Offred, from The Handmaid’s Tale, is in a world that is against her. She has to obey the rules and follow them perfectly unless she’s punished with death. But in recent chapters, the readers can see Offred getting along with the commander. This goes against the oppressive world, which says that women shouldn’t talk to the commander or even interact with them unless it’s at the ceremony. Even with these interactions with the commander, Offred can’t help but still feel lonely and confused about herself. The reader can especially see this during chapter 39, when Offred excuses herself to the hotel bathroom before having an intimate moment with the Commander. Offred stares at herself in the bathroom mirror and wonders, why am I here? She points out the way she looks that night, and it’s as if she feels yucky about herself. It’s an important moment to point out, as Offred feels out of place, not following the usual pattern of the system. Which is why I created a visual representation of this moment, to capture the emotions Offred carries.

My visual representation is of Offred standing in front of the mirror, with her eyes closed. She has her dress on, and the background is covered in shade. I decided to draw a target on her head, inspired by a previous art internet trend where they draw a target on an innocent figure, doomed to be dead by society. I also drew the sink because on page 254, Offred explains how she wants a toothbrush. I clearly wanted to represent in my drawing that there’s no toothbrush for Offred. She can’t be hygienic, even though she plays a crucial role in this system, yet she’s not allowed to take care of herself. My overall drawing is trying to capture how Offred has to be used as an object and be looked down upon, just because she’s a woman. If she doesn’t follow these rules and can’t give birth by a certain time, she is killed. Which is where the target symbol comes in, a target has been put on her the moment this dystopian world was formed. With no way to defend herself, Offred barely has any chance to escape this target on her. I also decided to make most of the background shaded dark because I wanted to represent how this is a sorrowful moment for Offred. It’s supposed to bring a negative tone to the moment, symbolizing that Offred isn’t happy. Especially as she’s about to have sex with the commander, a man she has no real connection with. One last detail I decided on was that Offred should have her eyes closed. As if she’s trying to hide from evil, trying to conceal the rest of her sanity the best she can. The viewer of my drawing can predict that she’s hiding from the commander, the system, death, or even from the ceremony. Offred wants to escape and feel what it means to live again, but this system won’t offer that. 

Offred’s emotions in this bathroom scene are significant to women's struggles, and I hope I captured that in my drawing. What Offred feels is real and deep. It’s something that readers shouldn’t ignore, as the events could be an insight into what’s going on in the real world. There are many moments in The Handmaid’s Tale that show Offred’s depressing world, and the bathroom scene is just a small example of it. 

Lit Log 2

People Hatin’ - The Red Clay Strays: This song looks at how people hate each other for not listening to others, and how they convey that hate. In Gilead, we see how the government chooses to hang people to convey their hate for self-expression, specifically when Offred and her comrade are walking by the church where they hang enemies of the government. She says, “Only two hanging on it today: one Catholic, not a priest though.” (176), showing the reader that this is common enough that she has learned what to look for to tell the difference between a normal catholic and a priest. These themes of hatred continue to show up throughout the book. This further reinforces why a song about how people hate each other belongs on this playlist. While it may not focus on Offred specifically, it illustrates how Gilead, in many ways, mirrors the way people convey hate in our world.

Richmen North Of Richman - Oliver Anthony: This song reflects the struggles of working-class people under those who do not care for their employees and take control of their lives. It’s that fact that brings this song into the fold of this playlist, as it relates to how the handmaids are never thanked for their work, much like the rest of the women in Gilead, they are cast aside and neglected except for when they have to perform the ceremony. This song also talks about how most of the wealth in this country is held by the top 1%, much like how in Gilead it’s implied that the elite hold all of the commodities. This is shown throughout the book. At the beginning, Offred describes how they burned all of the magazines when she says, “There are no more magazines, no more films, no more substitutes” (19), and later, when the commander gives her a magazine, she seems shocked and confused about how he procured one. This again works to show us how the elite control the supply and distribution of these commodities. This song is sung out of fear and distrust of people. Oliver Anthony achieves this by appearing in the music video, sitting in the wilderness, and exaggerating his words and expressions to convey his distrust and anger towards the elite. In Direct contrast, Offred shows little emotion toward people and is actively discouraged from showing emotion. This happens throughout the book, but it is particularly evident when a tourist group is visiting and the tour guide asks her questions; she contemplates her response. In the book, she describes her response by saying, “I look down at the sidewalk, shake my head for no.” (26) This simple response is again in contrast to Oliver Anthony’s reaction to people who “wanna have total control.” (2:12) he directly calls out the elite and voices his mind. It’s lines like those that show how even though two people can share a similar feeling about a style of government, they may show their disagreement in two very different ways.

Take Me to Church - Hoizer: Hoizer is known for standing up for equal rights and voicing his opinion through his songs. One of his most well-known and msot played songs is “Take Me to Church,” where he describes the struggle of an openly gay couple being harassed by a group of masked men. Violent acts like that show how we are currently straying towards a path that leads to a government like the one they have in Gilead; they openly hang people for not following the strict laws of the government. Throughout the book, LGBTIA+ people are only mentioned a few times, but later in the book, we can infer by the actions of the Gilead government and the overall disdain for people who are different that they, too, would face the same fate as priests and other groups that are hanged. One similarity between the book and the song is that in the music video of “Take Me to Church,” we see a mob of people burning the belongings of the couple featured in the song. Similarly, in The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s said that women also burned books in the early days of Gilead. (32) These details describe how, even though these groups are hated for different reasons, many of the “tactics” taken by the hate groups are similar and employ a similar hatred.

Labour - Paris Paloma: Labour by Paris Paloma describes the struggle of women in relationships in which they feel trapped. This song gained msot of its popularity during the “Me Too” Movement and has stayed in the public eye. This song explicitly mentions how many women feel trapped in a marriage, and as if their only job is to have babies. In the song “Paris,” Paloma says, “If we had a daughter, I’d watch and could not save her” (1:26), which directly parallels how in Gilead, daughters are taken from their families and given away. In one of the later chapters, it’s described as a sort of wedding ritual where many daughters are given away at once, where she writes, “And now the twenty veiled daughters, in white, come shyly forward.” (196) These words also show how in Gilead many of the traditions of our modern world have been altered to better suit and fit the standards of the government to help reinforce their ideals. Similarly, in Labour, the song accurately depicts how many women are practically held hostage in their relationships, much like how Offred was stuck with Luke after the start of Gilead, when she was no longer allowed to work or hold a bank account. Even though she trusted Luke, she still felt trapped in the relationship.

Bella Ciao - Unknown (It’s been republished many times over the years): The Last song I included on this short playlist is the protest song Bella Ciao. This song has been replicated and translated over its over a hundred-year history. Its main credit and popularity come from the late 1920s and early 1930s in Italy, where it was sung as an anti-fascist anthem. Today, it’s been translated into English and is sung in protest of not only the US government but also the Israeli government and their blockade of the Gaza Strip. I chose to include this song to show hope and that even though the tunnel is long and dark, there’s always light at the end ot it. Throughout history, victory has prevailed from the people who persevere and resist tyranny. Throughout the book, there are constant mentions of the types of Hope Offred holds onto. Most notably, she holds onto the hope that Luke is still out there and that he will try to rescue her. She says this midway through the book when she says, “He made contact with the others, there must be a resistance, a government in exile. Someone must be out there.”(90). This shows that even though she has been forced into this new way of life, she holds onto some hope that someday Luke will save her. Maybe they’ll be able to return some sense of normality. Since Bella Ciao is most remembered as a protest song, it’s also worth mentioning how, in the same quote, she also talks about how there “must be a resistance, a government in exile. Someone must be out there.” this further reinforces the notion that she is not alone in this fight and that others are also working to save not just ehr but everyone who has been forced into this new way of life.

Many more songs could be added to this playlist that also relate to people’s uprising against the group of fascist governments. Many of them either come from modern times, the 40’s during the Nazi takeover, or other fiction novels that also tell the story of tyrannical governments.

Link to Playlist: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEtDwf1tlK5UDfcAHA5QZbCs2aHTABmcE&si=UAJm-kMhFB_W_m4h

This story discusses how men and women live differently from each other. The men in this story have more power than women and have control over them as well. The women in this story must follow many of the rules. The question for this story is, how does hierarchy play in the gender roles of men and women? This story is called “The Handmaid’s Tale.” This story revolves around hierarchy, power, and gender roles.

In Chapter 23 of The Handmaid’s Tale, 

Offred said, “We are for breeding purposes. (Pg136)” This talks about how women are being treated in Gilead. The women in Gilead are being treated like a breeding machine. How I feel about this is kinda disturbing because this story is all about women being used for breeding purposes and nothing else. How I feel about this part of the story is mostly weird and confusing, because why are the women being treated like they are being used, like it is no big deal? Also, why are women even part of this in the first place, and who started this whole thing?

In Chapter 28 from pages 176-177 of The Handmaid’s Tale, 

Offred was going to the corner store to buy some cigarettes, and the usual lady that she always sees is not there, but a young man at the counter. She gave him her card to let him put the number in to buy her cigarettes, and the young man said that it was invalid. Offred thought that was a mistake and told him to try again and watch his finger punching the number in, checked the number on the window, and it showed her number; it is still invalid. So she tried to call the office, but it went straight to voicemail, saying that the line is overloaded. The line was overloaded all morning, and she tried to phone the office back several times, but no one answered. One day, the director walked into the discing room and having a talk with the female workers and Offred. The director told the female workers and Offred that they were being let go because of the law, and said that they couldn’t work there anymore. How I feel about this is kinda confusing because Offred said that her card should have money in it, but her card went invalid as if she didn’t have any money inside of it, then she tried to call the office to see why her card payment didn’t go through. All she got was a recording from the office that the line is overloaded with a bunch of calls. The lines of calls were still overloaded all morning, and she tried to call them back several times, but with no luck in sight. The second thing that got me confused is that the director told the female workers and Offred that they were being let go and couldn’t work there anymore due to law reasons. That got me really confused because what kind of law doesn’t allow women to work anymore, due to the law, and their cards getting declined when buying items? The big question is what kind of law makes women unable to even go to work anymore, and their cards are being controlled by men, like unlocking them to use their cards to buy stuff and locking them so they can’t buy anything at all?

Women can’t add, he once said, jokingly. When I asked him what he meant, he said, For them, one and one and one and one don’t make four. What do they make? I said, expecting five or three. Just one and one and one and one, he said.

He is the Commander, Fred, in his office with Offred, but in Offred’s mind on page 186 of The Handmaid’s Tale. The two chatted after their regular game of Scrabble, the tensions between them diminishing with each secret rendez-vous. After Offred asks about the Commander about the phrase in faux Latin, she offers to write it down. The Commander hesitates, considering whether to allow this forbidden usage of a pen or pencil, which is what pushes Offred to remember what he said about women and simple arithmetic.

Adding is the first math operation that is taught to young children, so it is statistically untrue that women cannot add. Plus, to assume that women would fail to perform at a task that is expected of small children is to diminish the skillset and value of an entire group of people. This is the first step to objectifying women. To determine (falsely) that they are simply incapable of doing certain tasks, rather than trying and being wrong. This way, they are prevented from doing anything other than whatever they assign to them, which in the case of The Handmaid’s Tale, is being silent and carrying children.

What’s more with the Commander’s statement is the implication that women are not allowed to add. They are not allowed to prove his misconception wrong. This means two things. First, the Commander and whoever else “believes” in the sentiment that women are incapable know that they are wrong. They know that their statements fail to be backed up by any scientific evidence or research, but they don’t need to care about scientific evidence as long as they maintain a faux image of power. As long as the Commanders and men keep the women oppressed, stripped of any opportunity to prove themselves and refute the Commanders’ facade of superiority. If women are given a chance, the Commanders know that they will actually thrive and excel, which means there is nothing that makes men superior, and their power becomes useless.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to The Handmaid’s Tale unfortunately. I was immediately reminded of the horror, infantilization, and verbal abuse experienced by women in the gaming community. I have personal ties to this, as my family tried to prevent me from playing video games entirely, always treating the satement, “Girls don’t play video games” as a rule. All of the girls and women in the gaming scope are treated as though they were clueless, needing a man to mansplain and guide them through the game. All of the stereotypes of girls who have cutesy, pink gaming setups who are not treated or respected as “real” gamers, and at the same time, they are reduced to being a sexually favorable woman, being subjected to all types of sexual harrassment. My friends who play combat or RPG games that are male-dominated have expressed hiding their voices or deepening it to avoid being perceived as a woman.

Further examples are in STEM fields, politics, and any argument against women in leadership. Women engineers, for example, are scarce, because of the harassment and undermining they receive. For example, when I interviewed Ms. Serenity Baruzzini last year about her experience as a woman studying engineering, she recalled a story where a male professor said the best students he’s ever had were students who said they were engineers who happened to be women, and that her identities as a woman and engineer should be completely independent of each other. Again, this shows how women being in the STEM field is so unexpected that the entire image of an engineer aligns with a man. This image excludes women and discourages them from pursuing a pathway where they could really thrive.

The last example is the argument that women are too emotional to be leaders. I’ve heard it all the time. In politics, STEM, everywhere. However, research literally suggests that women are more effective leaders. Back to the point of the Commander, it is so much easier to shut women out from these fields and claim that they are incapable, than try to justify their falseties when women are more effective than men. It’s interesting that the Commanders in The Handmaid’s Tale have to continuously oppress and reframe the ethics of their society to prove that they are right. To prove that they are superior. Even though it works in Gilead, it’s no doubt there are flaws in their logic. Especially now when the state of our nation is fragile and uncertain, it is important to remember to poke holes in arguments until they are sound. No one should be reduced, objectified, and infantlized. Oppression will not win.

In the Handmaid’s Tale, Offred and Nick both share a romantic interest in each other. Throughout the book, they exchange glances and give each other looks that say what words can’t. They’re forbidden to speak to each other, and the type of relationship they want is one that would certainly not be allowed. Despite Offred’s growing interest in Nick and him reciprocating the same, their interactions make it obvious to the reader that Offred doesn’t actually like Nick, she just craves the human connection that has been lacking in her life by being a Handmaid and seeks the rebellion that comes with it. Offred has no control over her life or her decisions. She’s forced to have intercourse with someone she doesn’t know and her husband was taken away from her. Offred’s infatuation with Nick revolved around this; she only wants him in her life for the excitement of it. In Chapter 17 when Offred goes to see the Commander, while waiting in his sitting room, she runs into Nick, who both are not supposed to be there. They suddenly embrace each other and share a kiss, something they both had been waiting for. Offred says, “Both of us shaking, how I’d like to.” (p. 98). Offred is “shaking” from the rebellious nature of it all. The excitement of being with a man for the first time since Luke is making her want to do more. She’d like to take things further and explore. This is the first time she’s been connected with a man since Luke, which is what she has been craving during her time of being a handmaid. The Commander doesn’t fulfill her any emotional needs so she’s left wanting more, extremely unhappy with her life. She hasn’t mentioned anything about what she likes about Nick or anything good about his personality. Offred is just in it for the thrill of it, understandably, since she’s been deprived of a real connection with a man. Additionally, Offred’s want to rebel is displayed even more in the next sentence. She proceeds to say, “In Serena’s parlor, with the dried flowers, on the Chinese carpet, on his thin body.” (p. 98) It shows the nature of this situation, and how dangerous it is for them to be doing this. “In Serena’s parlor” implies that Offred is proud of her actions. Serena will never know what’s happening under her nose and that gives Offred power over her. Also, “on his thin body” demonstrates her need for a physical connection and her focus on the scandalous situation going on. Again, she says nothing about what she actually likes about Nick. She barely knows him and they’ve only really exchanged looks before and they jump straight to kissing. Offred just wants to feel like she has some sort of control over her life and this is her way of doing it. Lastly, during this forbidden interaction between the two lovers, Offred says “A man entirely unknown. It would be like shouting, it would be like shooting someone.” (p.98) Offred is admitting that she doesn’t know the man before her. She doesn’t know him like she knew Luke and she feels guilty for what she’s doing. Yet, her craving to do something, to have some sort of sense of control over her life, is too strong. She knows what the worst case scenario is. For this, they could be executed, put on the Wall. She thinks she won’t mind the consequences in the moment. Offred is attracted to Nick but not for the right reasons. The shallow nature of their relationship reflects the control society had over them. They had no will of their own; people aren’t supposed to mingle like that. “It would be like shouting” means that Nick and Offred in that living room was them asking to be caught. It was such an obviously stupid thing they were doing that Offred knew she was lucky that they weren’t executed on the spot. Essentially, Nick and Offred’s relationship reflects the rebellious nature of Offred and her desires. What she truly wanted wasn’t a relationship with Nick; she doesn’t even know him, and she still misses Luke. Yet, she’s deprived of all human connection in her oppressive society, so she’ll take what she can get and get into a romantic relationship with Nick so that she can have some sort of sense of control over her life. This demonstrates the importance of relationships in our day to day lives; human connection is an important thing, and it’s crucial that we maintain those relationships in our lives in order to truly be free and happy.

Reading The Handmaid’s Tale has been an interesting experience where I see many comparisons to the current state of the world and our country. Most notable is how our current government chooses to only show us the victories and successes of our nation, when, in actuality, there are many shortcomings of the United States, especially during the last few years. The Handmaid’s Tale presents one possible scenario of what could happen if we continue down this path. Our country is heading down a path of oppressing people for speaking out and having opinions that differ from the government. The censorship that the current administration is taking to silence the voices of people like Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night comedians goes to show that if we don’t stand up for our freedom of speech, we too could end up like Gilead. More specifically, in one of the early chapters of the book, we are still in a world-building phase and learning about what this new world looks like and how it operates. We learn that the government has taken over control of the news. Margot Atwood writes, “They show us only victories, never defeats. Who wants bad news?” -83 showing just how far the government has gone to control the media. Offred also asks the reader, “Who wants bad news?” This can be read as a satirical statement showing that even in these dark times, she’s trying to find humor in unlikely positions. This shows us how there is still humanity in these people who, before, were described as more one-toned people Earlier in the book, they hint at this fact of media control when they introduce the “Eyes,” who are portrayed as spies planted throughout Gilead, making people like Offred second-guess whom to trust with their inner monologues. The way margott atwood describes it makes it sound as if most people are considered “Eyes” and that they have to be careful about it. At one point in the book, Offred is talked to by an interpreter, and in her inner monologue, she says, “I know better than to look the interpreter in the face. Most of the interpreters are Eyes, or so it’s said.” (26) The ending of her saying “or so it’s said.” goes to show that even though she doesnt have any physical proof enough people believe it to be true that they listen. This, in conjunction with her fear of looking the interpreter in the face, also suggests that even though the tourist with the interpreter is unaware of the rules, the interpreter is aware of them, and if she refuses to follow them, she will be punished. This theme of not knowing who may report them continues throughout the book and resurfaces during the first Birthday, when Offred is standing next to another handmaid. They are exchanging small words about looking for other handmaids they once knew. The other handmaid asks Offred if she knows somebody whom Offred was at the learning center with, and Offred responds. “I want to tell her there was an Alma with me at the Center. I want to tell her my name, but Aunt Elizabeth raises her head, staring around the room.” (107) The reader is also then left wondering if they were in earshot of the Aunts because directly before this, Offred was asking about Moria. Now they are silent as if the Aunt had heard them and their conversation and is attempting to warn them. It’s interactions like those which make Offred and the other handmaids watch what they say and who they talk to. We never learn if Offred tells the other handmaid that she knows of Alma or that they were at the Center together. This type of world-building and questioning allows the reader to build their own story within the larger narrative of The Handmaid’s Tale. Thought these first few chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale. The reader is exposed to various types of world-building and character introductions that help establish a foundation for what we might continue to see throughout the book. Specifically, we are shown how conflicted Offred is on who to trust and who may be a spy; it’s that style of writing that keeps the reader interested in how this plot may progress. Additionally, we continue to see that if the United States continues to limit free speech and the will of the people, this book may become less far-fetched.

Title about nothing By Rafael Torok

I’ve had an interesting experience within this class. I wanted to care about this book, and I wanted to care about the class. But I soon realized that it didn’t matter whether I got an A or a B. It didn’t matter if I really cared about the book. So why try? It seemed like a fool’s errand. I don’t feel this way anymore. I realized that to look at it that way is foolish and cowardly. You can’t live a life if your philosophy is designed to remove you completely from any sort of meaningful connection to this world. This has become clearer than ever in my reading of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

There have been times in my life when I have felt similar to Moira, a character in the book. Specifically, I am referring to how she feels and acts during the section in which she plans an escape from the compound they were being housed in. Of course, it was not nearly to the same extent as she. However, the base desires were similar. I have been in a situation where I needed to do something disastrous for the long term in order to fulfill my needs in the short term. Sometimes, though, the thing I do, which is beneficial in the short term, is actually beneficial in the long term as well. It’s just bad in the medium term. For example, writing an essay at one in the morning. It’s good for my grade in the class, but it leaves me as an empty shell, unable to do anything useful the next day. What does it actually mean? Best case, I get an A in the class instead of a B. Whoop-dee-doo. What does that get me? A fraction of a percent higher chance of getting into any particular college. After that, nothing. I am reminded of the discussion Offred has with Moira on pages 89 and 90. When Moira first mentions that she’s got to escape, Offred immediately feels panic. She believes it will result in negative consequences. Moira doesn’t. She doesn’t really think it matters. Like Moira, I was tempted into thinking that this class doesn’t matter. I thought it was a boring waste of time. Similarly, it seems to me that Nihilism is an appropriate philosophy to look at the book through. Do the events of the book matter? Many would be drawn to answering no. Humans are leaky blobs of chemicals that are not conscious. Our brains are a collection of neurons tricking each other into doing math. Either everything with a brain is conscious, or nothing is. If you can’t tell, I’m on the latter side for the purposes of this paragraph. If no one on earth is conscious, then there is no reason to do anything. There is no suffering; suffering is an illusion made up by evolution to stop you from killing yourself. There is no pain; pain is a hoax made by your brain to stop you from getting yourself killed. I’ve always seen the appeal of nihilism. If embraced fully, it is the freest one can get. No responsibility, no morals, and no hope burdening you. However, I believe that it is a foolish way to look at the world. Its main philosophy rests upon a non-falsifiable axiom. We cannot prove whether or not human beings are conscious. If we assume they are not, nihilism becomes almost the default. If they are, then all of the other philosophies are still on the table. I know this is a logical fallacy, but I think we should choose the world where good people can exist. We should choose the world in which there is a reason to care.

Chapter 23 of The Handmaid’s Tale is an interesting scene, with lots of complicated dynamics and emotions at play. There are a lot of things that can be drawn or deduced from this chapter, which is why I chose it to write a reader response to. The first thing that grabbed my attention from this chapter was the complex power dynamic in this story. There are tons of examples of this throughout this book, but almost none are as clearly defined as when Offred herself gives a quote that says that the word of The Commander could be taken above the word of the law. Another thing that I noticed was that this chapter did good at highlighting the extreme manipulation that goes on during this chapter. This obviously was clear throughout the entire book, but there were a few quotes in this chapter that described it very well for analysis.

The complicated hierarchy of this story came into play a lot in this chapter, and that was the main thing that I would say made the events of this chapter especially conflicting for Offred. One example of this is the game of Scrabble that her and The Commander play together. There are multiple rules that would have technically forbade her from participating, like the fact that women are not supposed to read - and this was not only an issue that would have fallen on her, but also The Commander, as he invited and encouraged her to play with him. Offred knew these rules, and she noted when he invited her that she shouldn’t accept, but the reason she decided to anyways was because “to refuse to see him could be worse. There’s no doubt who holds the real power.” Even though there was legislation in place, The Commander’s word is scary enough to Offred to convince her to do as he said. For me, this raises some questions about corruption within this already corrupt system. The commanders, or people with more power than them, could potentially use this power to further their own personal interests, or to help the women in the system. Although I honestly don’t expect any of the commanders or other officials to turn against the government, it would be a very interesting plot twist and is something that this situation makes me think about.

The power dynamic in this book isn’t just complicated in its layers, but it’s also extremely manipulative. This is obvious at almost every point in the book from start to end, but it’s also made clear in this chapter, and there are a few quotes that are especially clear about it. “But if you happen to be a man, sometime in the future, and you’ve made it this far, please remember: you will never be subject to the temptation or feeling you must forgive, a man, as a woman. It’s difficult to resist, believe me. But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest control.” This quote from earlier in the same chapter is a great example of this intense emotional manipulation that the women in the Gilead society face. Offred is reflecting at the start of this chapter before the scene where The Commander asks her to kiss him. She talks about how sometimes, the women in this novel are tempted to feel bad for or forgive the men, as hard as she tries to resist. The use of the line “you will never be subject to the temptation or feeling you must forgive, a man, as a woman,” helps to further her point, making it clear that this is an issue that women specifically face, and one that a man couldn’t comprehend. This is a pressure that her and all of the other women who are forced to be handmaids, wives, or other subordinate roles tot he men feel, and in the end even though it is a trauma that they are going through, they are left feeling like they should feel guilty or regretful, as if they are at fault.

Creep by Radiohead was the first thing I thought of when I was introduced to this assignment. Creep is a song about people not being in their right bodies for themself and feeling alienated or foreign, the lyric to the song is, “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo, what the hell am I doing here, I don’t belong here.” In the Handmaid’s Tale, page 61, it says, “My nakedness is strange to me already, my body seems outdated.” This tells the reader that not only does Offred feel that type of way but others might too. These handmaids are put here against their own will, making them feel like this couldn’t be real to them and feeling like they have failed. Offred doesn’t seem like she liked the position she is in and making women have babies against their will just because of this dystopian society. This makes me think of how someone can not be able to feel their body, like they don’t belong in the world but stuff like this helps the reader understand why sometimes it feels like this because, in this case, she’s alone. The next song on my list is Human by Christina Perri. She sings about how we are only human meaning nothing like this should ever have to happen to someone or anyone shouldn’t have to experience anything that makes them feel not right with their own bodies. She makes the song feel like we should all be helping each other and not working against each other because humans are the only living species that can talk to each other, learn, help others ,and we all have flaws. The lyric says, “But I’m only human, and I bleed when I fall down.” In the Handmaid’s Tale, page 94, Offred is having the ceremony and says, “Close your eyes and think of England but this is not England, I wish he would hurry up.” This just shows that this will and maybe break her later. The next song is The Night We Met by Lord Huron. He sings a song about someone in his past who we felt deeply connected to and I can infer that they fell apart and he would love to meet again the way they did. While reading the Handmaid’s Tale, she keeps having dreams and flashbacks of Luke and herself. “Luke was there, behind me, I turned to see him, he won’t look at me… the bell awakes me, and then Cora, knocking on my door… wipe my face with my sleeve. Of all the dreams this is the worst,” page 75. Offred wishes she can know if Luke is still alive and if she can see him again. The lyrics to the song says, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Haunted by the ghost of you, take me back to the night we met.” I think this part of the song resonates with her and Luke’s relationship well because Offred was his mistress and she really felt like he was the one for her. The next song is You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore. This one is self explanatory. The song just means that they are allowed to do whatever they desire and no one shall tell them not to. In the Handmaid’s Tale once again I said this but they are being held there against their will and not being able to do stuff freely. In this song it says, “You don’t own me, I’m not just one of many toys, You don’t own me, Don’t say I can’t go with other boys.” This one connects with the third song and the second song in this essay because the people who run this dystopian society don’t get to tell them what they should do or who they should be with. Once again the reader understands the circumstances for the handmaids but the commander has to have intercourse with the handmaids so they can have a baby but she does want a baby just not with the commander. The last song is IDon’tWannaBeYouAnymore by Billie Eilish. This one is also self explanatory and also resonates with the first song. The meaning behind this song is that she is unhappy with the current state she is in and sees other people doing the things she wants to do but she doesn’t feel like she is made to do those things. Offred knows she wasn’t made to be put in a society where they are forcibly taking action on women to have kids. The lyric says, “If tear drops could be bottled, their be swimming pools filled by models, told the tight dress is what make you a whore, If I love you was a promise, would you break it if your honest, tell the mirror what she knows she heard before, I don’t want to be you anymore.” This is about gender and how people talk about women and that people are insecure and by looking in the mirror people see their insecurities. This also relates to the first song about not being in your body.

Artist Statement: This image depicts the scene on pages 71-72 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Janine is in the center, small as can be, while the girls around her point accusingly. Janine shrinks under their hurtful gaze, their faces graying into anonymity because their personal identities are not relevant to her pain. They are a single entity that taunt her, not because of who she is, but what was done to her. To them, she has been reduced to a nasty word; comparatively, the girls have been reduced to bullies.

This scene is from Janine’s perspective, so the girls surrounding her are intentionally one-dimensional. Surrounding them are vague shadowy figures with reaching claws. This can be interpreted as both the handmaids-in-training further melting into a concept, a voice, for Janine. Or, as the demon that is girls turning against each other. They are grabbing and clawing, both at Janine, and at the girls. Perhaps they are trying to coax more girls into the bullying. The only thing Janine can register is their incessant chant. “Her fault. Her fault.” Those words are ingrained everywhere in the art, the bright white contrasting the dark reds, burning the etches into Janine. Still, this behavior is unexpected because of the concept of girls supporting girls.

In a world where women are supposed to stick by each other and savor as much power in numbers as they can get, it is jarring for that unity and empathy to be stripped away, especially for a tragedy such as a gangbang. That event was out of Janine’s control, despite however neutral or positive she may have felt. Instead of empathizing with her, they are taught to blame her. Void of support, it feels as though the entire world has turned on Janine. Thus, the piece illustrates the idea that a single phrase can hold the weight of the entire world.

Offred knows this. The other girls know this. They understand the heavy impact of their words and that Janine doesn’t deserve this at all. Still, there is unity in turning against her. In this us vs. her ultimatum, the girls see the damage that Janine takes, and it is less appealing to be in her position or on her side. They are complex creatures in that way, that they know what they are doing is wrong, but justify it through their fear. Their fear that they will be given away, the fear of openly standing against this society and culture of blaming women for sexuality, and the fear that at any moment, they can be her. Janine’s position is one of relief, for at least it’s her that suffers, and not them. But it’s important to note that these girls aren’t evil. They have been pushed into a corner and are doing everything in their power to preserve their sanity. Unanimously despising an innocent is far from the best preservation of humanity, but it’s better than nothing.

Other details worth noting are the overall red color scheme, which is a tie to the red of handmaids, and how the color darkens as the image zooms out.