vice [they] get up to” (289). Through this, it is shown that women who had distinguished roles in pre-Gileadean society are already condemned to hell, meaning their roles as prostitutes for the Commanders can be rationalized.

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

The Handmaids must submit to their Commanders as they hold the dominant role. The Handmaids are also sacrificing their bodies and fertility to their Commander and his wife in order to give them a child. They have all been renamed with names that signify the Commanders they serve: Offred, Ofglen, Ofcharles, Ofwarren, etc. These names show the Commanders’ possession of the Handmaids. In The Handmaid’s Tale, sex symbolizes the Handmaid’s sacrifice and submission and the Commanders domination and control over the Handmaids in

Read More
1436 Words | 6 Pages

Offred struggles between her attraction to Nick and remaining faithful to Luke. In the end of the novel, Offred ends up giving in to her attraction to Nick, however she does not feel that she has betrayed Luke in any way. Both gentlemen fulfill needs of Offed at different times of her life. Luke only exists in her past life, and most of Offred’s memories with him are fading away as she struggles to remember certain details of her past. Offred thinks, “The fact is that I no longer want to leave, escape, cross the border to freedom.

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

So, generally speaking, the people of Gilead are so passive about the way that they are treated because this is the only way for them to continue to survive. Offreds passivity is something that is touched on several times throughout the novel, but she does not just learn this skill on her own, but is taught by a woman named Aunt Lydia. “Aunt Lydia said it was best not to speak unless they asked you a direct question. Try to think of it from their point of view she said, her hands clasped and wrung together, her nervous pleading smile.

Read More
2035 Words | 9 Pages

Offred initially feels a sense of loss due to her position as a fertile woman since the independence and individuality she once enjoyed has since been stripped from her by the Republic of Gilead. It is only through rebellion that Offred is able to slowly regain her sense of self and reject the role that Gilead forces her into. By rebellion, however, it is often more dangerous for the perpetrators than to the government’s grip on the people. Offred’s societal role as a handmaid in Gilead forces her to first obey, then causes her to question, which finally allows her to realize her

Read More
1324 Words | 6 Pages

In 1918 a British nurse recorded her service in Belgium as a part of her diary. A War Nurse’s Diary poses the question of what is the importance of the nurses virtues in the war? The description by the nurse in A War Nurse’s Diary corroborates how the nurse’s character during the war is imperative to keeping not only the men alive, but also keeping themselves upbeat. The nurses importance in the war is reflected in terms of bravery, compassion, and stoicism. When thinking of warfare, most people jump to conclusion that manpower is the most important factor.

Read More
928 Words | 4 Pages

At the same time, the Historical Notes reveal that other records of those who lived in Gilead also exist (346). Though Offred has never participated in a coordinated regime subversive activity, her story, along with those of other survivors, now form a polyphony of resistance. Storytelling in The Handmaid’s Tale performs various functions: it is Offred’s way of resistance, her survival strategy, her intellectual pastime, and a testimony to the future. By telling herself stories she escapes into memories, shape and change her experience, and substitute the lacking communication. She uses storytelling to preserve herself, to validate her existence, to prove her life matters.

Read More
802 Words | 4 Pages

She was now a loose woman," (Atwood 133). Despite Offred slightly rebelling to hold onto her identity, it is still difficult to stay connected to in this

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

Handmaid’s whom are the fertile women in the Gilead society, are stripped from all freedom and rights, banned from knowing any form of literature and have to be submissive to men, allowing their bodies to be sexually used to produce children. In contrast, women who are not fertile such as Wives have their freedom taken away too as they are confined to doing assigned jobs around the house. In contrast, the Aunts and the Commanders are shown to have the highest rankings in the Gileadean society. They are powerful figures, with privileges such as the Aunts being allowed to read and write and the Commanders being permitted to get married and have a handmaid's assigned to

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the novel, aphorisms play a large role in depicting the role of women as subservient to their male counterparts. By altering distinct aphorisms from the Bible and then locking it away from women, the male leaders of Gilead use the Bible to impose their rules and views. These modified sayings are instrumental in the effort of the subjugation and indoctrination of Handmaid’s. Although Offred resists conforming to such brainwashing, her constant references to Aunt Lydia's precepts are indication of the success of such tactics. One saying in particular, “Modesty is invisibility” (Atwood 28), is so indoctrinated in Offred that she conforms to the doctrines and rules of Gilead without hesitation.

Read More
1101 Words | 5 Pages

Imagine a nation in which its government commands by a religion where women are separated into different titles and must conceive children for their commander. Their rights from before this regime, and anything deemed unholy by the government, are a thing of the past. This situation is the one represent in the Republic of Gilead, where the rules of society and its traditions are not taken lightly if broken. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that an oppressive government leads to the inevitable neglect and remiss of the rules through Offred’s characterization, irony, and flashbacks. Offred 's character development can show that her actions change .

Read More
988 Words | 4 Pages

The subjugation of women is evident in the Gilead system as each Commander is given a handmaid whose name is “Of” the Commander’s name. Handmaids have no identity of their own and are similar to sex slaves at the mercy of

Read More

More about How Does Offred Change In The Handmaid

Related Topics

Open Document