So at the end of chapter six we left Offred and Ofglen looking at the hanged men on the city wall on their way back to the houses they have been assigned to live in, and our Handmaid narrator recalls something that Aunt Lydia said, which proves to be rather unnerving.
"Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what we are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary".
Personally, I find this thought quite scary, the idea that everything that I once knew and did as part of my daily life, would soon become so far separated from who I am that it would no longer seem ordinary. By using this quote, Atwood had gotten deep inside the head of her reader, making them feel like the narrator, helping us deepen our connections with Offred.
However throughout the story, Atwood uses fragmented narrative. All the chapters are broken up with flashbacks, varying in the time of the memory, sometimes they are memories merely months old; recalling when she first started her new life as a Handmaid as we see on page 23, and some times they are much older, going back many years before the 'war'; such as when she remembers holding her daughter on page 73 later on in chapter twelve. Another way that Atwood achieves this fragmented narrative is to add chapters to the book when Offred isn't restricted to the ways of Gilead.
This is what we have in chapter seven. 'The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will'.
Initially, as the reader I felt a sigh of relief when I read this first sentence because from the beginning I have wanted her to be able to have even a small time to herself, but that relief I felt for her was short lived as she goes on to explain that 'as long as I am quiet. As long as I don't move. As long as I lie still'. Even the time she is given to herself is controlled by the people who own her. But I feel that this is where Atwood most reveals the resolve of the Narrator; Offred. She uses this time to do what she is advised not to; she uses it to think, to dream, to be her own soul. This is also when we first meet Moira.
She also refers a lot to the reader in chapter seven more so than in the rest of the book, explaining the versatility of the word 'you' and how it can mean a number of different things, almost as if she is trying to catch the readers attention, like a plea for help, we are outside this society and therefore the only ones who can help her.
Chapter eight returns back to the main story-line where chapter six left off, looking at the bodies on the city wall (which have now been changed which indicates they have been waiting and watching a while).
When Offglen says to Offred 'it's a beautiful Mayday' it triggers another flash back to one of her discussions with Luke (her husband before Gilead) to the origins of the distress call 'mayday', this is just another example of Offred trying to retain her sanity in the midst of a culture where she cannot, think for herself or read or do anything remotely similar to her old life. She is clinging on to what is left of her old life and refusing to let go.This mention of 'mayday' and also 'SOS' could also once again be Offred's subtle attempting at calling out to the reader for help and salvation. However on page 59 when she sees the Commander out side her room, she actually refers to it as her room; her personal room, and she acknowledges that she calls it her room, which shows although she could be slipping into believing that this is a normal life, she still has the opportunity to stop herself from falling out of reality.
Chapter eight is quite long and covers a number of different settings, including the town, the kitchen with the Marthas and the hall outside of the room Offred has been assigned. We spend every little time in the town and the return journey to the house is very short and to the point, almost rushed which could reflect how They feel about the Handmaids being in the town with other people. Earlier we learn that the university has been shut down; this can implore the idea that 'knowledge is power' and university is a source of knowledge. This shows us that They don't want anyone to pose as a threat to their position of power. However people can also gain knowledge by talking to other people, so by controlling the language used and the topics of conversation which are acceptable between Handmaids, keeps the passing of information to a minimum. The short amount to time spent talking about the time spent in town and the journey home, also suggests that the people in charge, don't like the Handmaids to be away from their houses for too long.
This though is continued on into chapter nine, when Offred finally gives into the idea that it is her room and that if she is to keep hold of her sanity, she really must have somewhere to call her own, something more than just a hotel room, as she refers to it when she recalls exploring the room for the first time. The fact that initially thought of it as a hotel room, showed that Offred had a glimmer of hope when she had first entered her current situation however the way that Atwood has juxtaposed the past and present, it is really clear that by accepting this 'hotel room' she has accepted that this new world is not a temporary measure and it is more than likely that she may never see the end of it.
Throughout the rest of the chapter, Offred talks us through the search of her room that she did, which I think is a very personal thing to do. This is the only place that she has to herself and she chooses to share that with us. Even down to the one thing that she is strictly forbidden to do; reading, when she finds those few words (Nolite te bastardes carborundorum), Even though Offred doesn't know what they mean, she still holds them very close to her, something that no one else knows about and that she can keep to herself, but even these she chooses to share with us.
Atwood uses another religious reference when she says, 'I saved the cupboard until the third day'. In the Christian belief Jesus rose again from the death on the third day after his crucifixion to bring salvation to man kind, I think this could be a metaphor that whatever Offred found in that cupboard and what ever those words mean, could be the key to her salvation from Gilead.
About half of chapter ten is about Offred remembering memories of her songs she used to sing with her other and also memories of chatting with Moira. Flitting between the two - past and present - ever couple of paragraphs. These past parts of the chapter are very familiar to us, not only because Atwood has written one similar to it earlier in the novel but also because it include things that we ourselves can relate to.
The other half of this chapter is Offred narrating her current situation. The way that Atwood describes and writes about the new summer dresses make them sound almost pleasant, and less like the habits that they are forced to wear as their uniform. Atwood's use of the word Things makes it very clear about how sexual behavior and harassment is felt about in Gilead. 'Such things do not happen to nice women', Linking this back to the comment that Aunt Lydia made about 'Freedom to and freedom from', we can see that this society is trying to convince Offred and the other Handmaids that they're much better off where they are now, than where they were before. They are selling Gilead to the women as a place where they are free from the harassment from men and they no longer have to be embarrassed by showing to much skin or being groped by old men because non of that will happen to them in Gilead.
I feel much happier now that I have a name for the Handmaid, although we will never find out what her real name is, I still this it is important that we can refer to her with a name, to treat her with the humanity that no one else does, however this just goes to show that to Them, she is nothing but an instrument in their wider plan.
Finally, in chapter ten, we really hear Offred's thoughts about the commander clearly for the first time. we get a description of his grey hair, 'silver you might call it if you were being kind'. And the Handmaid also tells us about how she feels about him; where as you would expect her to feel anger, hatred and respect for this man she explains how she has a feeling for him she doesn't know how to describe, however makes a point of telling us that 'I don't know what to call it, It isn't love'. this could be an indication that the narrator is hiding things from her audience and that she may possibly be unreliable.
Brilliant responses to your reading. I am enjoying sharing the process with you.
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