My Thoughts on "The Handmaid's Tale"

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood is a controversial piece because of the manner that certain opinions and behaviors are frowned upon in this novel.  This work is and in depth look at extremism and serves as a reminder against such actions.  Reasons such as this are one of the grounds that I use to support my enjoyment of the work.  The blunt, unemotional manner in which the novel is often presented in, aids in the realization of how trapped the people in this society are, that they must stop emotion from entering the equation or they might break down.  This helped me connect to the character of Offred and become personally invested in her story.  The author manipulates the language of this piece so that the reader feels sympathy and empathy for Offred.  In addition, I liked this novel not only because of this form of delivery, but also on the basis of Atwood's use of symbols, flashbacks, and allusions that add to the story.  Another cause for my pleasure with the novel is the satirical aspect to it.  In "The Handmaid's Tale," the views of extremists, whom often take their beliefs and ideas too far, are mocked in a subtle and interesting way.  Atwood introduces a novel that not only maintains the readers attention, but at the same time convinces them to reevaluate their opinions and view on life as it is today.  I do not agree with the values of the society of Gilead, however, because Atwood made the work satirical, she develops agreement with her audience that this society is wrong, which I believe is an excellent technique and develops the point of view.  Another rationale for why I enjoy this work is because there was not a clear ending stated.  Atwood purposely left the ending open to the reader's interpretation.  This allows for each person to individually decide on the life that Offred lives once she exits her enslavement.  All of these different reasons contribute to why I liked the novel, "The Handmaid's Tale".

"The Handmaid's Tale" Favorite Quote

"Not every Commander has a Handmaid: some of their Wives have children.  From each, says the slogan, according to her ability; to each according to his needs.  We recited that, three times, after dessert.  It was from the Bible, or so they said."

This line is my favorite from the novel because of the pure irony of the statement. The slogan "From each . . . his needs.," is interesting because the country, Gilead, takes an ideal from Marxism and incorporates it into the governing system claiming that it is from the Bible.  This society is named the Republic of Gilead, however, according to this slogan, this organization appears to lean more towards communism and totalitarianism rather than being a republic.  A passage such as this, is a synecdoche, representing the Gileadian society.  During their reign, this organization manipulates and reorganizes different portions of culture and society in order to form their "perfect" country, however, when reading about the work of this government from someone on the inside it is obvious that the frameworks of this new culture is based on half truths and selection of detail.  This specific quote is derived from a communist ideal and passed off as a religious text.  Things such as this happen many times in the novel and portray this society.  Which is why this passage alluding to Marxism represents the Gileadian method of forcing people to cooperate, by making up laws and biblical text as they go along.  The irony of this quote and the fact that is a synecdoche for this organization are some of the reasons behind why this line is my favorite out of this novel.

"The Handmaid's Tale" Anaysis of Allusions

In the novel "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, several allusions to biblical texts are used.  These allusions become justification for the society of Gilead to force people into restricting positions that they must conform to.  Several examples present themselves throughout the text, for instance the roles of the Handmaid's and the Martha's.  Both are biblical references that are altered to fit the need of Gilead.  The Handmaid's originate from the Genesis and states how the maid of a women who could not have children proceeded to deliver children for this women.  In this fictional reality Gilead presents this one passage as a rationalization to forcing women to bear children for others.  By naming these enslaved women Handmaid's, the reference is easily attainable and the irony and unbelievability of these horrific actions are obvious.  Another allusion that Atwood employs is basing the position of servants in this civilization on the biblical character Martha.  Martha was of women mentioned in a biblical text, she is described as an immaculate housewife and the perfect hostess.  Gilead, once again twist the connotations of this reference and uses it as a template to force others in servitude.  Both of these allusions are tampered with in this novel, representing the irony of all the different "jobs" of the people in this nation.  In this work, even the name of this "republic" is based off an allusion. Gilead refers to a border on the promised land known for its' healing balms.  However, this government is the exact opposite, exemplifying the very hypocrisy it stands for.  Atwood, develops all of these different allusions into her novel in order to prove a point against extremism, taking things too literally, and forcing people to do things against their will.  Her satirical piece exposes the truth about all of these ideas and leaves a warning against these behaviors.

Thoughts On "We"

On the basis of whether or not I like the book "We," my answer is yes and no.  I enjoyed the novels use of math and formulas to explain the society and D-503's feelings.  Such as D-503's use of the velocity of an aero to explain crime, or how the square root of -1 is a symbol for how D-503 feels about I-330.  In this regard I found the work intriguing because I can understand the math and although I do not necessarily agree I see where D-503 is coming from.  However, in certain aspects I dislike this novel.  For example, at times I found the story difficult to follow because of D-503's erratic emotions and cut off sentences.  I dislike the use syntax in this piece because D-503 randomly stops and starts sentences, confusing the reader.  Another reason that this novel is not my favorite is based on certain plot elements.  Personally, I prefer a story of triumph.  While I understand that D-503 receiving the operation is an important plot element and adds great significance to the work, I would not have chosen this as an ending if I were the author.  In addition to this, I also dislike a few key things in the relationship between D-503 and I-330.  Because D-503 is experiencing emotional turmoil he acts extremely controlling over I-330.  This controlling nature causes me to have an aversion to the character of D-503.  Overall, my dislike of particular things in the novel did not outweigh my understanding of the novel's literary merit, thus as a whole I enjoyed the work.

My Favorite Quote from "We"

""Liberation?"Astonishing how the criminal instincts do survive in the human species.  I choose the word criminal advisedly.  Freedom and criminality are just as indissolubly linked as . . . well, as the movement of an aero and its velocity.  When the velocity of an aero is reduced to 0, it is not in motion; when a man's freedom is reduced to zero, he commits no crimes.  That's clear.  And now when we'd only just managed to get rid of it (in the cosmic scale of things, centuries amount to "only just"), suddenly some pathetic morons . . ." (36 Zamyatin).

This passage is my favorite because of how obvious it is that this way of thinking is a lie.  In the same paragraph D-503 claims that because there is no freedom there is no crime but also discusses how a group of people attempt to uproot OneState, which is a crime.  This passage is interesting based on its absurdity.  D-503 endeavors to explain that because there is no crime, all the while contradicting himself by stating that these certain individuals are committing crimes.  Until the operation in which the imagination is destroyed is implemented, there is still crime.  I-330 commits crimes on a daily basis: plotting against OneState, lying about her location, have non-pink ticket prescribed sex, and etc.  D-503 also is a criminal in the eyes of OneState because he does not report I-330, he has sex with her without a pink ticket, and he lies about I-330's whereabouts.  Even O-90 performs a crime by allowing herself to become pregnant.  All of these examples prove that D-503's original equation in regards to crime is false.  The irony behind this quote is one of the many reasons it is my favorite from this novel.  According to D-503's original views crime should not exist, however, he learns that even without freedom "crimes" will still occur.  Thus because of how hypocritical this quote is, it is one of the best in this work.

"We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin: Analysis: The Relationship Between D-503 and I-330

One of the most interesting portions of this novel is the complex relationship between D-503 and I-330.  Throughout this work there is a struggle of power between the two of them, however, even though there is a struggle, it is not really a competition, for I-330 is undoubtedly the one in charge.  During this work of literature, I-330 makes use of her sexuality in order to trick D-503 into doing as she wishes.  As the builder of The Integral, D-503 in necessary for I-330's plan, thus she must mislead and convince him to follow her orders.  She also needs D-503 as a cover story when she wants OneState to believe she is with D-503 when she is actually planning the rebellion.  In certain aspects there is a relationship between them, however, as the novel progresses it is evident that I-330 is only using D-503.  D-503 has feelings for I-330 from when he first meets her.  Originally, D-503 classifies these emotions as hate, when he later discovers that he is in love with her.  D-503 is unsure of his feelings toward I-330 most of the novel, constantly riding upon the line between love and hate.  This inner turmoil causes D-503 to experience rapid mood swings in which he is controlling and possessive of I-330.  While D-503 feelings develop during the novel, it is clear that I-330 is only interested in D-503 because of what he can provide for her.  Thus the relationship between D-503 and I-330 is a fascinating topic to discuss because of the many different facets of their life as a couple.