Thursday, April 16, 2009

Handmaid's Tale (up to Ch 28) - Blog for 4/17/09

So we finally get an idea of what happened before the time the novel takes place. Apparently, there was a catastrophe in the United States in which the President and Congress were killed and the army declared a state of emergency. During this time of emergency, the army basically took over the country and deprived women of their employment and property rights. According to Offred, however, the army was at some point replaced with another one. I'm glad we finally get this background story because it makes the book and the current circumstances in their society easier to understand. I just learned in these last few chapters that the Wall was actually the gate into the university, which now serves as headquarters for the Eyes. I didn't understand what the paintings in the Library within the university meant. Death and Victory must have some of symbolic meaning that relates to the entire plot. Why does Offred say that they would not be destroyed by the current authority?

I also found the Soul Scroll "store" to be quite interesting. The five kinds of prayers that included death and sin was surprising because I thought this was a highly religious society. A store with a machine and no person inside sounds quite suspicious - what could be the significance of this place?

1 comment:

  1. I just wonder why the new government took over the President and Congress and took away women’s property rights. Probably the Eyes wanted a world of their own. I don’t see how the society has improved though. The explanation of the past does really help the reader understand Offred’s situation better. I thought the Wall was just the border of Gilead. I knew the Eyes had some kind of control over the wall though. The meaning probably is that to get a change in society, sacrifices need to be made, like death. That is the victory of the Eyes. Offred probably says that the current authority will not destroy the paintings because the paintings represent the victory and purpose of the Eyes’ rule. I thought the Soul Scroll was part of the society’s religion. It should be because of the prayers. The significance of the place, without a person controlling it, is that it lets people from Gilead choose to come to Soul Scroll or not. I think the prayers for death and sin are religious. It keeps the society strong and constant.

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