Month: October 2020

What is the symbolic power of naming as described in The Handmaid’s Tale? Link to your wider reading about the politics of naming (250 – 300 words)

Names are the very first, the main ways we identify each other’s identity. Within The Handmaid’s Tale, the narrator’s name, like many others, is taken away from her. This is due to the fact that Atwood really wants to emphasise how the narrator has been subjugated to the will of the dominant male forces in society. Although her real name is, in fact, June, we rarely associate her to this identity and instead know her as Offred – only her association to Fred. The prefix “of” indicates which commander they belong to. When they change commander, they change name and, for example, when Ofglen is replaced, another Ofglen appears in her place. The body of the individual is of no consequence, it’s the relationship to the commander that’s important.

The handmaids understand how important their names are to their identity. The opening chapter of the book concludes with them whispering their names in the dark – a time when they reveal more personal information and become more in tune with themselves – so at least someone will always now who they are.

Through my wider reading, I have understood how over time, “since the 9th century” there has been a longstanding tradition of women accepting the last names of men when they get married. There are many connections to something so normal and something so extreme as the situation in “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Given that it has been a tradition for such a long period of time, women are subjected to not only societal pressure, practical and professional costs, as well as psychological costs of losing individual identity. Many of these issues, on a more extreme basis, do connect to the nature and symbolic power of naming within “The Handmaid’s Tale”.

What is the most effective way that Atwood creates a repressive atmosphere in these chapters?

Chapters 1-6 provide a very important foundation to the book. Within the chapters, Atwood utilises an array of techniques in order to convey this repressive atmosphere. There are numerous flashbacks which give crucail context  that is needed for better understanding throughout the rest of the book. It would be difficult to understand the book without these necessary components. Stemming from this context is the repressive atmosphere that is crafted through the rules and regulations within Gilead made to opress women.

One way Atwood conveys the repressive atmosphere when Offred recalls aunt lydia telling her to “think of it as being in the army”. This allusion is used to suggest a correlation between the army and the Gilead. It draws parallels to being of service to a country with that of being of service to a man. There are also hints in the way that things are done earlier on in chapter one when Atwoods description of life there draws close ties to life in prison. The idea that everything must be neat, you are trapped etc. Furthermore, there is a common awareness that many of the woman can sense what life was like before but understand that they cannot express their feelings about such a time.

Another way Atwood does this is when certain coments are made in Offred’s head and the audience gets an insight into what she is thinking. For example, when Offred says “I never looked good in red its not my colour” this suggests how Atwood is clearly depicting the lack of expression experienced in Gilead. Such a comment is a very common thing to hear from a woman, perhaps making us think how these two scenarios juxtapose each other. It is clear that wether or not the handmaids like the colour, they simply do not have a choice and must do what they are given in the society, further amplifying the degree of the repressive nature in Gilead.

Both these techniques are two small examples of Atwood making deliberate choices to prompt the readers to understand the repressive atmosphere of Gilead. Whilst only two techniques have been mentioned, every line and sentence in the story contributes to the overarching theme and motif of repression of women in “The Handmaid’s Tale”.