Siena Kriegel Ms. Buhr p.1 Handmaid’s Tale 16 May 2023 Identity Having a strong sense of identity can bring a sense of power by giving you self-worth and purpose. In Gilead the government seeks to control everyone's lives and sense of self. In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood develops the idea of identity to show that it gives a sense of power. In the beginning of the novel Offred has been stripped of her identity. She is given a new name “Offred” which means “Of Fred” since she is assigned to the commander named Fred. The handmaids are forced to wear red dresses and white bonnets to attempt to dehumanize them. “My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name …show more content…
Offred forms relationships with other characters, such as the commander, his driver Nick, and the other handmaids. These relationships give her a sense of belonging and purpose. “I ought to feel hatred for this man. I know I ought to feel it, but it isn’t what I do feel. What I feel is more complicated than that. I don’t know what to call it. It isn’t love.” Offred's relationship with the commander gives her a sense of power allowing her to feel like more than just a handmaid. This is also present when Offred is sleeping with Nick. “This room is one of the most dangerous places I could be. If I were caught there would be no quarter, but I'm beyond caring." Nick provides Offred with emotional support and allows her to feel less alone. Her relationship with Nick is important because it gives her a sense of control over her own life. Throughout Offred’s relationships with Nick and the commander she is able to make choices for herself, even in a world where women aren’t supposed to have that power. Another way that Atwood explores the theme of identity is through the use …show more content…
Offred shows us this when she says “Time to take stock. I am thirty-three years old. I have brown hair. I stand five seven without shoes. I have trouble remembering what I used to look like. I have viable ovaries. I have one more chance” (143). Offred can’t remember her life before gilead and what it felt like to have an identity or belonging. Offred continues to reminisce on her past life trying to remember what it used to be like. She has one more chance to reproduce before she isnt worthy enough to live anymore. In The Handmaid’s Tale Offred says “I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable. I repeat my former name, remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me” (97). While offred doesnt feel she has a purpose in this new society other than for her ovaries, she trys to maintain a sense of identity. She reminds herself of her old name to hold onto memories and the people she loved in her past