“He
has a French face, lean, whimsical, all planes and angles, with creases around
the mouth where he smiles. Atwood,
Margaret (1986-02-17). The Handmaid's Tale (p. 18).
This quote shows direct characterization of Nick. The narrator seems to be attracted to him at this point. She seems Nick as whimsical, a playful looking person.
"Blessed be the fruit," she says to me, the accepted greeting among us. "May the Lord open," I answer, the accepted response.” (p. 19)
This quote shows the diction of the characters of Gilead. They are forced to have a language with certain, unnatural responses. The controlling nature of daily lives that the republic forced upon people is exhibited.
" She made us memorize it. She also said, Not all of you will make it through. Some of you will fall on dry ground or thorns. Some of you are shallow-rooted. “ (p. 18)
Here, I think Aunt Lydia represents the mentor archetype. She is instructing Offred on being a handmaid. Aunt Lydia is telling people whether or not they will succeed at being a handmaid, so since she is advising people on the rules and regulations, she can be considered a mentor.
" Doing their job, said Cora . Keeping us safe. Nothing safer than dead, said Rita, angrily. She was minding her own business. No call to shoot her. It was an accident, said Cora. No such thing, said Rita. Everything is meant.” (pp. 20-21).
This text shows the characterization of Cora and Rita. While Cora is more trusting of the republic, Rita challenges its superiority.
I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew: Don't open your door to a stranger, even if he says he is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don't stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble . Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone whistles, don't turn to look. Don't go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night.” (p. 24).
Then I think: I used to dress like that. That was freedom. Westernized, they used to call it.” (p. 28).
Dishtowels are the same as they always were. Sometimes these flashes of normality come at me from the side, like ambushes. (p. 48).
There were postcards, too, with pictures of the hotel on them, and you could write on the postcards and send them to anyone you wanted. It seems like such an impossible thing, now; like something you'd make up. (p. 51).
All of these quotes exhibit the flashbacks that Offred experiences. She desperately tires to cling onto the past and remember memories, however, slowly they are fading away. Gilead has tried to destroy these memories by suppressing every human right that a person has.
It's not the husbands you have to watch out for, said Aunt Lydia, it's the Wives. You should always try to imagine what they must be feeling. Of course they will resent you. It is only natural. Try to feel for them. Aunt Lydia thought she was very good at feeling for other people. Try to pity them. Forgive them, for they know not what they do. (p. 46).
In this quote, there is an allusion to the bible in the last line: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It could be possible that Aunt Lydia could be seen as Jesus preaching to disciples. I am not exactly sure how the bible could tie in with the novel, but I will reflect upon it in task c after reading more of the book.
“Possibly she'll put a hand on my shoulder, to steady herself, as if I'm a piece of furniture. She's done it before.” (p.79)
This quote is a smile because Offred is comparing herself using “as” to a piece of furniture. This shows how Serena Joy characterizes herself as better than the handmaid’s. She is trying to “one up” Offred because Offred gets something that Serena doesn’t receive from the Commander.
“It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion. She told the same story last week. She seemed almost proud of it, while she was telling. It may not even be true. At Testifying , it's safer to make things up than to say you have nothing to reveal. But since it's Janine , it's probably more or less true. But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.” (pp. 71-72).
This quote exhibits repetition. The handmaids chant in unison harsh words that blame Janine for being raped. They yell that it’s “her fault, her fault, her fault,” and that she was raped because she needed to be “taught a lesson, taught a lesson, taught a lesson.” Here, Gilead is forcing the women to be apathetic and blame women for what is out of their control because men are always in the right.
“Cora brings my supper, covered, on a tray. She knocks at the door before entering. I like her for that. It means she thinks I have some of what we used to call privacy left. (p. 65).
This quote characterizes Cora. She respects privacy and could be considered a traditionalist. She is trying to keep some form of the old way of life by knocking and at least letting others know she has the ability to care.
“Each month I watch for blood , fearfully , for when it comes it means failure. I have failed once again to fulfill the expectations of others, which have become my own.” (p. 73).
This quote exhibits how blood can symbolize fear and violence towards women. Handmaids, specifically, fear for their lives to see blood. It means they didn’t succeed in reproduction. Without getting impregnated, the handmaids’s lives are literally in danger. They are useless to society if they cant make babies.
“After that he looks like a midwestern bank president, with his straight neatly brushed silver hair, his sober posture, shoulders a little stooped. And after that there is his mustache, silver also, and after that his chin, which really you can't miss. When you get down as far as the chin he looks like a vodka ad, in a glossy magazine, of times gone by. His manner is mild, his hands large, with thick fingers and acquisitive thumbs, his blue eyes uncommunicative, falsely innocuous.” (p.86)
This quote characterizes the Commander. Here, he is portrayed as a gentle man. He comes off as relaxed, with “stooped shoulders.” His eyes are harmless and his hands are large, which makes me think they are safe. Offred describes him mildly here, so this shows that she is slowly warming up to him.
This quote shows direct characterization of Nick. The narrator seems to be attracted to him at this point. She seems Nick as whimsical, a playful looking person.
"Blessed be the fruit," she says to me, the accepted greeting among us. "May the Lord open," I answer, the accepted response.” (p. 19)
This quote shows the diction of the characters of Gilead. They are forced to have a language with certain, unnatural responses. The controlling nature of daily lives that the republic forced upon people is exhibited.
" She made us memorize it. She also said, Not all of you will make it through. Some of you will fall on dry ground or thorns. Some of you are shallow-rooted. “ (p. 18)
Here, I think Aunt Lydia represents the mentor archetype. She is instructing Offred on being a handmaid. Aunt Lydia is telling people whether or not they will succeed at being a handmaid, so since she is advising people on the rules and regulations, she can be considered a mentor.
" Doing their job, said Cora . Keeping us safe. Nothing safer than dead, said Rita, angrily. She was minding her own business. No call to shoot her. It was an accident, said Cora. No such thing, said Rita. Everything is meant.” (pp. 20-21).
This text shows the characterization of Cora and Rita. While Cora is more trusting of the republic, Rita challenges its superiority.
I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew: Don't open your door to a stranger, even if he says he is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don't stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble . Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone whistles, don't turn to look. Don't go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night.” (p. 24).
Then I think: I used to dress like that. That was freedom. Westernized, they used to call it.” (p. 28).
Dishtowels are the same as they always were. Sometimes these flashes of normality come at me from the side, like ambushes. (p. 48).
There were postcards, too, with pictures of the hotel on them, and you could write on the postcards and send them to anyone you wanted. It seems like such an impossible thing, now; like something you'd make up. (p. 51).
All of these quotes exhibit the flashbacks that Offred experiences. She desperately tires to cling onto the past and remember memories, however, slowly they are fading away. Gilead has tried to destroy these memories by suppressing every human right that a person has.
It's not the husbands you have to watch out for, said Aunt Lydia, it's the Wives. You should always try to imagine what they must be feeling. Of course they will resent you. It is only natural. Try to feel for them. Aunt Lydia thought she was very good at feeling for other people. Try to pity them. Forgive them, for they know not what they do. (p. 46).
In this quote, there is an allusion to the bible in the last line: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It could be possible that Aunt Lydia could be seen as Jesus preaching to disciples. I am not exactly sure how the bible could tie in with the novel, but I will reflect upon it in task c after reading more of the book.
“Possibly she'll put a hand on my shoulder, to steady herself, as if I'm a piece of furniture. She's done it before.” (p.79)
This quote is a smile because Offred is comparing herself using “as” to a piece of furniture. This shows how Serena Joy characterizes herself as better than the handmaid’s. She is trying to “one up” Offred because Offred gets something that Serena doesn’t receive from the Commander.
“It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion. She told the same story last week. She seemed almost proud of it, while she was telling. It may not even be true. At Testifying , it's safer to make things up than to say you have nothing to reveal. But since it's Janine , it's probably more or less true. But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.” (pp. 71-72).
This quote exhibits repetition. The handmaids chant in unison harsh words that blame Janine for being raped. They yell that it’s “her fault, her fault, her fault,” and that she was raped because she needed to be “taught a lesson, taught a lesson, taught a lesson.” Here, Gilead is forcing the women to be apathetic and blame women for what is out of their control because men are always in the right.
“Cora brings my supper, covered, on a tray. She knocks at the door before entering. I like her for that. It means she thinks I have some of what we used to call privacy left. (p. 65).
This quote characterizes Cora. She respects privacy and could be considered a traditionalist. She is trying to keep some form of the old way of life by knocking and at least letting others know she has the ability to care.
“Each month I watch for blood , fearfully , for when it comes it means failure. I have failed once again to fulfill the expectations of others, which have become my own.” (p. 73).
This quote exhibits how blood can symbolize fear and violence towards women. Handmaids, specifically, fear for their lives to see blood. It means they didn’t succeed in reproduction. Without getting impregnated, the handmaids’s lives are literally in danger. They are useless to society if they cant make babies.
“After that he looks like a midwestern bank president, with his straight neatly brushed silver hair, his sober posture, shoulders a little stooped. And after that there is his mustache, silver also, and after that his chin, which really you can't miss. When you get down as far as the chin he looks like a vodka ad, in a glossy magazine, of times gone by. His manner is mild, his hands large, with thick fingers and acquisitive thumbs, his blue eyes uncommunicative, falsely innocuous.” (p.86)
This quote characterizes the Commander. Here, he is portrayed as a gentle man. He comes off as relaxed, with “stooped shoulders.” His eyes are harmless and his hands are large, which makes me think they are safe. Offred describes him mildly here, so this shows that she is slowly warming up to him.