Control, and the need to subjugate individuals is at the heart of dystopian literature. Naturally, as a result of this control and constant oppression, rebellion is evident. Gileadean society runs on a strict social hierarchy in which only those at the top are given rights and freedoms such as being able to read and write. As is known, in any society there will be weak links and there will be rebellion. We see this prominently when Offred and the Commander have their first evening together. As evidenced by Offred’s simile, a society, a regime which seemed like it couldn’t be broken down is now “like a small crack in the wall”. Offred meeting the Commander in itself is an act of extreme rebellion, but what she sees when she enters his study and the events that unfold the nights after continue this ‘rebellion’ of sorts. “… filled with books. Books and books and books… it’s an oasis of the forbidden.” Constant repetition of ‘books’ emphasises what a luxury it is to have books and how high in society you must be to see books. As seen later in the novel, she actually reads during her nights with the Commander – a silent rebellion stemming from this first night. This scene uses present tense as a form to contrast between what was once acceptable but is now a thing to be rebelled against.
