In the "Handmaid's Tale," the individual in the book is kept under surveillance and has little to no freedom for herself. The individual in the book has rules. The individual is allowed to roam the streets but she has to have a pass, as well as have a specific reason for leaving like groceries, etc. The individual character in the story has to demonstrate respect to those of higher ranking. An example from the text is, "I did sit, on the edge of one of the stiff-backed chair. I didn't want to stare around the room, I didn't want to appear inattentive to her." In this instance, she was talking to the wife of a higher power. She showed respect by try not to let her eyes wander and make her seem suspicious. This is evidence that while the individual was not kept as a total prisoner she still had to show respect. She also had to follow rules, one of the rules was that she was to keep to herself and not show too much of her body as well as try to keep to herself by trying to keep away from the guys as she could. Evidence from the text to support my claim is, "He takes a final puff of the cigarette, lets it drop to the driveway , and steps on it. He begins to whistle. Then he winks." And her response to this was "I drop my head and turn so that the white wings hide my face, and keep walking." Meaning that she had to be careful and could not seek relationships for she had her own rules to follow. The individual in this novel is not having the best of times based on the novel. The individual in this novel so far, there is nothing too drastic that has happened to the character that has impacted her dramatically. As of now she has introduced the audience to her lifestyle.
I agree with your post. I feel that the individual in a dystopia lives in a world of control. Offred, discusses several times in the book about her old life. She reminisces about the smell of nail polish and her daughter. The one thing that I would like to be more concise about are the rules. These rules were put in place for the women to feel superior to the men, and to place them in a world that no longer exists. These women have no rights for expression, or to be involved with anyone she wanted to. They are not allowed to be in stores because even the company's name is too much temptation. The rules placed on her and the other handmaids produced their identity to be shun. Thus, they don't speak to anyone, the state their happy, but they're not. Also, these characters often state that their wings hide their face as the walk. Overall, the individual is molded into the government's eyes of a women. They are not who they once were, and the overall quality of freedom is destroyed for these women.
ReplyDelete