The End

Kyle Petras

5/15/16

Blog #5

Gubanich

The End

      Reading the final chapters of Margret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, was an interesting end. I expected it a bit, but who cares, it was an interesting book. For this week’s blog, I have been tasked to unpack a quote. In this setting, Offred and all the other handmaids have been summoned to a meeting beyond the wall. When they get there, everything is set up as if a graduation was taking place. Aunt Lydia is set to speak and talks about three women who have been committed of crimes. In the past, they have told them what crimes they have done, but this time, they have chosen not to.

      After hearing what Aunt Lydia says, Offred says in the text, "The crimes of others are a secret language among us. Through them we show ourselves what we might be capable of, after all"(275 Atwood). Offred is saying that the crimes other people commit are a complete mystery to us, but the government knows everything. Knowing this makes us want to commit a crime.

      This quote also foreshadows the fate of Offred. In the end, the Eyes catch Offred. When going for a walk with “Ofglen”, Offred realizes that it is not she. Everything is the same, but it is a different woman. Offred attempts to use “Mayday” to see if it is actually Ofglen, but the only response that she get is “You ought to make an effort…to clear your mind of such…echoes”(284 Atwood). This is a definite sign that it is not Ofglen. If it was, she would have never of said that. This frightens Offred that she might have just been caught. In the end, she is captured and taken away. This also foreshadows the death of the real Ofglen. “After the salvaging” she said, “She saw the vans coming for her”, so, “She hung herself”(285 Atwood).

      To end this blog, I realized that this quote really had a lot to it. I really didn’t think it had that much meat to it. When a crime is committed in Gilead, no one is informed about it. It is a secret to the rest of society. This can easily be seen when Ofglen was replaced. The thing to take from this quote is that people always end up getting caught. It’s a trigger for us to follow after them out of human nature.

Creating Gilead

Kyle Petras

5/9/16

Gubanich

Blog #4

Creating Gilead

      While Offred and the Commander are sitting down for one of their evening mingles, The commander explains how Gilead came to be. He tells Offred that "The problem wasn't only with the women... The main problem was with the men. There was nothing for them anymore"(210 Atwood). At this point, man was nothing. Since women could do anything and everything man could do, what was the point. There was no more higher status for men.
     

      As man began to become more and more equal, sex did as well. Sex had become so easily accessible that it wasn’t “that good” anymore. Knowing this, men felt useless. They didn’t want any relationships or even marriage. They wanted a role, and that is where Gilead comes in. The whole point of Gilead was to create a society where men gained back the power they once had. In the process, people ended up losing privileges, men and women, such as having no recreational freedom.
      

      In the article we read called Teaching Men to be Emotionally Honest, by Andrew Reiner, he explains how men don’t show emotion due to how society views men. We should be seen as tough and never to cry, but in studies, it shows that male toddler cry more that female toddlers. Men teach their sons to “be manly” and to “take it like a man”. Andrew says in his articles that people say that it’s “Better to earn your man card than to succeed like a girl”(3 Reiner). This is said because there is such a stereotype for guys to be tough. This is why the Commander thinks that men didn’t have a purpose. If maybe they didn’t have the stereotype to be seen as the dominant person or the man of the house, things might have turned out differently.

Power

Kyle Petras

5/3/16

Blog

Gubanich

      In the Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Attwood, Things have begun to go a bit astray. Offred, our main character, has new arrangements with the Commander. These arrangements include Offred visiting the Commander in his office. Since this is forbidden and very trick to do, Offred needs to do it at specific times. The whole point of this blog is to discuss who has the power. Since this is such a forbidden act, Offred and the Commander need to be very stealthy about their meetings.

      When Offred and the Commander meet for the first time, Offred begins to worry if she has done something or if she is going to be sent somewhere. In this instance, The Commander has the scepter or the power in this situation. He has complete control to do anything he wants. If Offred denies meeting with him, he can send her away, and it is illegal if there is any interaction between the two. When she arrives, she is asked to play a game of scrabble. Doing this recreational thing is illegal as well.

      When the two meet again, the power has shifted a bit. The commander reveals something and the reason why he is having her meet with him. With his wife, he is lonely. The only reason he is having her come into his office is to be more recreational. At this time, I feel the power has shifted more towards Offred because now, she can say that the Commander is doing these things. During these meetings, she asks for things in return. An example for this is lotion and an old magazine. This only occurs after she feels they have a better relationship. She doesn’t take anything with her because she fears that someone might find it.

      As the meetings progress, Offred begins to get more and more comfortable with the Commander. In the beginning, the commander had most of the power; he could have done anything, or could have been testing her. Now that time has gone past and this arrangement is more for the Commander’s enjoyment, Offred has gained more power.