Last blog... yes! This passage I found interesting, right at the end of Chapter 7. (Page 40)
"A story is like a letter. Dear You, I'll say. Just you, without a name. Attaching a name attaches you to the world of fact, which is riskier, more hazardous: who knows what the chances are out there, of survival, yours? I will say you, you, like an old love song. You can mean more than one.
You can mean thousands.
I'm not in any immediate danger, I'll say to you.
I'll pretend you can hear me.
But it's no good, because I know you can't."
This passage stuck out in my mind because it really is Offred’s complete and utter cry for help. She knows what hell is like, she's basically living in it, and only through her "story" does she try to explain what is going on. Offred can't escape Gilead, either she doesn't know how, or she is too afraid to make the first move, but that doesn't mean she enjoys living there. This passage is really a plea with someone, anyone, who will try to help her out of the society she is living in. It truly is sad because she has hopes of someone reading her "letter," and feeling her pain and suffering, however she knows this is to no avail. It has become lost amongst a group of people who are just as timid as she. She knows there is no one out there to feel her pain, and to hear her cries, and this is an element that allows the reader to have such great empathy with Offred. Knowing that we are, in fact reading the letter, and yet, we cannot do a thing.
What I also found interesting was her use of 'you.' The sentence, "Attaching a name attaches you to the world of fact, which is riskier, more hazardous: who knows what the chances are out there, of survival, yours?" I think this is not only a statement concerning possible readers but also a statement regarding her personal identity. Offred is not given a name specific to her. Offred, Of-Fred. Her name is only reflective of the man she is commanded by. With a new commander, her name will change. This removes the sense of identity from Gilead and adds to the suffering of the handmaids. Not only have they been violated physically by the Ceremony, but they have also been stripped of their rights to hold a name. Offred fears attaching a name to her letter. To her, attaching a name to herself may be the "riskier, more hazardous" aspect. If she allowed herself to regain her identity, would she be able to survive another day in Gilead?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Last Blog, Handmaid's Tale Quote
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2 comments:
I agreed a lot with what you had to say in this post. It's good that you pointed out Offred's cry for help, because she's desperate, despite the fact that she points out how she's not in any real immediate danger. The fear of not knowing whats to come or what can be done to escape is just as terryfying as fear of anything else, which you did a good job of pointing out in your post.
Congratulations on finishing. :) I enjoyed your post because it did put Offred in a new light for me. I've always seen her character as strong and somewhat complacent but it is clear that her story is, as you said, a cry for help... a desperate scream to anyone who still cares to help her escape from, as you said, "her living hell."
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