Luke decided to be the one to solve their predicament. He told Offred he’d “take care of it”. Offred immediately knows he plans on killing the cat. She sits there as he goes to find the cat and she doesn’t move until after he’s done. “You have to create an it, where none was before. You do that first, in your head, and then you make it real.” (193) Offred justified Luke calling the cat “it” by saying that’s how he was able to go through with it. She said that making the cat an it would make it easier, that simply calling their cat it would make it really an it. I understand that Offred and Luke trying to detach themselves from their cat and trying to make this easier for them. That doesn’t mean that they were right though. Simply saying “it” instead of “her” is not enough to make that decision any easier. I know that very well because my mom tried to do the same thing. She tried to make me feel better about losing my cat by suggesting we could just get another cat the next day. That didn’t change anything. No one can detach themselves from a pet that easily or quickly. That relationship exists still, no matter how much you may try to erase it. It would take someone who never truly cared for the cat to be able to go through with killing her. Sitting there and letting it happen showed how apathetic Offred was. She could have tried to argue against it but she sat there and let Luke go through with it. Unlike her, I fought back against any comments that were made about

The first thing I noticed when reading this chapter was the bathroom sign. This bathroom is very fancy and high-end. The author supports this idea of having a nice bathroom by saying (pg 241) “There’s a rest area, gently lit in pinkish tones, with several easy chairs and a sofa, in a lime-green bamboo-shoot print, with a wall clock above it in a gold filigree frame.” The letters for the sign that says the lady, are made of gold script and give the place a more luxurious style. The bathroom is also a break room for the ladies and has plenty of things in there that they can use. There are even mirrors left in this bathroom that they can still use.

The Next thing I noticed in this chapter is how Moria acted when she was with Offred. It has been a while since Offred and Moira had seen each other since Moria escaped from the school. She has not changed and seems to still have a positive attitude but seems to have lost the fighting spirit she had before. Once she made it out she was caught again and then came here where the Aunts don’t try to fix you now. She stayed running for 9 months and when she was about to finally escape they caught on and stopped her. The author shows Moria getting when, (pg 247) “Whatever it was, they picked us up just as we were coming out the back door to go down to the dock.” Moria tried her best to escape and almost managed to do it but in the end, she was caught. She now stays at the hotel Where she plans on staying and even invited Offred to stay as well.

This chapter also takes place in a ladies’ bathroom just like the scene in chapter 13 where Moira and Offred meet in the bathroom to speak to one another. In both of these scenes, they want to talk to one another without having someone overhearing them and getting in trouble. In chapter 13 they tried to speak away from the Aunts, while in chapter 38 they didn’t want Offred’s Commander to overhear them. The ladies’ bathroom seems to be the only place in this world of Gilead where they can speak to each other. While in the bathroom both scenes are very similar with how they work and how much time they get in there. There are even Aunts outside of both of them to track who goes in and how much they are in there.

Offred is given a cigarette in this chapter and uses it. The cigarette appears multiple times throughout the book and is first introduced, and it’s said that they are banned items that no one should have. All the cigarettes were taken away once the new power took over now the only way to get them was through the dark market. Cigarettes only appear with high-ranking individuals like the commander and Serena Joy. The cigarette could be seen as a metaphor for power and freedom. The only time Offred has a cigarette is when someone in power gives it to her or she is somewhere where she does not have someone who has completely taken away her freedom. The author supports the idea of Offred wanting cigarettes by saying,( pg 73) “God, do I need a cigarette, says Moria. Me too, I say.” Offred says she wants cigarettes because they give her the illusion that she is someone important and free like she was in her past.

When Offred and Moira are in the bathroom Moria asks why she is there and who she is with. Offred says she is with her commander and that he brought her there so they could go out for a little. Offred tells her she will be leaving soon and that she is temporary. The word temporary appeared when (pg 243) “I pull her head over so I can whisper in her ear. “I’m temporary,” I tell her.” The word temporary felt deeper than just staying at the hotel and could mean the commander may replace her soon. Though the commander shows a deep connection to Offred and gives her plenty of what she wants there have been other women besides Offred in his life. Like Serena Joy who was the Commander’s wife whom he does not feel a connection anymore. There was also another Handmaid before Offred who took her own life, so he is fine with replacing one Handmaid with another. Maybe in the end, if Offred escapes the commander will find someone else.

This artwork depicts the party that occurs in Chapter 38 of The Handmaid’s Tale. When Offred and the Commander first walk into the party scene, Offred says, “At first glance there’s cheerfulness to this scene. It’s like a masquerade party; they are like oversized children, dressed up in togs they’ve rummaged from trunks.” (Atwood, 235). In contrast, the scene in the bathroom is more somber and business-like. “The women don’t smile. They return to their smoking as if it’s serious business.” (Atwood, 242). The artwork depicts the scene in the bathroom. This scene is more intriguing because people look more out of place without the backdrop of the rest of the party. They are left wearing costumes. Moiras outfit is the most shocking. “There’s a wad of cotton attached to the back, I can see it as she half turns; it looks like a sanitary pad that’s been popped like a piece of popcorn. I realize it’s supposed to be a tail. Attached to her head are two ears, of a rabbit or deer, it’s not easy to tell; one of the ears has lost its starch or wiring and is flopping halfway down. She has a black bowtie around her neck and is wearing black net stockings and black high heels.” (Atwood, 239). The artwork depicts these details. She is dressed in attire so different from anything she has ever worn. They are all wearing costumes, even the ones who have done this before. They are playing for their lives wearing the armor of bunny ears. In this artwork, all of the outfits are drawn in bright colors. The colors are quite shocking, especially the makeup. “All wear make-up, and I realize how unaccustomed I’ve become to seeing it, on women, because their eyes look too big to me, too dark and shimmering, their mouths too read, too wet, blood-dipped and glistening; or, on the other hand, too clown-ish.” (Atwood, 235) I tried to make all the colors bright, especially the makeup, to show the contrast of this scene. But, these are the only colors in this artwork. This shows the way that the people in power like the commanders are trying to dress up a bleak reality. They are playing pretend and living in a matrix of their own making. The illusion still fades however. The artwork portrays threads of clothing loose, stains on the clothes, and cracks to the mirrors to show the brokenness of this party. “A movie about the past is not the same as the past” (Atwood, 235). Everything is different now, but people are still busy playing pretend. They are still trying to make a black and white world colorful, when there is still no freedom and still nothing to celebrate. Throughout this, the handmaids and the women are always the pieces being played around, like actors in a play. The bathroom is the backstage, showing all the women waiting for their cue. The last thing of importance is this mirror, which is cracked and broken yet they are all drawn to it, fixing their makeup, checking their reflection. It is all they have left of themselves. Something still artificial, reflecting a reality of their own making.

The artwork that I made is about when Offred and Ofglen visit the wall. I tried to combine both of the times they were there. The first time, Offer had oranges you could put inside her basket not being the primary point of attention but still there regardless just to remind you of their previous visit. I tried to make the artwork look like it is in the first person as if you were Offered seeing the dead person that you may or may not have known in your former life. What you can also see is a “J” on the person on the wall because in Handmaid’s Tale it says, “The body is marketed only with a J in red. It doesn’t mean Jewish.” I also believe that the first-person point of view allows you to feel like anyone can be on the wall and that it is just dumb luck that you are not up there as opposed to someone else. That line was the reason that I decided to make the artwork in the first place. When Offred told the reader that the J was not about Jews you can infer the lines of cruelty that Gilead has. There are many groups outside and inside of the umbrella of Christianity that you can’t pick one group and probably all of those groups have an equal chance to be stung up on the wall and killed. Also just how nonchalant the narrator describes how she knows what the symbols on the dead body mean is a reminder of just how bloodsoaked the society is. Another part of the work is that the sun is initially redder than the normal sun. I did this trying to show how much more bloody Gilead is than our normal day-to-day is. The sheet itself while not being fully accurate to how the people were in clothing while they were hung looks more like a ghost and of course, ghosts are dead just like the people on the wall. The reason this sense is important is that it shows how the people who were killed are not just some one-time occurrence and is in fact a common theme that happens many times in this society. This leads to the very calm attitude that is shown throughout the book about people being killed or kidnapped and just how calm and unresponsive society is to all of the necessary violence. In conclusion, the artwork is overall about how the society is bloody and that the people in the society are becoming more and more used to how the government is acting. The oranges are a rarity and are increasingly rare because of restrictions on the red light to the bloody attitude of the government. You are in the first person to put you in the frame of how Offred is and how that could affect you. Finally the J an unrepresented letter to show the cruelty of the government. This is what the piece is trying to get across to the viewer.

Survivor - 2WEI

Throughout the novel we see that Offred is a survivor, enduring the worst of situations and yet she never gives up. In the song “Survivor,” by 2WEI, they sing, “I’m a survivor. I’m not gon’ give up. I’m not gon’ stop. I’m gon’ work harder.” Similarly, in the book, we constantly see Offred continue to persevere through the world of Giliad no matter how bad the situation gets. Earlier on in the book, Offred is moved from the red center to the commander’s house. She is immediately met with Serena Joy who takes a quick dislike to her and wastes no time in showing Offred that she has power over her. The commander’s wife is not the only challenge that Offred now faces but she is also forced to be a handmaid. Whether she wants to or not, Offred is forced to have sex with the commander and ultimately bear his child, yet she perseveres. Later on in the book, the commander takes Offred to the club and at the end of the night expects her to have sex with him. When faced with this situation she thinks to herself, “let’s get this over with or you’ll be here all night. Bestir yourself. Move your flesh around., breathe audibly.” (255) It is evident from her thoughts that Offred has to talk herself into having sex with the commander because she clearly doesn’t want to. Offred has thought many times about giving up, killing herself, and never having to deal with this world again, but it is hope that motivates her to persevere. “Hope is rising in me, like sap in a tree. Blood in a wound. We have made an opening. I want to ask her if she’s seen Moira, if anyone can find out what’s happened to Luke, to my child, my mother even.” (169) Hope that she will one day be reunited with her family, that is what keeps her going. That is what makes her a survivor. One that will never give up.

Never Forget You - Zara Larsson

In the chorus of the song “Never Forget You,” by Zara Larsson, she sings, “I will never forget you. You will always be by my side. Since the day that I met you, I knew that I would love you ‘til the day I die.” This set of lyrics is portrayed perfectly by the way that Offred always remembers her family. Whether it is in her dreams, in a picture, or simply in her own thoughts she is constantly reminding herself of the ones she loves. The reader can see clear evidence of this after Moira escapes from the gymnasium. Not knowing whether Moira was alive or not or if she would ever see Moira again, Offred constantly thought about how Moira would react or respond to certain situations she found herself in. “Don’t think that way, Moira would say.” (85) “Moira was always more logical than I am.” (171) “Chickenshit, Moira would say.” (232) No matter what the circumstance was, if Offred was unsure or worried, she would almost always think about what Moira would encourage her to do. This demonstrates Offred’s true love for Moira and how Moira will always be by Offred’s side, even if she’s not physically there.

Dancing With Your Ghost - Sasha Alex Sloan

The song, “Dancing With Your Ghost,” describes the way Sloan dreams of being with someone she lost, singing, “every night I’m dancing with your ghost. I stay up all night tell myself I’m all right.” Similarly, in the book, Offred spends every night dreaming of being back with Luke or her daughter. In chapter 18, labeled ‘Night,’ Offred dreams of being with Luke saying, “Laying in bed, with Luke, his hand on my rounded belly.” (103) In the following chapter, Offred describes another dream saying, “I pick her up and feel arms and legs go around me and I begin to cry, because I know I am not awake.” (109) In each of these separate instances, Offred dreams of being with the family she has lost. While Sloan sings about dancing with the ghost of her lost loved one, Offred dreams of doing the most simple things like laying in bed with her husband and giving her daughter a hug. She has been denied physical touch for so long that these interactions are all she wishes to get from the family she’s lost.

In the song, Sloan goes on to sing, “I gotta move on but it hurts to try,” corresponding perfectly to Offred holding on to the past. She misses the life she had in the time before and wants more than anything to return to the life she had. However, as time goes on she is slowly starting to forget the memories she has from back then, “it’s my fault. I am forgetting too much,” (193) symbolizing that she is getting accustomed to her new life and unintentionally moving on. This brings her a great deal of pain as she values the memories of her family above all else, connecting back to the idea in the lyric that it hurts to move on.

Silence - Marshmello

The song “Silence,” by Maarshmello connects directly to Offred’s relationship with the commander. In the song, Marshmello sings, “I found peace in your violence. Can’t tell me there’s no point in trying.” This is perfectly demonstrated in the book as Offred has found slivers of peace in the commander that in her eyes, make him human. In the book, Offred recalls a documentary about World War 2 and the wife of a Nazi prison guard. She recalls the wife saying, “She did not believe he was a monster, he was not a monster to her. Probably he had some endearing trait.” (145) Offred goes on to say, “How easy it is to invent a humanity, for anyone at all. What an available temptation,” (146) acknowledging her own desire to find humanity in the commander despite his similarities with the nazi guard. While the guard enforced rules that punished and killed Jewish people, the commander enforces rules that punish and even led to the death of women, making them both monsters. Yet Offred at times, has been able to focus on the endearing trait of the commander, Scrabble, and thus sees him as human. Amongst all the agony and suffering he has caused for people in Giliad, Offred has found peace in his love for Scrabble, just like the lyric in the song.

Power - Kanye West

The song “Power,” by Kanye West contains lines that represent both sides of the social hierarchy in Giliad, perfectly displaying the polar opposite perspectives. Specifically towards the end of the song West says, “where you hiding? I got the power to make your life so exciting,” which is perfectly displayed in chapters 35-39 when the commander takes Offred to the club. Acting as though it is a treat for her and she should be grateful. We see evidence of this when the commander asks Offred, “enjoying yourself?” to which Offred says, “he wants me to. This is a treat after all.” (240) This demonstrates the commander’s self centered perspective as he believes that he is doing Offred a favor by sneaking her into the club when in reality, the only reason he brought her there is to use her for sex without Serena Joy having to be present. Moreover, this isn’t the first time the commander has ‘given’ Offred something only to expect something in return. Earlier in the book, the commander gives Offred hand lotion for her skin which he presents as a gift but in reality, the only reason he gave her the lotion is because he wants her to play Scrabble with him late at night. The commander sees himself as Offred’s savior, helping her by giving her a purpose and luxuries like the club and lotion when in reality, everything he does is only for himself.

Quickly after that initial line, West sings, “now this would be a beautiful death. I’m jumping out the window. I’m letting everything go.” This relates perfectly to the way the women see their lives in the new society. When we are first introduced to the red center, Offred describes all the changes made to the gymnasium, noting the removal of chandeliers and mirrors. She explains the removal of those items when she says, “It isn’t running away they’re afraid of. We wouldn’t get far. It’s those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself given a cutting edge.” (8) This theme of suicide is brought up again when Moira is captured and was is being returned to the city. Moira said, “I did consider offing myself, and maybe I would have if there’d been anyway.” (248) This actively demonstrates that most of the women see death as a way out, an escape from the prison their lives have become the same way Kanye West said, “now this would be a beautiful death,” in the song. However, these quotes also show the lengths that the people in charge have gone to to ensure that these women don’t get the opportunity to escape. While men think of it as an exciting reward, women find it so horrible that they would almost prefer death.