In The Handmaid’s Tale, we can see that the author, Margaret Atwood, displays a vast array of ways female power is used in this new republic, Gilead. Despite this notable idea that we attain immediately when reading this novel, about the loss of individuality amongst women, if we actually look deeper in to the text we see something that is different. Different women obtain different powers and some, both in this fictional society of Gilead and in today’s world, obtain none at all. First, zooming in closer at the narrator, Offred, a lot can be put together about her from the way she outwardly expresses her internal thoughts throughout the novel. Essentially, readers see Offred as a sex slave who is controlled by the government of Gilead.
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“I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me. It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a bench, or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach” (Atwood 22). In this scenario, Offred is teasing these “sex starved” men, just for the thrill and the sense of rebellion she gets from it – because in this new society, women aren’t to be seen as suggestive, they are to be conservative – hence the outfits they wear for instance. I think this attention also gives her confirmation that even though she has felt broken and unattractive since she’s been in Gilead, she still is able to get the guys’ attention – which may or may not boost her self confidence when she later starts different relationships. Half way through the novel, the Commander initiates this semi-friendly/semi-lover’s affair with Offred. As their relationship continues to deepen, Offred uses herself to attain power over The Commander. This power that she obtains through her “relationship” with the commander sets her in higher placement in the Commander’s home. This is evident by even just looking at her compared to the other Handmaid’s who don’t have a relationship with the Commander – they don’t get the benefits that Offred will soon
“I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me. It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a bench, or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach” (Atwood 22). In this scenario, Offred is teasing these “sex starved” men, just for the thrill and the sense of rebellion she gets from it – because in this new society, women aren’t to be seen as suggestive, they are to be conservative – hence the outfits they wear for instance. I think this attention also gives her confirmation that even though she has felt broken and unattractive since she’s been in Gilead, she still is able to get the guys’ attention – which may or may not boost her self confidence when she later starts different relationships. Half way through the novel, the Commander initiates this semi-friendly/semi-lover’s affair with Offred. As their relationship continues to deepen, Offred uses herself to attain power over The Commander. This power that she obtains through her “relationship” with the commander sets her in higher placement in the Commander’s home. This is evident by even just looking at her compared to the other Handmaid’s who don’t have a relationship with the Commander – they don’t get the benefits that Offred will soon