The handmaid’s tale: chapter 2 commentary

This passage from `The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Attwood uses stream of consciousness as a narrative technique to portray the thoughts of the main character, Offred, is going through. Attwood does this very realistically; in the sense that she writes in the way a human mind works, by describing the setting of the room. Thus the setting of the room is vital as it is through the setting that the themes are explored. The main theme of freedom in the passage is shown through the objects described in her room. The style of writing is structured in a way which reflects the minor details of the human mind ith the lack of movement in passage to put emphasize on how Offred refuse to let her mine wonder from the things that are around her, in her room. The tone of the passage changes, first it is more uncertain and unsure but later changes to a more certain tone, this shown through the diction used. Attwood structures her narrative technique in such a way that it creates a uniform setting and creates a sense of everything being controlled or repressed. The sense of freedom that Atwood restricts from Offred in the passage is shown through the description of the room. The narrator focuses on hat she `can' do rather then what she can not do. â€Å"I can sit in the chair† This is ironic because although she is focusing on what she is able to do, yet she is reinforcing how limited the things she can do are. â€Å"Air can come in and make the curtains move† The sense of freedom is shown through the movement of the curtains and the flow of the air; these objects have a sense of movement whereas her thoughts don't because she can not escape through the â€Å"partly open window†. Attwood uses the repetition of window to emphasize how Offred can see beyond the window but can not do anything about it. This depicts the vindication shown in the passage as the slightly open window can be seen as Serena joy taking pleasure in watching the handmaid's suffer, as they are not able to attain freedom but just have the slightest taste of it. Offred can not escape but she can feel the wind slightly touching her. Attwood portrays Offred's thoughts in contrast next to each other to reinforce the lack of freedom. â€Å"Where I am is not a prison but a privilege, as Aunt Lydia said†¦ † This depicts that she feels she is in a prison because of her lack of freedom but then Attwood abruptly nds saying that Aunt Lydia says this, and doesn't allow Offred to think about it much further. Offred is presenting her room to sound like a prison but then quickly says that Aunt Lydia told her to see it as a privilege. This shows how Aunt Lydia feels this not her, because of the authorization given to Aunt Lydia. This use of juxtaposition reemphasizes how her room is actually more a prison then a privilege. Offred is portrayed as only a spectator who can see through the window; this also shows her position in the society of Gilead as she is limited to what she is aware of and she can only reconstruct what he knows. The lack of freedom is hinted throughout the passage â€Å"I know why there is no glass†¦. Why the window opens only partly and why the glass is shatterproof† This implies she is aware of why her freedom is being restricted and reinforces that everything in her room is controlled and unified. The role of the main character, as a handmaid and women and how they can't have there own thoughts are also depicted through the passage. One of the main elements, the floor is being described as â€Å"highly polished† The wood is something that is natural in the room, but it has too been polished. This indicates that everything that is natural is changed in the society she lives in, emphasizing how women are also changed and treated like objects. This is reinforced in † waste not want not† this has certain subdued hint of cynicism in it, as it should be used to describe an object but it reflects who she is and how she is detached as she is treated like an object or a property of someone. â€Å"Why do I want† Implying that she doesn't want to be treated like the `polished' object she is being treated as. â€Å"Sunlight comes through the window too, and falls on the floor† This is the whole oncept of something welcoming entering through the window, yet it doesn't fall on her but on the floor. Attwood is trying to portray how everything just bypasses Offred and ignores her, which symbolizes how everyone ignores or bypasses Offred. The role of Offred is also hinted throughout the passage. Attwood uses the repetition of â€Å"white† to do this. White symbolizes something which is pure, which can also mean being virgin, which shows how the women role in the book has a sexual aspect to it. This is further revealed when the `bed' is described as a place where â€Å"nothing takes lace in the bed but sleep; or no sleep† This seems like pun; with a play on word bring in a hint of sarcasm highlighting the change of tone in the passage. This then highlights the theme of the lack of freedom within the society and emphasizes her role is related to sexual activity. The idea of â€Å"think of it as being in army† again puts emphasizes on her role, of doing something as a service and being forced in to doing it. Attwood perceives the role as something that has been â€Å"in reduced circumstances†, implying that there was something before this time and it was better. Attwood deals with the concept of â€Å"thoughts being rationed† and the desperation of the main character not to think throughout the passage. The narrative technique of juxtaposition is used in a sense, as Attwood allows her to think so much and then restricts her from going beyond the setting of the room. This desperation of not wanting to think is shown through the use of short sentences, which helps not getting involved and stops the thinking process. The language used is very powerful but precise making the tone sound bored but yet it is more detached. Thinking can hurt you chances, and intend to survive. † The idea of the whole passage is shown, as Attwood tries to focus on the small objects in the setting rather then letting Offred thoughts wander away because she knows that everything must be controlled in the society. The theme of repression and everything being controlled, is also shown in the passage through the uniformity â€Å"does each of us have the same print, the same chair, the same white curtains,† this suggests that everything is meant to be the same. The author depicts how the theme is shown in the portrayal of the room. Things in the room have to be controlled as â€Å"thought must be rationed† thus highlighting the society at the time and its ideals. â€Å"there is no glass, in front the water-colour picture of blue irises, and why the window opens only partly and why the glass is shatterproof† The change in the mood is clearly shown here, as the passage starts with a more detached, uncertain tone of what she can do or rather not do which leads to the hint of sarcasm and the tone of being more confident and certain about something. The repression is also stressed through the use of the haracter, Aunt Lydia who has an authoritative voice and tries to control the thoughts. â€Å"Think of it as being in a army† and â€Å"where I am is not a person but a privilege, as Aunt Lydia said,† Attwood first uses the imperative tense to show the power and control that the Aunt has, she also makes what Aunt Lydia says seem like a chant and by using the comma to separate what is said with Aunt Lydia she emphasizes this is what â€Å"Aunt Lydia said† and not what she thinks. The passage from `The handmaid's tale' by Margaret Attwood focuses on the setting of the room which is shown as a symbol of her capture. The theme of turning something bad into something good is explored all throughout the passage. This is shown through juxtaposition, â€Å"braided rags† Attwood portrays turning rags into something beautiful which is what she is trying to create throughout the passage by restricting the thoughts of Offred, so that her thoughts don't wander away. The beginning of the passage shows a more uncertain tone, where the thoughts are more restricted but towards the end of the passage the tone is changed to a more cynical tone which implies more of her thoughts.