In chapter 23 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Offer is telling us how she comes to her senses. Between Luke and the commander, she realizes and is coming to a point where she doesn’t have a say in anything and feels taken advantage of.

The quote that stood out to me in chapter 23 was: “We are not each other anymore. Instead, I am his.” This quote hit me because it shows how Offred is no longer in a relationship built on love and equality. She is forced into a role where she’s owned and not loved. It’s not about the connection anymore; it’s about control. That shift from being someone’s partner to being someone’s property is heartbreaking, and it made me think of a time in my life where I felt like I didn’t have a voice either.
When I started volleyball in 9th grade, I was terrified. I had always been bigger than most of the other girls, and I thought that meant I wouldn’t be good enough. I was scared I wouldn’t make the team, scared people would judge me, and scared that my name belonged, so instead of speaking up and showing confidence, I let people run over me. I didn’t take up space, I didn’t ask questions, I didn’t play like I knew I could, I just tried to stay quiet and not get noticed, so I wouldn’t get embarrassed for being bigger and not knowing how to play volleyball.
That feeling of dimming yourself down because you didn’t think that you deserve to be there, reminding me of offered she’s in a society that doesn’t value her thoughts or feelings, she’s forced to play a role that just like I felt forced to play the role of being a quiet, insecure girl who didn’t want to mess up. Offered says, “ I am his,” and that line shows that she’s been reduced to someone’s possession. I feel like I was letting other people define me, too, not because they told me I had to, but because I was too scared to speak up. In chapter 23, Offred starts meeting with the commander, and they play Scrabble, which seems small, but it’s actually huge. It’s the first time she’s allowed to use her mind to speak freely, even if it’s just through a game, that moment reminded me of when I finally started to feel confident on the volleyball court. I remember one practice where I made a great serve, and my coach actually cheered for me. It was the first time I felt maybe I did belong, just like offers are still a tiny bit of power in those secret meetings. I started feeling a tiny bit of confidence in myself. But even then, offered knows she’s not free, she says, “I am his “because even though she’s allowed to play Scrabble and talk, it’s still on his terms. She’s still trapped in this world on the unspeakable. That’s how I felt,t tooLikeke I was only allowed to feel good if someone else permitted me. I didn’t fully believe in myself, yet I was still holding back. This chapter made me feel, and we think about how hard it is to find your voice when you’ve been taught to stay silent. Offered used to have a life where she was free, she had a husband, and daughter a job. Now she’s in a world she’s not even allowed to read. That loss of identity is something I felt in a smaller way when I started High School. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I was trying to fit in. I was trying not to stand out, and they made me feel invisible. Reading just a chapter helps me realize that even small acts of confidence matter. Offering to play Scrabble might seem like nothing, but it’s her way of holding on to who she used to be; it’s a way of saying I’m still here. For me, stepping onto the volleyball court and finally speaking up was my way of saying the same thing I’m still here I deserve to be seen. This quote also made me think about how her relationships can change from Power gets involved. To have a loving relationship with Luke, where they were equals. Now she’s in a situation where she’s being used. That shift is painful, but it reminded me of how important it is to be in spaces where you’re respected and valued. Whether it’s a team or friendship, or a classroom, everyone deserves to feel like they belong. In the end, this chapter showed me that finding my voice takes time. Offered is still trapped, but she’s starting to push back in small ways. She’s starting to speak up for herself more, but I was scared to speak up. But eventually I did, and once I did, everything started to change. I started to feel stronger and more confident and more like myself, just like I learned that even at your worst, you still find ways to hold on to who you are.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lkN8VICuyYwRvK_fJUQ3GqJMJ1NDBVi0dJj3wq7TcJ8/edit?usp=sharing

In chapter 18 of The Handmaid’s Tale, he feels alone and lonely. She is losing herself emotionally, physically, and mentally, her thoughts of Luke and losing people, say a lot about how I wanted to craft this portrait. I drew this portrait of her alone in a room, holding her belly. I used red and dark colors to come out as in this aspect because I think of this scene as sad and intense. The scene had to be offered. I wanted to show and be clear that she is a handmaid, so I made her in red. As she is forced to wear that color, this also shows everything that she is going through, the loneliness, the grief, and despair she feels from Luke.

The quote I want to surround my artwork is “ But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s the lack of love we die from. There’s nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere.” I chose this quote because it shows how Offred is losing herself within the book. She is losing any type of love she once had. Between her daughter coming into an empty, lonely world, and not having a father figure. And losing the love of her life while still trying to dream up scenarios of them together.

When she said it’s a lack of love and everyone she could love, I thought about how I would be if I lost my mom or if I were trying to raise a child alone. I feel for her as she says this. It moved me. She is pregnant, and she was ripped off a loving, bright pregnancy, but instead, she is facing the cold, shut-out world. She is cut off from anyone she could love or trust in the world. In the book, we see a lot of hope and despair, and as I read this chapter, all I could think about is how she is in survival mode. But this is also connected to her growing up as a child and how she had freedom, and all the lost memories of her childhood. This is why I drew this scene like this, because I thought the quiet pen could drop and you would hear it. To the surrounding noise in her head, giving her hope.

This is why I drew black shading around her looking out a window in the rain. This symbolizes the environmental state of Gilead as to why she is trapped. Not just emotionally but physically, she is trapped as well. She can’t express herself or get a really good connection. I drew her by herself because I wanted to emphasize the isolation. I wanted her head down, looking to try not to cry from the weight she is carrying right now.

One of the big takeaways that I thought about from this book was that it offered me to face this alone. She still is huma,n and she has feelings. She is in a society that does not really support women; they just want to use their bodies. She is not just being used for her body, but she is fighting inner battles with herself that are killing her. This is all while carrying a child, so she needs more support than ever. That’s why I drew her baby, and she is just holding on to the last thing she loves and cares about. The one thing that’s keeping her sane.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18g6dCSJQ4zzYeJMfcgymluc5Xsq3nP4vsEE_LGG5ooU/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RMoNSJBVNmuw-CFLdo3BYdel44fQh4XnbJ4ptCeKEa8/edit?usp=sharing

Far Away by Clara La San: As readers follow Offred’s life in Gilead, they learn that she has a young daughter who was captured while trying to escape America with her and Luke. Her daughter is the main character in many of her memories; she wonders if she remembers her, where she is and if she is even still alive. Later in the book, Serena becomes more eager to have a child so she proposes a solution: Offred has sex with another man to better her chances of getting pregnant in exchange for a picture of Offred’s daughter. Offred accepts the offer. “I take it from her… My treasure. So tall and changed… I am only a shadow now… You can see it in her eyes: I am not there” (Atwood 228). The song Far Away by Clara La San expresses a distant love such as what Offred is experiencing. “If I’m far away, I will prescribe you something, something to give you, the strength, my love” is a message to her daughter to motivate herself to stay strong for her.

Willing to Trust by Kid Cudi: The sexual encounters between Offred and the Commander were strictly professional until he requested to see her in person. As they spent more time together, he grew more of an emotional liking to her, asking her to kiss him like she meant it as a goodbye after seeing each other. She complies because she knows that he is the key to having a more comfortable life in Gilead but this does not mean that she feels the same way about him. One night he gives her an outfit to wear to the Club, a place in a hotel where men go to gawk at women. The Commander believed he was thoughtful as he took her to a hotel room to have sex: “‘I thought you might enjoy it for a chance”’(Atwood 254). Willing to Trust by Kid Cudi is a perfect song to describe his delusion of Offred truly enjoying their forced sex. “I’ve been willing to trust someone, Is this really love what it’s becomin’?” The Commander believes they have a connection when in reality, Offred is taking advantage of him to better her well being in a living hell.

Palaces by Lupe Fiasco: Throughout the Handmaid’s Tale, there are numerous instances where the reader can see how Gilead uses objectification and manipulation to control its Handmaids. Janine, one of Offred’s peers, tells her story about being gang-raped at only fourteen years old at Testifying. Aunt Helena is then quick to demean her by saying, “But whose fault was it?” (Atwood 72) and making the other Handmaids chant, “Her fault, her fault, her fault…” (Atwood 72). Janine breaks down into tears. The next week she takes the initiative to repeat the words to herself, “It was my fault, she says. It was my own fault. I led them on. I deserved the pain.” (Atwood 72). Aunt Lydia and Aunt Helena know that by degrading yourself, you start to lose your identity, strength, and confidence. Lyrics from the song Palaces by Lupe Fiasco write, “We think we’re fortresses, made of stone, But we’re just palaces made out of flesh and bone, waiting for our time to come on home”. When Lupe says “home” he could be referring to heaven, or somewhere with God, in this context. I recognized these lines as something the handmaids say to themselves to break any mentality of rebelling.

Cool Grey 11s by Marlon Craft: Marlon Craft said, “Country of compulsion in a world of illusion”. As the new laws and new government began to take over, women were slowly stripped of their basic rights. It began with the army declaring a state of emergency but escalated to suspending the Constitution. People did not question anything that was happening, there were no protests,“There wasn’t even rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction” (Atwood 174). From firing all women from their jobs to forcing banks to transfer women’s earnings to their husbands. America quickly and easily folded into a life of inequality. While genuine Jewish people were able to escape to Israel because they were seen as special: “Sons of Jacob”, most, like Offred, attempted to escape through the Canadian border. Canada and Israel have not interfered with America’s new system. Why weren’t people questioning the government shutdown? Why didn’t other countries recognize the devastation? “Country of compulsion”.

Where did the day go by Wet: Living through the manipulation of Gilead is similar to moving through water: each day that goes by feels slow and endless to Offred. Readers often find her pondering her past but also her surroundings: “the shell of the egg is smooth but also grained; small pebbles of calcium are defined by the sunlight, like craters on the moon” (Atwood 110). If their minds haven’t broken yet, imagination is the only freedom the Handmaids have access to. Where did the day by Wet embodies their experience, “I see a field below, and when I’m feeling low, I open my eyes, and to my surprise, there’s no one inside, I never arrive”. These lyrics serve as a reminder that their fate lies within Gilead’s laws and traditions as it is nearly impossible to escape alive.

Far Away by Clara La San: As readers follow Offred’s life in Gilead, they learn that she has a young daughter who was captured while trying to escape America with her and Luke. Her daughter is the main character in many of her memories; she wonders if she remembers her, where she is and if she is even still alive. Later in the book, Serena becomes more eager to have a child so she proposes a solution: Offred has sex with another man to better her chances of getting pregnant in exchange for a picture of Offred’s daughter. Offred accepts the offer. “I take it from her… My treasure. So tall and changed… I am only a shadow now… You can see it in her eyes: I am not there” (Atwood 228). The song Far Away by Clara La San expresses a distant love such as what Offred is experiencing. “If I’m far away, I will prescribe you something, something to give you, the strength, my love” is a message to her daughter to motivate herself to stay strong for her.

Willing to Trust by Kid Cudi: The sexual encounters between Offred and the Commander were strictly professional until he requested to see her in person. As they spent more time together, he grew more of an emotional liking to her, asking her to kiss him like she meant it as a goodbye after seeing each other. She complies because she knows that he is the key to having a more comfortable life in Gilead but this does not mean that she feels the same way about him. One night he gives her an outfit to wear to the Club, a place in a hotel where men go to gawk at women. The Commander believed he was thoughtful as he took her to a hotel room to have sex: “‘I thought you might enjoy it for a chance”’(Atwood 254). Willing to Trust by Kid Cudi is a perfect song to describe his delusion of Offred truly enjoying their forced sex. “I’ve been willing to trust someone, Is this really love what it’s becomin’?” The Commander believes they have a connection when in reality, Offred is taking advantage of him to better her well being in a living hell.

Palaces by Lupe Fiasco: Throughout the Handmaid’s Tale, there are numerous instances where the reader can see how Gilead uses objectification and manipulation to control its Handmaids. Janine, one of Offred’s peers, tells her story about being gang-raped at only fourteen years old at Testifying. Aunt Helena is then quick to demean her by saying, “But whose fault was it?” (Atwood 72) and making the other Handmaids chant, “Her fault, her fault, her fault…” (Atwood 72). Janine breaks down into tears. The next week she takes the initiative to repeat the words to herself, “It was my fault, she says. It was my own fault. I led them on. I deserved the pain.” (Atwood 72). Aunt Lydia and Aunt Helena know that by degrading yourself, you start to lose your identity, strength, and confidence. Lyrics from the song Palaces by Lupe Fiasco write, “We think we’re fortresses, made of stone, But we’re just palaces made out of flesh and bone, waiting for our time to come on home”. When Lupe says “home” he could be referring to heaven, or somewhere with God, in this context. I recognized these lines as something the handmaids say to themselves to break any mentality of rebelling.

Cool Grey 11s by Marlon Craft: Marlon Craft said, “Country of compulsion in a world of illusion”. As the new laws and new government began to take over, women were slowly stripped of their basic rights. It began with the army declaring a state of emergency but escalated to suspending the Constitution. People did not question anything that was happening, there were no protests,“There wasn’t even rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction” (Atwood 174). From firing all women from their jobs to forcing banks to transfer women’s earnings to their husbands. America quickly and easily folded into a life of inequality. While genuine Jewish people were able to escape to Israel because they were seen as special: “Sons of Jacob”, most, like Offred, attempted to escape through the Canadian border. Canada and Israel have not interfered with America’s new system. Why weren’t people questioning the government shutdown? Why didn’t other countries recognize the devastation? “Country of compulsion”.

Where did the day go by Wet: Living through the manipulation of Gilead is similar to moving through water: each day that goes by feels slow and endless to Offred. Readers often find her pondering her past but also her surroundings: “the shell of the egg is smooth but also grained; small pebbles of calcium are defined by the sunlight, like craters on the moon” (Atwood 110). If their minds haven’t broken yet, imagination is the only freedom the Handmaids have access to. Where did the day by Wet embodies their experience, “I see a field below, and when I’m feeling low, I open my eyes, and to my surprise, there’s no one inside, I never arrive”. These lyrics serve as a reminder that their fate lies within Gilead’s laws and traditions as it is nearly impossible to escape alive.

The Ceremony scene in The Handmaid’s Tale reveals how ritual can become a form of control. Atwood builds a moment that feels calm on the surface, but is full of quiet terror. My first reaction to this passage was discomfort, then an after, a kind of numbness. The emotional shift mirrors what Offred feels in the book. Reading it, I understood how Gilead’s power doesn’t rely only on violence. It relies on repetition, silence, and forced participation.
Offred describes the setting with plain observation. “My red shoes are off, my legs are on the bed, spread open, and the Commander is fucking” (pg. 94). The flatness of this sentence hit me; there is no emotional word. No protest, no metaphor. It’s written the way a person describes a task. That lack of feeling is what makes it so hard to read. Offred is detached because feeling would make the act unbearable. The state has made her body public property, so she protects what little remains of herself by refusing to feel. That is survival disguised as obedience.
When I read this line, I felt the tension of the scene. The Commander’s wife, Serena Joy, sits with Offred and holds her hands during the act. Atwood writes, “Serena Joy’s rings glitter near my face, her perfume thick and sweet” (Page 95). The image of glitter and perfume contrasts with the violence of what’s happening. That detail stuck with me. It shows how Gilead turns cruelty into a ritual. Everything is dressed up to look holy decent. I thought about how control often hides behind ceremony in the real world. When rules are wrapped in tradition, people stop questioning them. That is what happens in Gilead. The scene is quiet. There is no struggle, no shouting. Everyone plays a part. Offred lies still. Serena grips her hands. The Commandeer finishes and leaves. It feels mechanical. The silence is the loudest thing in the chapter. Offred says, “One detaches oneself. One describes” (Page 96). That line explains how she survives. She steps outside herself; she becomes the narrator instead of actually being in the scene. My reaction changed as I reread the scene. The first time, I was shocked by the act. The second time, I paid more attention to Offred’s thoughts afterward. She says, “We are two-legged wombs, that’s all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices.” (Page 136). That word choice is very brutal and specific. It reduces women to objects. But the sarcasm in her tone matters. She knows the system’s language but uses it with irony. That irony is her defense. She understands the lie but pretends to accept it. In the middle of the chapter, there is a moment that also shows how Offred is managing this oppression. She says, “Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven’t signed up for. There wasn’t a lot of choice, but there was some, and this is what I chose” (Page 94). She recognizes the limited control she has but asserts ownership of her actions. The phrase “there wasn’t a lot of choice” shows the pressure Gilead places on women; the system limits options and forces compliance. The phrase “this is what I chose” emphasizes her effort to maintain autonomy within those limits. Even small decisions become meaningful in a system designed to erase them. Offred weighs risk, emotion, and appearance to protect her inner life. This line also illustrates the complexity of consent under pressure. Offred acknowledges that the act is not freely desired, yet she claims responsibility for how she endures it. Gilead does not need violence to control women; it requires compliance framed as consent. Atwood shows that survival demands compromise and calculation. Reading this passage, I felt the tension between helplessness and control. I noticed how Offred’s observation of her own participation is a form of resistance. She frames her experience as a choice, even though she was constrained; it allows her to preserve a sense of self that the system seeks to destroy. At the end of the scene, Offred retreats to her room as she says, “Nolite te bastardes caborundorum.” The phrase, meaning “Don’t let the bastards grind you down,” is secret resistance. It shows survival is sometimes internal and quiet. Every sentence she writes proves she exists, observes, and thinks. That inner voice becomes her power. Reading the Ceremony scene, especially lines like the one about her limited choice, changed how I understood the novel. Gilead is built on the absence of feeling, yet Offred retains control through observation, reflection, and private decisions. Her calm voice and awareness form the subtle acts of resistance that keep her self intact. The quietness, routine, and constrained choice make the world believable and terrifying. Offred’s survival depends on small acts of mental autonomy, a reminder that even in extreme oppression, individuals find ways to assert themselves.

Petals (Hole): https://youtu.be/sB5n6wnT61w

Petals by Hole, for me, gives the lasting theme and impression of a woman stripped of everything that kept her feeling human. Listening to it again immediately made me think of Janine (Ofwarren). The chorus of Petals is “Tear the petals off of you, make you tell the truth. Tear the petals off of you.” This evokes imagery of taking someone’s livelihood, reducing them to nothing. In chapter 20 of the Handmaid’s Tale there is a line Offred uses when describing Janine in labor- “Inflated but reduced, shorn of her former name.” (pg 117) Janine, a shroud of a human, someone who (at this moment in the story) has supposedly won the social game of Gilead, who has completed her mission and fulfilled her purpose. In verse two of the song, there’s another line that says, “They will make you so, so cynical. The fire burns the flesh, destroys the best in me that’s old.” I felt like this part had a vivid connection to the way Offred talks about losing her memories of the “before” world, and how she seems to float in between worlds. She doubts herself, and others and it is clear to the reader, who is not shrouded in the fog of Gilead to see that everyone living in it has been brainwashed to accept without question.

Call the Doctor (Sleater-Kinney): https://youtu.be/m3cWY4fliPM?si=O90njTHB_00fx2pW

Call the Doctor has many lines that I feel parallel Offred’s thoughts of Gilead- for example, in the first verse “They want to simplify your needs and wants to sterilize you” This line made me think of how Gilead erodes the handmaids to all be the same, with no individuality so it’s easier to not think of them as people. Another line from the song is “This is love, and you can’t make it” This line connects to Gilead because I feel like a major theme of the book is discussing what “real” love is and what forms it can take. You can’t force love, nor can you suppress it- as is obvious in some of Offred’s more provocative inner thoughts, distance does make the heart grow fonder. This song is also special because, like many Sleater-Kinney songs, the choruses have two voices who are singing/chanting two different messages at the same time. This creates an effect that I think is similar to how I feel reading Offred’s inner thoughts when compared to the things she says out loud.

Shimmer Like a Girl (Veruca Salt): https://youtu.be/EKEYB-y-2_Y?si=ieRc-Fz2RM5FJOv8

The main choruses of this song have the repeating part “Shimmer, sparkle, glitter shimmer while you can.” These lines made me think of how handmaids are viewed in Gilead. They have three chances to get pregnant before they are cast aside and banished from society. The lives of handmaids in Gilead are dictated by their physical abilities. If they are not able to have children, they are no longer relevant. Shimmer like a woman while you are still young, fertile, pretty, desirable. Useful to the continuation of society.

Dramamine (Modest Mouse): https://youtu.be/dXBEuQwy5NU?si=wZCMXjgbhZ6zMI4w

One of my favorite lines of Dramamine is, “We kiss on the mouth but still cough down our sleeves.” I think this line has a really good connection to how Offred discusses many of her relationships with men throughout the book. This could describe her complex relationship with the commander, who makes her kiss him goodnight after each of their secret meetings and wishes she was genuine, or her relationship with Luke in the before times when she expressed concern about her locked band account and job and he didn’t seem to mind her being more or less his property. She says, of that time, that she hadn’t wanted to be intimate with him that night and wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly why. I think this line describes a lot of the performativeness of Gilead, but also of society before. The entire first verse of Dramamine -“Traveling, swallowing, Dramamine Feeling spaced breathing out Listerine I’d said what I’d said that I’d tell you And that you’d killed the better part of me”- makes me think of Moira, especially in the part of chapter 38 where Offred is disappointed by the fact that Moira seems to have accepted her role in this society. Offred says, “She is frightening me now. Because what I hear in her voice is indifference, a lack of volition. Have they really done it to her then, taken away something- what?- that used to be so central to her?” Offred is okay with knowing that, between the two of them she is the one to give up and take her place but the fact that Moira, a character so full of spunk and determination, has been worn down, defeated by the system, is discouraging to her. Finally, at the end of the song, there are these noises that feel like a record-scratch type of breaking out of the rhythm of the song. This reminds me of Offred’s little rebellions in Gilead, her ways of breaking herself out of the droning never-ending loop of the Gilead society.

Song about an Angel (Sunny Day Real Estate): https://youtu.be/ETtXtl-VXcY?si=7zK-RZK7I1dyYLwb

Song about an angel by Sunny Day Real Estate uses a ton of biblical imagery, particularly the image of angels. Similarly, Offred uses a lot of references to angels in the thoughtshots when she thinks about her daughter. The first verse of the song goes, “So I say, still awake Sleep, close my eyes An image of your face Traced in white sand” And I feel that this entire paragraph actually parallels the multiple parts of the book where Offred lays in her room and lets memories of her daughter consume her. The entire song feels like it’s waiting for someone, just as Offred waits for her daughter, Luke, Moira or someone else to come break her out or at least remind her that there’s still other things out there, beyond Gilead.

I HAVE NOTHING- WHITNEY HOUSTON

The first song I chose is “I Have Nothing” By the late Whitney Houston. My reasoning behind why I chose this song is that she deeply expresses her yearning for love and intimacy. The song is all about wanting love and not wanting to lose it. This is a huge part of Offred’s emotional battle. Whitney sings, “I won’t hold it back again, this passion inside, Can’t run from myself, there’s nowhere to hide.” This line reminds me of how Offred feels trapped not only physically, but also emotionally. In a world where love is seen as dangerous and forbidden, she wishes for love and care but knows she is unable to get it. She has nowhere to go due to the fact that her being locked down in Gilead, so she has no distractions to help her run from her emotional distress. So just like in “I Have Nothing,” Offred has her emotions torn between fear and longing. She desires love and intimacy, but she knows how much it hurts to lose it. Whitney Houston truly captures that feeling.

FREEDOM-KENDRICK LAMAR & BEYONCE

This song has a deep connection with the book’s big themes of oppression and the battle for control over justice. “Freedom” is all about fighting back against a controlled society and not letting the chains of oppression break you. In the song, Beyoncé sings, “I’ma keep running, because a winner doesn’t quit on themselves.” Which really reminds me of Offred’s quiet, yet strong determination to survive Gilead, even why it tries to take everything away from her, including the future she desires. In a world where women have no rights or independence, she still holds on to her memories, her emotions, and her sense of self. Even though she can’t openly rebel, her small acts are still impactful. Like secretly meeting with Nick and taking control of her memories from her past life, shows that her spirit has not been crushed. “Freedom” captures that energy of a brave spirit. Both the song and the book demonstrate that even in the most oppressed environments, people still find ways to resist, hope, and liberate.

ELASTIC HEART-SIA

Sia’s song “Elastic Heart” connects incredibly well to the book and the life Offred lives in Gilead. She sings about surviving brutal emotional pain and refusing to break. Even after being torn apart, it is still standing tall and willing to break through. In the song, she sings, “I’ve got thick skin and an elastic heart,” which fits Offred’s silent strength. Even though the wrath of Gilead takes away her name, freedom, and her sense of identity, she still hopes to persevere and does so by taking the first steps to hold onto herself inside. The phrase “Elastic Heart” represents having a strong heart and being unbreakable. It’s also what keeps Offred going; she refuses to snap under the pressure of Gilead, and the leaders like the Commanders or the Aunts who have physical and mental control over her. Sia singing, “You did not break me,” is a representation of what Offred would say in response to the system that tried to break and erase her. In all, this song embodies Offred’s spirit to survive and fight to come back.

THE NIGHT WE MET- JAMES HURON

I chose this song because James Huron sings it in a very detailed way that paints a great picture for me. The deep meaning of the song is based on looking back on the past and feeling the pain of losing something you can’t get back. When Huron sings, “I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you,” it reminds me of Offred’s feelings with her daughter and Luke. The man she dreamed of being her husband and having a family with. But those memories also haunt her, knowing that Gilead took away all of her possibilities of a good future. Offred uses these memories the same way James uses these lyrics. Holding onto love, identity, and meaning in a world attempting to erase them.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE- SIMON & GARFUNKEL

“The Sound Of Silence” captures the kind of fear that lives in Gilead. Which is a quiet and controlled terror where the women and even men are scared to speak the truth. The lyrics, “People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening”, describe how Offred and the other citizens live in constant fear. Silence becomes a necessary device for them to survive. Like Offred, the song represents being in a place surrounded by fear. The song also sings, “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made”, which connects how Gilead uses religion to demonstrate it as a weapon to control people, taking advantage of their obedience to the religion they present. But Offred’s silence isn’t a reflection of weakness. It’s forced by the system. Like the song represents, showing how fear can be spread through a society until everybody knows how to hide their voice.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V0d5EaTOo7ScPWpyz0y4SCGK_8DmznNYA9RaEkSjokk/edit?usp=sharing