Offred’s
Language
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Comparison
Imagery
Symbolism
Why does Offred spend so much time
thinking about language?
Comparison is largely used in The Handmaid’s Tale to contrast Offred’s life in
Gilead, and her previous life.
Offred’s comparisons create a large divide between Gilead time, and pre-Gilead
time, and emphasises her freedom then, and the control they have over her
now.
Offred also uses these comparisons to relive her past and remember a better
time, to keep herself sane in the midst of the Gilead regime. She says “I
intend to last”
Offred has double vision a lot during the novel, usually when she is doing
something in Gilead that reminds her of her past, for example when she goes
shopping with Ofglen down the same street she used to shop. She remembers
that the shops used to be called things such as “All Flesh” and “Milk and
Honey”, but now they only know what the shops are by signs with pictures on
them. These memories are used to compare her life then and her life now and
emphasises the change.
Her memories of the past generally have positive connotations, while her
memories of the present are more negative.
Comparison
Offred uses a lot of imagery in The Handmaid’s Tale because it is a small
resistance against the Gilead regime, as they have taken the use of language away
from the people of Gilead. This gives her a small sense of control over her life.
Something Offred describes a lot is flowers. The imagery of flowers gives us an
idea of the importance of fertility in Gilead, and how Offred feels about fertility and
the Gilead regime.
For example when Offred describes some Tulips in Serena Joy’s garden she first
describes them as “…redder than ever, opening, no longer wine cups but
chalices” “redder” and “chalices” represent fertility and how the people of Gilead
treasure it. She then goes on to describe the older tulips “When they are old and
turn themselves inside out, then explode slowly, the petals thrown out like
shards.” Which shows us that when Handmaid’s are no longer able to have babies
they are no longer treasured. The negative connotations show us that Offred doesn’t
like that it works that way.
Offred also often describes eggs. In chapter 19 she says “I think that this is what
God must look like: an egg [...] To look at the egg gives me intense
pleasure.” Eggs represent female fertility and Offred describing an egg as “what
God must look like” again shows us how much fertility is treasured in Gilead
society.
Imagery
Offred uses symbolism to emphasise the main focusses of Gilead society e.g
fertility.
The symbolism of the colour red is very important. For example the
Handmaid’s wear red, which symbolises the red of blood in menstruation and
fertility, as the Handmaid’s main job is to be fertile and reproduce.
Symbolism creates links between ideas and themes and Offred’s daily life.
The use of flowers as symbols is important in trying to mask the horrible things
that happen in Gilead society. For example the Commanders bedroom is
described as “a starry canopy of silver flowers” and Offred’s own room
there's a "watercolour picture of blue irises".
The use of symbolism is also important because it demonstrates the
themes of the novel by using on going symbols. The reader is given an
insight on the themes and ideas in The Handmaid’s Tale, giving us a clearer
idea of how things work, and how Offred feels about them.
Symbolism
Offred treasures language because the use of it has been taken away by the Gilead
regime. This is particularly hard for Offred as she used to work in a library.
The use of language is a form of passive resistance for Offred. Even the use of free speech is
taken away from her, with the Gilead approved greetings and sayings such as “Blessed be the
fruit” and “May the lord open” so being able to use beautiful imagery and other language, even
if just to herself, keeps her sane and gives her a sense of control over her life.
Also because language is taken away from her, Offred treasures the few pieces of language
that she has. For example “faith” written on a pillow, and the latin phrase “nolite te bastardes
carborundorum” which is carved into her bedroom closet. Offred has no idea what the latin
means (at least until the Commander tells her) but even so, she treasures it because it reminds
her of the time before, when language and knowledge were freely accessible.
We see how very much Offred craves the use of language when the Commander asks her to
play Scrabble with him. She says “this was once the game of old men, old women…” but
goes on to say “Now of course it’s something different. Now it’s forbidden, for us. Now it’s
dangerous. Now it’s indecent.” She even says “it’s as if he’s offered me drugs”. Something
as simple as Scrabble is a major temptation for Offred. She salivates over the use of the
forbidden language “The letter C. Crisp, slightly acid on the tongue, delicious”
Why does Offred spend so much
time thinking about language?
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