Chapter 6
Chapter 6- The narrator-Offred- and Ofglen walk home, we see the Wall
‘The old gravestones are still there, weathered, eroding, with the skulls and crossed bones, memento mori’
-‘Memento Mori’- Remember you have to die
The Wall- Symbolism→ The Berlin Wall was constructed on August 13, 1961, and it fell on November 9, 1989. It symbolized the division between East Germany and West Germany during the Cold War, serving as a physical barrier between the two Eastern and Western blocs.
-The Wall shows the traitors and dissenters of Gilead
-There’s enforced security ‘no one goes through those gates willingly.. past the electronic alarm system, would be next to impossible
‘They haven’t fiddled with the gravestones, or the church either. It’s only the more recent history that offends them'.’
Men’s Salvaging→ Saving them from a life full of sin
‘It makes another mouth, a small red one, like the mouths painted with thick brushes by kindergarten children. a child’s idea of a smile. This smile of blood is what fixes the attention, finally. These are not snowmen after all’
- This comparison suggests an innocence associated with childhood, yet it contrasts sharply with the violent imagery of a 'smile of blood'
- The reference to 'these are not snowmen' emphasizes a significant disillusionment; the scenes portrayed are not innocent or playful as children’s art would suggest.
- the quote reflects the regime's ability to distort imagery and manipulate emotions, creating a facade that obscures the grim reality of life under Gilead.
-tension between innocence and brutality in Gilead, where symbols of childhood are corrupted, illustrating the regime's control over perceptions and meanings.
‘The red is the same but there is no connection. The tulips are not tulips of blood, the red smiles are not flowers, neither thing makes a comment on the other’
- The quote illustrates the disconnection between appearance and reality in Gilead. - 'The red is the same but there is no connection': highlights superficial similarities without deeper meaning. - Tulips, typically symbols of beauty, lack significance in Gilead’s context. - 'Tulips of blood' contrasts natural beauty and violence, reflecting the regime's manipulation of symbols. - 'Neither thing makes a comment on the other': emphasizes alienation and disconnection in society. - The regime creates a facade of normalcy while concealing brutal realities. - Commentary on the oppressive regime’s ability to redefine symbols according to authoritarian values.
‘Ordinary said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary’
Habitual/ routinal
As if they have never been brainwashed, it will become the norm, an aim Gilead looks towards