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The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale. Themes Characters Narrative techniques Language and Imagery. Themes. Control and Resistance Survival Responsibility Fertility Power Women’s Roles Religion The Individual Guilt History Love. Quotations.

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The Handmaid’s Tale

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  1. The Handmaid’s Tale • Themes • Characters • Narrative techniques • Language and Imagery

  2. Themes • Control and Resistance • Survival • Responsibility • Fertility • Power • Women’s Roles • Religion • The Individual • Guilt • History • Love

  3. Quotations • “Such songs are not sung any more[…] This too is outlawed.” (ch.10) • “They’ve defeated more of the rebels” (ch.4) • “I want to keep on living in any form.” (ch.45) • “Neither of us says the word love, not once. It would be tempting fate” (ch.41)

  4. Utopias and Dystopias • Imaginary good or bad societies that are created in order to comment on distinctive features and trends of a real society. “Imaginary places and accordingly futile to seek out, that nevertheless exist tantalisingly (or frighteningly) on the edge of possibility”¹ ___________________________________________________________ ¹ Krishan Kumar, Utopianism (london:OUP, 1991). What are the similarities between the Gilead and our society?

  5. Narrative techniques • Emphasis on process and reconstruction where the truth is only a matter of the teller’s perspective. Her narrative is a DISCONTINUOUS one, with frequent time shifts, short scenes and unfinished ending. • “Offred was boxed in. How do you tell a narrative from the Point of View of that person? The more limited you are, the more important details become.” (Conversations, p.216)

  6. Narrative techniques • Abrupt shifts from one scene to another and from present to past so that her present situation and past history are only gradually revealed. • Fragments and flashbacks - the latter is more noticeable in “Night” sections. This works as a period of reflection for Offred • Offred also tells the story of other women, like her own mother, Moira, Janine and even her predecessor at the commander’s house.

  7. Narrative techniques • Offred tells the story of other Handmaids, all of them rebels or victims or both, which form a sad subtext to Offred’s narrative. • The ghostly double: “How could I have believed I was alone in here? There were always two of us. Get it over, she says” (ch.46)

  8. Narrative TechniquesHistorical Notes • The ‘Historical notes’ are not part of Offred’s narrative but they are used as a supplement to her story, helping us to put one woman’s autobiographical record into historical perspective. • Male narrator (Professor Pieixoto). • University of Denay, Nunavit. Here men and women have some status (Chair is a woman, Maryann Crescent Moon)

  9. Narrative TechniquesHistorical Notes • At the conference what are the things that suggest that things are different from the Gilead? • What are the things that suggest that nothing has changed?

  10. Narrative TechniquesHistorical Notes • Nature walks and eat fish (Artic char). • Names suggest ethnical minorities have the same status as everybody else. Chair is a woman. HOWEVER • Professor Pieixoto’s jokes (“tail” and the “frailroad”). Sexist. • He tries to discredit her narrative (shift between “herstory” and “history”).

  11. Narrative TechniquesHistorical Notes • Professor Pieixoto is more interested in: • FIRSTLY: establishing the authenticity of her story (tries to discredit her narrative by accusing her of not paying attention to the important things). • SECONDLY: establishing the identity of the commander.

  12. Narrative TechniquesHistorical Notes • Ironically, he does exactly what Offred predicted would happen to the story of the Handmaids: “From the point of view of future history, we’ll be invisible” Isn’t he abusing her as Gilead abused her by removing her authority?

  13. Narrative Techniques To sum up: • Discontinuous narrative • Time shifts • Fragments and flashbacks • Subtext • Historical notes

  14. RepresentationMale and Female Roles • Names and connotations • Power positions • Control • Unwomen and unbabies

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