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What Is Forbidden In The Handmaid's Tale

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Mark Twain once said, “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” Have you noticed that when something is forbidden or dangerous, it becomes more attractive? It is a result of man’s desire to learn about the unknown, so when something is forbidden, it immediately catches our attention and seems to coax the beholder into giving in to it. Mark Twain conveys this message in his quote. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the actions of Offred the Commander and Serena demonstrate through their characterizations and memories in a dystopian society how temptation leads to irrational decisions. Changing the way you live so abruptly can painfully leave behind reminiscences you wish were still with you. You still have lots of traces of who you were and who you had. Offred had her husband and daughter but now she’s all alone. She longs to have her loved ones again. She wants to feel her daughter’s embrace and her husband’s protectiveness. So when the doctor offers to help her, she thinks that he knows Luke’s whereabout. When she realized what the doctor meant, she started thinking to herself. “What are the odds, is …show more content…

The world they live in or the lives they have can be a factor to this. To try and justify these actions, the personality and characterizations of man can influence their decisions based on past memories. Many people today confront temptation, almost daily. Perhaps in order to survive in this world that runs on money and power, people turn to crime and theft to be able to remain stable. Or maybe someone offers another choice. A choice that seems simple enough but can result in a terrible end if not thought through correctly. Mark Twain once said, “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” Society has become a cruel world where people participate in despicable activities because of their desire to get what they

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