THT - Power

thesis of power

• Central to the novel is power. All ideas, whether it be class, gender, identity religion, revolve around power.

• Power can be examined through four separate lenses:

• power OVER (the Commander and Wives have power OVER Handmaids- counter argument; the handmaids have implicit power over the Wives);

• power WITH (the Handmaids devise friendships with one another, female solidarity, thus restoring their identity, instilling in them hope and faith, the emotional capacity to survival);

• power TO (Moira's individualistic power to make change; Moira rejuvenates Offred's consciousness when she feels hopeless, thus impelling Offred to recognise her own individual power; Moira's gallantry inspires- though note how this becomes detrimental later in the novel);

• power WITHIN (despite her outward complicity, Offred finds methods of preserving her identity, largely through her memories, her sharp observations of the world around her, and her friendships, thus resisting Gilead's oppression).

POWER OVER - key quotes

• "I thought he might be toying, some cat-and-mouse routine" (ch 25)

• "The fact is that I don't want to be alone with him" (ch 39)

• "But my silence does not deter him" (ch 39)

• "The trouble is that I can't be, with him, any different from the way I usually am with him" (ch 39)

• "I lie there like a dead bird" (ch 39)

• "she holds my hands...she is in control, of the process and thus of the product" (ch 16)

• "she'll put a hand on my shoulder, to steady herself, as if I’m a piece of furniture” (ch 14)

POWER OVER - analysis

• Regardless of location, Offred knows that the Commander exercises power.

• As the agent of her oppression, the Commander has the positional power to control and inflict harm onto Offred should she not comply; therefore, Offred cannot directly refuse his desires.

• ch 25: metaphorical terms; represents the Commander as a manipulative cat, tormenting the dangling, vulnerable mouse before eating it.

• ch 39: Offred is silent because she cannot explicitly refuse, and tries to use her body language to let the Commander know she's uncomfortable; the Commander ignores her signals, and forces her to have sex with him.

• ch 39: The imagery of a bird in this scene is important. Typically, birds are symbols of freedom. A dead bird is one who can no longer fly or escape; the dead bird, then, is a metaphor for Offred's sense of imprisonment with the Commander.

• ch 16: hierarchical proxemic; Offred is merely present to serve a reproductive function; Serena Joy exercises the tangible power.

• ch 14: Serena emphasises, through her actions, that Offred's identity is limited solely to reproduction; she is dehumanised, treated sub-human.

POWER OVER - key quotes (handmaids have power over wives)

• "I am a reproach to her; and a necessity" (ch 3)

• "Of course they will resent you. It's only natural. Try to feel for them" (ch 8)

• "You must realise that they are defeated women" (ch 8)

• "I was taking something away from her, although she didn't know it" (ch 26)

• "They aren't allowed to become wives though; they're considered, still, too dangerous for positions of such power" (ch 34)

• "This was a decree of the Wives, this absence of hand lotion. They don't want us to look attractive" (ch 17)

• "No use for you, I think at her, my face unmoving, you can't use them anymore, you're withered" (ch 14)

POWER OVER - analysis (handmaids have power over wives)

• Ultimately, in a society where fertility is rare, highly sought for, the Handmaids exercise incredible power, and thus, much to the irritation, the Handmaids are , indispensable to the Wives.

• The Wives envy the fertility capabilities of the Handmaids, and the relationships they are allowed to pursue with the Commanders as a result of this.

• Such envy is crucial in sustaining Gilead's patriarchy.

• ch 34: Female sexuality is seen as dangerous and alluring; the Handmaids appear almost like witches.

POWER OVER - key quotes (handmaids have power over The Commander)

• "I think about the blood coming out of him, hot as soup, sexual, over my hands" (ch 23)

• "What I have on him is the possibility of my own death. What I have on him is guilt. At last" (ch 29)

• "It's difficult to believe I have power over him, of any sort, but I do; although is an equivocal kind" (ch 32)

• "like a rutting salmon" (ch 34)

• "Without his uniform he looks smaller, older, like something being dried" (ch 39)

POWER OVER - analysis (handmaids have power over The Commander)

• Atwood presents Offred as having power over the Commander in her utilisation of subversive humour/thought crime; her ironic exploitation of langauge.

• ch 23: Offred fantasises about harming the Commander, thus mocking his power, rendering him an object of derision.

• ch 29/32: Offred realises that, to some extent, although it is unclear, she has tangible power over the Commander: her death would be in his hands, and thus she exercises power in this sense; plus, he craves emotional intimacy, which she can choose to withhold, to an extent.

• ch 34: Offred describes the Commander as "rutting salmon", ironically rids him of any power, transformed from a powerful leader to a weak, insignificant fish. Furthermore, the addition of the present tense adjective "rutting" is amusing and strips the Commander of his depicted nobility as Offred imagines him having intercourse with his wife. This mocking of the Commander highlights Offred's power over the men who oppress her.

• ch 39: Offred's ironic use of language is subversive; she rids the Commander of any power, transforms him into a small, feeble man, not a powerful leader.

POWER WITH - key quotes

• "We learned to whisper without sound...We learned to lip-read, our heads flat on the beds, turned sideways, watching each other's mouths. In this way we exchanged names, from bed to bed: Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June" (ch 1).

• "We stole extra packets of sugar for her" (ch 15)

• "We can see into each other's eyes" (ch 27)

• "We have crossed the invisible line together" (ch 27)

• "I see several women I recognise, exchange with them the infinitesimal nods with which we show each other we are known, at least to someone, we still exist" (ch 44).

POWER WITH - analysis

• Handmaids are under constant scrutiny where one wrong move could lead to their death. This constant threat of death is a form of control is oppressive.

• Through connecting, the Handmaids essentially inform one another that they're willing to risk their lives for the other and officially become allies.

• This sense of trust and companionship can be seen as having 'power with' each other, and is thus a method of resisting Gilead's oppression.

• The relationship between the Handmaids is an example of 'power with' because they are equals, can empower each other, and work together towards liberation.

• Note that the Handmaids find discrete methods of contacting with one another, thus empowering them over Gilead's control.

• Note that by looking 'into each other's eyes,' the two women are able to connect with each other. This gives them a sense of community and camaraderie, which they find empowering.

POWER TO - key quotes

• "Don't think that way, Moira would say. Think that way and you'll make it happen" (ch 15)

• "We stole packets of sugar" (ch 15)

• "she'd set herself loose" (ch 22)

• “Moira was like an elevator with open sides" (ch 22)

• "Already were we finding these walls secure" (ch22)

• "Moira was our fantasy" (ch 22)

• "I don't want her to be like me. Give in, go along, save her skin" (ch 38)

• "I want gallantry from her, swashbuckling, heroism, single-handed combat. Something I lack." (ch 37)

POWER TO - Analysis

• Moira often serves as an inspiration for Offred's subversion. She encourages Offred to resist Gilead's oppression and, in doing so, inspires Offred to realise her own power to act.

• Note how the Handmaids rebel after Moira's first attempted escape, thus showing how Moira inspires the other Handmaids to recognise their individual power.

• Although none of the other Handmaids attempt to escape, Moira's successful escape gives the Handmaids something to hope for. She shows them that they have the power to change their own situations - should they find the courage to do so.

• This is an example of Moira giving power to the other Handmaids.

POWER WITHIN - Key quotes

• "What if I were to peel off my red shroud and show myself to him?" (ch 4)

• "All flesh is grass, I corrected her in my head" (ch 8)

• “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” (ch 9)

• "I would like to strangle her" (ch 19)

• "light blue, light mauve, and the darker ones, velvet and purple" (ch 25)

• “the swelling genitalia of the flowers? The fruiting body" (ch 25)

• "ripening fruit like a "melon on a stem" (ch 25)

• "metamorphosis run wild. Goddesses are possible now"

• "There's always something to occupy the inquiring mind" (ch 34)

• "I repeat my former name, remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me. I want to steal something" (ch 17)

• "Luke wasn't a doctor. Isn't" (ch 6)

• "later he will get me out, we will find her" (ch 18)

POWER WITHIN - Analysis

Offred finds power through retaining her identity; whether that be through memories of her former life or the re-assertion of her name; and power through thought crime- essentially thinking unorthodox ideas.