Desire In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

In the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, desire is key. Throughout the novel, desire controls a majority of people and how they behave. Offred risks her life when she goes to Jezebel’s with the Commander. Offred risks her life when she sneaks off to Nick’s room every night, even though she is forbidden from doing so. Serena Joy, the Commander’s wife, risks her life when she desires a child so much that she suggests to Offred that she and Nick try to have a child together which is against the rules of society. All of these actions are driven by desire. Desire is a normal feeling felt by humans and often causes people to do things out of their normal realm, which can endanger their lives. Desire fuels Offred’s decisions when she goes with the Commander to Jezebel’s. This is dangerous for Offred because it is against the law. It is illegal because a Commander and a Handmaid can not have sex other than for creating a baby. This is evident when Offred thinks, “I know without being told that what he’s proposing is risky, for him, but especially for me; but I want to go anyway” (231). This quote proves to us that Offred knows that going to Jezebel’s is dangerous, but regardless of the enormous risk she still decides to go with the Commander. Offred’s decision to go with the Commander to Jezebel’s proves …show more content…
Serena Joy knows that her husband is not able to get Offred pregnant due to the number of times he has tried without success, so she suggests that Nick tries to impregnate Offred. Serena Joy says, “I was thinking of Nick…. He’s been with us a long time. He’s loyal. I could fix it with him” (205). Serena Joy does this even though it could get her in a lot of trouble. This proves that Serena Joy wants Offred to have a child with Nick so that she can finally become a mother. Due to her strong desire to become a mother, she goes against the government and her society’s