The Handmainds Tale 4

The Handmaids Tale 4

There is a scene in chapter 15 where Offred remembers her friend confessing to everyone that she was gang raped at the age of fourteen, and the aunts and all of the Handmaids tell her it was her fault for leading them on. Because of the feminist movement that caused the collapse of the United States of America, every part of the societies religion directly contrast feminist views. Feminist fight against blaming the victim and they believe that leading someone on never justifies rape. And because the society blames feminists for America’s demise they are against everything they stand for even if it’s right. It is really interesting that they use a group called the Aunts to preach all these things to the other women. They are using women to suppress other women. Putting them against each other and they Aunts don’t complain because it gives them at least some power in a world where they have none.

The Society of Gilead’s goal is to restore a pre feminist world because they think it will solve everything. They keep mentioning that the society is at war but they aren’t very detailed about it. It just lets us know that the society does not control everything. There is freedom somewhere. None of the ideology of the society is new; it’s all taken from the past. Its pretty much all the bad beliefs of America from the past put together because one group, which started out good, got out of hand.

Not all the story is bad though, at the beginning of the book Offred mentions the car driver who is a young man named Nick. They have a little moment then but it only confuses Offred. Later in chapter 17 they kiss and he reminds her of Luke her husband. Nick doesn’t want her for the same reasons the Commander does. She thinks about Luke again later and how no one can die from lack of sex, they die from lack of love. Even though she kissed nick she feels like there is no one left for her to love because Luke and her Daughter are gone. I’m so confused though because it seems like she likes him, why can’t she love him to? Luke might be gone forever. If people die from lack of love then this is her chance that is if she ever escaped.

I also just figured out why all the women’s names are so weird. Their real names are taken away and they are called of whatever the name of their master is Ofwarren is a handmaid who belongs to warren, Offred is a handmaid who belongs to Fred, which I’m guessing, is the first name of the Commander. I also realized that Offred chose to be a Handmaid, she wasn’t forced into it. I guess she did it because her daughter and husband were taken away from her and it was a better life then being sent to the colonies or a being a poor mans wife.  The women that cant get pregnant are called unwoman, the babies that are deformed are called unbabies. They consider them not only unworthy but also inhuman. They don’t fit the mold of the society so they are alienated. This is scary similar to Hitler’s views about the Arian race of perfect humans, Jews and disabled people where not considered unworthy to live so they were disposed of. The unwoman and the unbabies are essentially the same thing here in the Gilead society. They dehumanize them and use it as an excuse to kill them just like Hitler did.

Then there is the video about the rallies against pornography and how they make women objects and willing victims. The feminists believe that domestic sexual violence comes from the patriarchal oppression. Aunt Lydia and Gilead agree with them to an extant, but unlike the feminist, they think a patriarchal society can effectively protect women from violence. They seem to have a valid point: in Gilead, women are not judged by their bodies, they don’t have to strive to look a certain way so that someone will want them and they aren’t attacked on the street. But this safety comes at a price. They may not be raped by strangers in Gilead, but they must submit to state-sanctioned rape by the Commanders. Sexual love and romantic love do not exist for them. And the price of this safety is the total forfeit of control over their bodies.

I’m really glad that Offred starts seeing Nick because it gives some more meaning to her existence. She stops feeling comfortable in her state of existence in the Commanders house and her little rebellions are good for her.  The hanging in Harvard yard was kind of weird and extremist but it makes sense for the end because of the secret rebellion. It was actually sad when I found out the Ofglen her friend killed herself because she got caught. If that’s your only way out then the world really isn’t even a remotely good place. The end is sort of confusing and it doesn’t really resolve anything. She gets arrested and put into a van, which to me seems bad because Handmaids who disobey are usually hung. But Offred sees it as a possible new beginning because what else can she do.