Significance of memories in the Handmaid’s Tale

Alternative transcript:

evoke memories of her former life: "The handmaid's dresses, red like blood; the Commander's wife's garden, full of beans and potatoes and cabbage and roses", the syndetic listing conveys to the reader that she is very perceptive, she pays a lot of attention to detail which supports Lakoff's theory of women's linguistic features in speech. She displays her ability to recall information through her precise recollection of things she's witnessed/experienced. This highlights how she uses her mind to keep her sanity intact - she distracts herself with her surroundings, subconsciously keeping such things permanently registered in her mind, so that she does not fully give herself to the oppressive regime of Gilead. This is reflected even as early as at the beginning of the novel in chapter 2: "A chair, a table, a lamp." This list of concrete nouns not only sets the scene of Offred's room, in which most of this chapter takes place, but due to its simple and short sentence structure, with only monosyllabic or disyllabic words, it create a boring and monotonous tone, which conveys Offred's room to be equally as dull. This shows how little effort was put into decorating her room, as she is only a Handmaid who nobody really cares about as she is so low in ranking with only the use of being a human vessel for reproductivity - this conveys how handmaid's are objectified and stripped away from their human rights, treated as if animals in a cage. It also suggests that Offred's life in general is equally as boring as her room, and this boredom and slowness of life that she experiences is continually emphasised throughout the novel. Lexis/semantics Atwood has also embedded the use of the semantic field of colour to convey colour symbolism. In the quote: "Everything except the wings around my face is red: the colour of blood, which defines us", Offred explains how the handmaids are associated with the red colour of their uniforms because of the fact that blood is connected to childbirth and the handmaids are nothing but birthgivers in Atwood's totalitarian society. However, blood is also seen as an ominous thing, as it is also associated with death and destruction. Furthermore, red is also associated with passion, which refers to how the handmaid's must have sex with their commanders to produce children for them. Finally, red is also often seen as a warning, and this could refer to how all the handmaids only became handmaids due to them breaking the law in some way, and so the fact that their uniforms are bright red could be because they are a warning to the public that these women are criminals. Although, on the other hand, the bright red could also be to let the public know that these women are of importance as they are able to produce life (they are fertile), when not many women in this society were able to, which is why Gilead was formed in the first place. There are other parts of the novel where colour symbolism is referenced, for example in: "blue, for the commander's wife" because blue often symbolises peace and purity, as well as the fact that the Virgin Mary from the Bible wore blue - this further supports the biblical aspects and choices made by the Sons of Jacob in relation to the Gilead regime. Furthermore, memories of colors also serve as a way for Offred to connect with her past and remember a time before the oppressive regime took over. When she describes the blue of the commander's wife's dress, it not only serves to emphasize the contrast between her own red uniform and the wife's blue one but also evokes memories of the past when Offred had more freedom and agency. Color symbolism is also used in the novel to highlight the way memories can be distorted or altered by the oppressive regime. For instance, the color green, which typically represents growth and fertility, is associated with the toxic waste dumps where the "unwomen" are sent. This use of color not only highlights the government's disregard for the environment but also serves to demonstrate the propaganda and manipulation tactics used by the regime to distort and control people's memories. Grammar/syntax In "I made that up. It didn't happen. Such things could not happen. You can't make an accident happen" in chapter 21, Offred uses declaratives to highlight the power of memory to create a sense of reality. Offred is remembering an event that she believes didn't actually happen, but the memory is still vivid and real to her. Memories can shape our perceptions of reality, and in a society where truth is manipulated and controlled, memories become even more important as a way of holding onto what is real. She uses a mixture of present and past tense to convey how the memories of her time at Gilead are still being made - that there are a lot of things happening and although she claims her sanity is intact, the way she presents her narrative differs from a usuals person train of thought. The repetitiveness of things not happening with the use of modal verbs in 'could not happen' and 'didn't happen' shows her certainty on the situation, which is ironic seeing as she should not be able to feel as though she has so much sense of agency because a lot of her rights were stripped away from her. In Gilead, truth and facts are controlled and manipulated by those in power. Memories, however, are personal and subjective, and they provide an alternative source of truth that cannot be controlled or erased. However, memories can also be distorted or suppressed, and the novel shows how the regime uses memory as a tool of oppression. For example, the government attempts to erase the memories of the past by destroying books and artifacts - which may have been inspired by 'Fahrenheit 451' and '1984', and they also control what is taught in schools and what people are allowed to talk about. The regime also manipulates people's memories through propaganda and psychological manipulation, such as the use of the Salvaging ceremony to create a false sense of community and obedience. Despite the efforts of the regime, memories remain a powerful force in the novel, and they are often linked to resistance and rebellion. For instance, Offred's memories of her mother, who was a feminist activist, serve as a source of inspiration and strength for her. Memories of love, intimacy, and human connection also serve as a way for Offred to resist the dehumanizing effects of the regime and maintain her sense of self. Discourse/pragmatics The Handmaid's Tale employs dark humor and sarcasm to subvert the oppressive regime and highlight the absurdity of the society that has been created. For example, in chapter 9, Offred describes Aunt Lydia's lesson on the importance of motherhood: "Mothers were a last resort, to be used when all else had failed. Aunt Lydia's voice was relentless, but she had a sense of humor, we were her audience and she kept us attentive." This passage uses irony to expose the absurdity of a society that claims to value motherhood while treating women as nothing more than vessels for procreation. The use of passive voice emphasises the lack of agency that the handmaids have in this dystopian society. They are not actively choosing to have children, but rather are being used as a last resort by those in power. This highlights the oppressive nature of Gilead and the lack of control that the handmaids have over their own bodies and lives. the phrase "we were her audience" uses the metaphor of a performance or show to describe the relationship between Aunt Lydia and the handmaids. This reinforces the power dynamic between them, with Aunt Lydia as the performer and the handmaids as the passive audience. It also demonstrates how they aren't expected to ask questions but instead sit, listen, and observe. In Chapter 11, Offred remembers her first meeting with the Commander's wife, Serena Joy: "She wasn't interested in telling me anything about herself, and I could hardly say, 'What did you used to do?' or 'What did you study?'... Those were considered impolite questions, as well as unnecessary." This passage uses irony to highlight the limitations placed on women in Gilead, where even basic conversation and human connection are deemed inappropriate.