Narrative
Despite Offred fearful passivity in just observing the oppressive, Gileadean state
instead of taking direct action like the radical feminist, Moira, the seemingly
ordinary, non-heroic protagonist does reveal some resistance to the regime
through her rebellious, first-person narrative through the tape recordings.
- The individual spirit or spirituality that Offred conveys in her tale is a
survival mechanism that helps her to cope and keep real faith in her life
having a greater purpose.
Offred’s narrative offers some hope of connectivity (survival mechanism)
with the world beyond her, through her memories of the past that connect her to
lost loved ones, her humorous satire that shows she still has faith in a better life-
perhaps some internal moral compass that is proof of an irrepressible and innate
morality in humans regardless of state-sanctioned ideology- and her live for
nature, her joy at watching seasons pass and plant life grow.
Whilst her communication with other people is controlled and stilted, her
recordings give her an opportunity to express herself, her emotions, her views,
her thoughts- it is thus a survival mechanism.
In preserving her interior life through her flashbacks, her refusing to forget
the past and be silenced in thought helps Offred maintain her autonomy
and sense of identity- a form of resistance, considering Gilead’s aims of eroding
everyone’s identity and individuality. This is obvious through Offred’s nightime
recollections of her past being a way of preserving her old identity, which she is
supposed to have lost along with her name.
- Offred’s narrative shows how she refuses to accept Gilead’s patriarchal
rule- her inner rebellion is prevalent throughout, maintaining her power
to think and feel and ultimately her even recording this whole story.
- Offred maintains her sense of self through constant episodic bursts of the
past (flashbacks) and mental thoughts that challenge Gilead’s prescribed
way of thinking or more importantly not thinking.
The flashbacks are a form of rebellion but also a survival mechanism she retreats
to flashbacks and memories to distance herself from her current situation. She
uses her memories to take herself out of her body, away from the
demeaning circumstances that constrict her, and relies on them to
remind herself of her intelligence and capacity for love. By holding
Despite Offred fearful passivity in just observing the oppressive, Gileadean state
instead of taking direct action like the radical feminist, Moira, the seemingly
ordinary, non-heroic protagonist does reveal some resistance to the regime
through her rebellious, first-person narrative through the tape recordings.
- The individual spirit or spirituality that Offred conveys in her tale is a
survival mechanism that helps her to cope and keep real faith in her life
having a greater purpose.
Offred’s narrative offers some hope of connectivity (survival mechanism)
with the world beyond her, through her memories of the past that connect her to
lost loved ones, her humorous satire that shows she still has faith in a better life-
perhaps some internal moral compass that is proof of an irrepressible and innate
morality in humans regardless of state-sanctioned ideology- and her live for
nature, her joy at watching seasons pass and plant life grow.
Whilst her communication with other people is controlled and stilted, her
recordings give her an opportunity to express herself, her emotions, her views,
her thoughts- it is thus a survival mechanism.
In preserving her interior life through her flashbacks, her refusing to forget
the past and be silenced in thought helps Offred maintain her autonomy
and sense of identity- a form of resistance, considering Gilead’s aims of eroding
everyone’s identity and individuality. This is obvious through Offred’s nightime
recollections of her past being a way of preserving her old identity, which she is
supposed to have lost along with her name.
- Offred’s narrative shows how she refuses to accept Gilead’s patriarchal
rule- her inner rebellion is prevalent throughout, maintaining her power
to think and feel and ultimately her even recording this whole story.
- Offred maintains her sense of self through constant episodic bursts of the
past (flashbacks) and mental thoughts that challenge Gilead’s prescribed
way of thinking or more importantly not thinking.
The flashbacks are a form of rebellion but also a survival mechanism she retreats
to flashbacks and memories to distance herself from her current situation. She
uses her memories to take herself out of her body, away from the
demeaning circumstances that constrict her, and relies on them to
remind herself of her intelligence and capacity for love. By holding
