A Handmaid's Playlist

A Handmaid’s Playlist

What a Wonderful World- Joey Ramone

Offred often has flashbacks about her best friend, Moira, whose free spirit and resilience against Gilead make her a recurring symbol of the “before times”. In one of these flashbacks, Moira and Offred are studying together for an assignment for college. Everything about this scene goes against the rules of the Republic of Gilead. Offred observes Moira as wearing, “one dangly earring, the gold fingernail she wore to be eccentric, a cigarette between her stubby yellow-ended fingers.” (37) The two women are reading, smoking, talking freely, and Moira’s even writing a paper on date rape. I chose Joey Ramone’s version of “What a Wonderful World” because its energetic rock style matches the lively and unrestrained spirit in the two friends, and this genre of music is probably the last thing that would be allowed in the Republic of Gilead. This being said, the lyrics are “What a Wonderful World” and describe everything beautiful and good about the “before times”. This song choice shows how Offred misses her old life, and thinks of the world where she had freedom and individuality, as wonderful.

Have a Cigar- Pink Floyd

During the story, we often see cigarettes being used as a symbol for freedom and hope. In the “before times”, the last day women are allowed their rights is the last day Offred is able to buy a pack of cigarettes, and throughout the book we see people in power, like the Commander’s Wife, smoking frequently. During her first interaction with Serena Joy, Offred notes the cigarette in her hand and thinks, “I looked at the cigarette with longing. For me, like liquor and coffee, they are forbidden.” (14). So when Serena Joy gives Offred a cigarette, it’s like she’s offering her hope. This is especially so, because the two women have been hostile towards each other the entire book, after all, they live in a society where women are pitted against each other. Serena Joy’s offering the cigarette, and Offred taking it, shows a budding mutual respect between the two. I chose “Have a Cigar” for this moment because its title closely resembles the events of the scene, with Serena Joy telling Offred to have a cigarette. But also, the song has a dramatic tune that matches the surreal circumstance Offred finds herself in, in this moment.

99 Luftballons- Nena

This song will be played during the scene where Offred and the Commander argue about the meaning of love. Offred talks about the freedom of falling in and out of love as being part of human nature while the Commander sees love as failure and success, something that can be calculated, saying, “look at the stats, my dear. Was it really worth it, falling in love? Arranged marriages have always worked out just as well, if not better”. In the song 99 Luftballons, two kids innocently release balloons into the air, which are mistaken by international governments as a threat, and ultimately trigger a nuclear war. The song is basically about people in power turning something pure and childlike into something ugly. The Republic of Gilead similarly takes children, family and love, disregards their true meaning, and turns them into a gross process that dehumanizes women.

The Dog Days are Over- Florence and The Machine

“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” or “don’t let the bastards get you down” is scrawled in the cupboard in Offred’s bedroom, scratched there by the previous handmaid. It is right next to the row of hooks that Offred thinks about using when she’s at her lowest point. When I read this, I thought that the previous handmaid wrote it there on purpose to sort of act as a guardian angel for Offred. Whenever Offred would look to the hooks, she would have to see “don’t let the bastards get you down” or, “don’t let them do to you what they did to me”. The writing is there to tell her to hold on to hope, to stay resilient, and to not give up. I chose “The Dog Days are Over” because it sends a similar message, with the lyrics telling a story of perseverance during dark times. When Offred is feeling hopeless, she refers back to the hooks, remarking, “You could use a hook in the closet. I’ve considered the possibilities. All you’d have to do, after attaching yourself, would be to lean your weight forward and not fight.”(195) The previous handmaid’s message is telling her instead, to fight and keep going. Similarly to “What a Wonderful World”, the upbeat and lively energy of “The Dog Days are Over” serve to make the song a perfect theme of protest against the Republic of Gilead.

Gnossienne No. 1- Erik Satie

Offred often talks about the tediousness of her life as a handmaid, reflecting on how much empty time she has, especially compared to the Commander’s Wife’s freedom to knit and tend to her garden. Offred misses the “before times” when she was able to achieve small accomplishments, saying, “I envy the Commander’s Wife her knitting. It’s good to have small goals that can be easily attained.” (13) Instead, everything Offred does has a specific purpose and must go towards the greater good. This is why I chose this song to be Offred’s theme. As far as classical music goes, Gnossienne No. 1 is simple and repetitive, much like Offred’s life in the Republic of Gilead. Even the formatting of the book is like this, with a large chunk of the story simply showing us what the life of a handmaid looks like, and the chapter titles, which align with different parts of Offred’s daily routine, repeating themselves. The book is basically her day over and over, slowly changing itself as the plot develops. Gnossienne No. 1 also has a very melancholy tune that reflects Offred’s situation, and its melody has a dull quality that emphasizes the monotony of her new life.