Month: November 2021

Functions of the historical notes:

• Provide a space where a lot of information about Gilead cannot be given in the course of the narrative. Offred is only a handmaid, therefore there are some things in Gilead which she doesn’t know about because she isn’t in a position to know.
• Makes it clear that Gilead eventually ended, as the scene in the historical notes shows that Gilead has already melted into the past.
• This historical conference showed us that all the casual sexism, misogyny, attitudes towards women, and the sexualization of women, which all gave rise to Gildead are still present in this future society.

What may be problematic from this section:

• “Partial transcript,” could be coming from a defined perspective that must be brought to attention.
• From the University of Denay, Nunavit = Deny none of it
• Problems of authentication, why would there be any dought over its authenticity?
• Two men seem to be in charge of Offred’s narrative.
• Sexism still common in this post-Gileadean society
• “Tail” refers to a woman’s bottom

Additional information:

• This conference is taking place in Canada, and Canada is very involved in this section of the text because it failed tyring to prevent Gilead.

 

It is clearly shown that the distribution of power in Gilead is incredibly unbalanced, especially between males and females. Females are given specific roles, without having the freedom of any choice, and each woman must follow the strict guidelines that are created for them every day. The power in Gilead is distributed by the people who run the state, who are kept unknown, as they control the rules of the state, and even control language. An example we can see is the ban of books, magazines, and the use of picture signs in shops to regulate language in Gilead. We can also see the irony in the names of the men’s roles as they are named after saviors, for example, Guardian and Angel. However, it is ironic in the sense that males are actually the oppressors and are controlling what happens in Gilead. Men have more power over women in this society, as women’s rights and freedoms are much more controlled and restricted. We can also see how Handmaids try to look at the guards and get them to look back at them, as they feel if they get the guards to look at them, it is a transfer of power in some sense. Surveillance is also a key theme in this novel, as Offred describes that rules must always be followed because you don’t know who can or cannot be trusted. There are ‘Eyes’ everywhere which refers to the secret service in Gilead, where they try to find people who break the law and will punish them. This is why people such as Offred will follow the rules and not interact with people she isn’t supposed to and will only gaze where she is allowed to.