I think the Gilead society condemn the priests and nuns to achieve total control of the people's believes. For them to achieve total control in the way that happened in the book, there must be no oppostion to the established religion and no other forms of religion. This can also serve as an example into scaring people to obey the orders because if they don't, they might end up dead and hang on the Wall like teh priests and nuns.
I think Atwood had a specific reason for chose for Offred to suddenly turn to religion. Throughout the book, Offred has very little belief in religion and while praying, she prays a phrase that she does not know the meaning of. But living in this society, no matter how strong willed, will be brainwashed to some extend, these beliefs, because she hears them everyday, cannot help but to rub off on her. So I think Atwood used thsi to show that although Offred has hope and somewhat of a clear mind, she still cannot resist the power that society has to influence her.Originally Posted by fruit loops!
Throughout the Handmaid's Tale we see Offred obessed with her memories of Luke, missing him. When Nick came into the picture, she seem to justify by saying that Luke won't mind. Do you think the religions preachings in this society influenced her thinking? (the passage from Genesis)
As we see in this society in the Handmaid's Tale that the Commanders have a lot of freedom and power, things for them seem tobe better in this society. If life for them were already so great, why did Atwood specificly made the Commanders "rebel" and break the rules?
What makes a narrator reliable?
Is Offred a reliable narrator? Why / why not? What textual evidence supports your conclusion?
What are other time-related factors at work in the novel?
A narrator is only as good as what they see and hear and how well they can recall events unbiased. For example the narrator from The Great Gatsby stated in the beginning of the novel that he would be unbiased, but then throughout the novel the reader has to question if he really is telling the story in a purely factual way.
Offred's reliability as a narrator depends on the aspects she is judged. From a storyline standpoint, she is not very reliable. As the historians mention at the end of the book, she doesn't speak much about the government, or national events. She speaks about her life and her day to day troubles. However looking at this from a message standpoint, Offred is reliable because she shows all the turmoil in her life. In this case her bias is a good thing because how she is feeling is important to how the story is told.
(I don't think I understand this last question...) Offred always has al this time off but there is nothing she can do. Either the marthas do any chores she could have, or she isn't allowed to do an activity. In this society, just going for a walk without a reason is dangerous because it attracts government attention. Another important time is th night. Most of the things Offred does that she isn't supposed to do is done at night. This may be because of it's darkness and shadow.
A reliable narrator is suppose to tell the reader the setting, the plot, and the unique story from a personal, yet not too bias view. The narrator is suppose to provide the reader with accurate and information that is key in understanding and connecting with the story.
I think Offred is a reliable narrator. She provides the reader with the drastic change in society and how things are before and how things are now in the society. "Luke and I used to walk together, somemes, along these streets. We used to talk about buying a house like one of these, an old big house, fixing it up. We would have children. Although we knew it wasn't too likely we could ever afford it, it was something to talk about, a game for Sundays. Such freedom now seems almost weightless" (24). In this short passage, she gives the reader a glimpse life in the past and life now, although it's somewhat personal, it still contains the valuable information needed in order to understand the book as a whole.
What stood out to me was the lack of time in this novel. Offred would take specific nights or a chunk of time when things are happening and tell it like a story, but it is not by any means continuous. She briefly mentions different season like it's no big deal. This adds to the feel of despair Offred is facing, living through everyday, the same, boring routine.
One of the key symbols ia the Bible. In a dystopian society the goal is to create a utopia, but things always go wrong and sa dystopian society is the result of the failure to create the utopia. The bible perfectly demonstrates this. Poeple are suppose to be happy and living together peacefully under the word of God, but instead, the Bible is used to justify something that is entirely not moral. "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (88).
Another key symbol is the word "FAITH". "FAITH is a faded blue, the leaves of the lielies a dingy green. I can spend minutes, tens of munites, running my eyes over the pring: FAITH" (57). In a dyspotian novel, the main character usually goes through a self-fullfilling journey where at the end, she came to the realization of what is right or finds out who she really is. hile she is going through that journey, there needs to be some form of hope that someday, everything will turn out ok. The word "FAITH" is Offred's hope throughout her journey, and it constantly reminds her that she needs to believe in a better way of living and a brighter future.
In the "Handmaid's Tale", the symbolism of the Handmaid's red costumes is clearly portrayed. Atwood uses these red costumes to show how plain the women are, and that they are full of "sin". According to a webpage of symbolism (http://www.three-musketeers.net/mike/colors.html), the color red symbolizes energy, speed, strength, and love. Because red symbolizes energy, it shows how the Handmaid's endure all of the sexual abuse they receive from the men. The color red also symbolizes strength, which expresses that the Handmaid's had the strength to live life even though they were separated from their husbands and children. And at last, the color red also represents love, which shows that even though the Handmaid's were used as "sex machines", they still tried to fell the extra sense of love because in the Gildean Period, the Handmaid's were lacking love. In easier words, the only reason why people cared about Handmaids was because they could be used as sex machines for pleasure, and also to give birth to children. In conclusion, Atwood uses color symbolism to portray how the Handmaids had to live and adapt through the Gildean Period.
Throughout the Handmaids Tale, religion plays a major theme in the actions of the characters both seen and not seen. Why or how do the religious aspects lead to the spiral of dystopian decline in the Novel?
I wouldn't really call the Handmaids "Sex Machines" as the whole idea of the Handmaid was for them to be the vessels of reproduction to fix the declining birthrate in the Novel. In altering soceity so that women like offred would be forced to become these hapless carriers of in most cases what would have been unwanted children, but in the newly warped society is seen as a pleasure or a reward, Atwood almost seems to create an entirley new religion of preserving humanity, rather than concentrating on heaven and hell and how to avoid being sent to the latter and getting into the former or explaining the universe as a whole as most religions do.
I agree with this, but i also think that because Offred has been deprived of everything else she had in the time before the Giladeans took over, i think religion is just about the last thing she does have, and without it she would be unable to resist the new conformity that was not only being forced on her, but on all the other handmaids as well.
Orwell presents several thought-provoking statements in 1984 that question even our society. This is an aspect of dystopian literature that creates fear in the reader so the society in the novel does not become real.
One thing the narrator says is "Your worst enemy...was your own nervous system" (64). In dystopian societies this is very true. The governments only create a punishment for different crimes. The true fear comes from within. People are so scared to make a change. Without any change, society will stay the same. People are also scared of what they are losing. Winston has little knowledge of the past and asks the old prole which society is better. It could be that Winston is scared of finding out there is not a possibility of a better life. However fear is just a feeling in the nervous system. There is often no real reason behind it, but once the nervous system is turned on there is no going back. In the end, the fear can make you risk everything or nothing. By risking everything dystopian characters could be killed, but by risking nothing they will never know a better world. Orwell uses this line to reflect on all dystopian societies and scare the reader into letting their world become one.
On a different note, there is also some possible foreshadowing. The narrator says, "...Winston, with a violent lunge, succeeded in touching his toes with knees unbent, for the first time in seven years" (37). This simple physical ability may be leading to Winston's intellectual growth that could drive him to take a stand against the government.
The first quote and argument presented can be related to the government instated language, Newspeak. In the passage that is pointed out, Winston is reflecting on how even the smallest bit of tension you feel can be transferred into a physical action, and how that action can give you away as unorthodox. Winston goes on to say that "The most deadly danger of all was talking in your sleep. There was no way of guarding against that, so far as he could see" (Orwell 64). In the section labeled "Principles of Newspeak", the reader is informed that the reason for the creation of Newspeak was mainly to condense the vocabulary of Standard English in a way that would make it impossible for people in the society to commit thoughtcrime, as there are no words to express your feelings. Winston's reflection earlier in the novel shows how Newspeak is prevalent in a person's daily routine. When Winston talks about being discovered as a rebel during the day, he does so in relation to bodily actions and functions, indicating that the people in this society make a conscious effort to incorporate Newspeak into their lives. Winston's remark about talking in your sleep indicates exactly the opposite. The institution of Newspeak in this society is not as ingrained subconsciously in a person's life as something like the Two Minutes Hate is. People still resort to subconsciously using Oldspeak to articulate their rebellious ideas.
The narrator says that the closest translation of part of the Declaration of Independence in Newspeak would be the one work "crimethink" (Orwell 312). This example illustrates an aspect of Newspeak and the society. By creating a language that will only offer one translation of an influential document, the government has accomplished exactly what it wants to. At the same time as making the language open-ended, they have succeeded in making it the narrowest language ever created. Although there are many ways to interpret the word "crimethink" as we see it, to speakers of Newspeak the word has only one connotation and that is a bad one. By erasing all words that represent certain abstract and ideological thoughts, the government has basically made sure that there is only one reality for every person in the society. Relating this idea to my own definitions of reality and truth, (truth being a commonly accepted idea and reality being a perception of life) the government has essentially equated the two ideas through Newspeak. By making reality the same for every person the government has turned reality into truth and vice versa. They have erased perceptions and succeeded in creating the ultimate form of conformity, controlling every person's reality.
these are a few of the symbols I found in 1984:
The glass paperweight with the coral embedded in it symbolizes the peace and beautiful society that Winston is trying to reach. The coral represents the old culture and can be extended to freedom of thought. It also contradicts the 1984 society in that it has no apparent use: "The thing was double attractive because of its apparent uselessness" (96). The paperweight represents Winston and Julia's rebellion and when the paperweight is broken by a Thought Police, their rebellion was foiled. When he first discovers it, the paperweight could also show Winston's individuality - how he is different in his thinking and separated from the other party members like Parsons.
The picture of St. Clement's Church is another symbol that represents the past, but ultimately leads to Winston's downfall. Winston's desire to learn the rest of the rhyme associated with it shows again his rebellion and search for the past. Similar to the paperweight, when Winston and Julia are discovered, the picture falls away to reveal a telescreen. The picture was also used to foreshadow the downfall of Winston in that Julia says "I bet that picture's got bugs behind it" (147). The picture that is actually concealing a telescreen is also used in the comparison to the government as God or religion.
Orwell uses a lot of white in the end of the novel along with the idea of the place where there is no darkness. These symbols are used ironically to show the corruption of the government. White, known for purity, is used by the party in its prisons and government buildings which are the opposite of pure. The meaning of light is also flipped when Winston realized the place where there is no darkness is actually the prison rather than a perfect future.
Winston's varicose ulcer is used to show or foreshadow trouble or the state of his life. When he first writes in his diary he notes that the ulcer began to itch. However, when he begins his relationship with Julia, Winston finds that the freedom and experience of happiness has made the ulcer go away. When Winston is captured by the thought police and tortured, he finds that once again his ulcer is inflamed. Winston's stomach is also used similarly in that when he is waiting in prison his stomach begins to ache and his thoughts follow the feeling of his stomach.
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