II Shopping: Chapter 5
Setting/Atmosphere: The narrator sets the scene of the Gilead which is
encompassed with luxury and splendidness- Outside of the commander’s
house, there is a spirit of liveliness and an overwhelming bucolic beauty on
the surface, but in reality, the Gilead society is filled with melancholy and
ruination. It is interesting to note that the names of the shops are all found in
the Bible- ‘All flesh’, ‘Milk and Honey’: Atwood is intelligently reinforcing the
narrative that the Gileadean society is under the rule of theocracy, and they
intricately implement religious values in their daily lives: The angels for
example. The setting changes when the Japanese tourists are introduced
whereby, they stand out from the others in Gilead as they have freedom of
expressionism, something the members of Gilead are not exposed to.
Narrative voice: The narrator seems to be exposing the readers to what
she does on a daily basis- establishing a routine that she must follow. Then
the narrator adopts a tone of envy and jealousy when she focuses on Janine
(otherwise known as Ofwarren) who is pregnant; the narrator wants and
desperately needs to experience what Janine is experiencing- That's her
whole purpose of being a handmaid. Then the narrator seems surprised yet
curious about the Japanese tourists who go against everything that the
narrator has conformed to the narrator still seems to judge them as
according to her, they are ‘naked’ and exposed.
Summary: The narrator and Ofglen walk down the street- the narrator
thinks back to the time when ‘doctors, lawyers, university professors lived
there’ but now the ‘university’ is closed.
-The narrator reminisces about her walking down the street with Luke
thinking and dreaming of having children- she emphasises that such freedom
now seems weightless.
-A hierarchy is once again established when the narrator conveys that only
the commanders' wives don't walk on the sidewalks, rather they use only
cars.
-The narrator thinks back to the period were women had the freedom to do
as they pleased yet she conveys that when they had freedom, they had to
take necessary precautions to protect their selves from the grasp of men-
Now they have less freedom but they are protected from the wrath of men
sexualising them. Atwood is effectively iterating that women always have to
Setting/Atmosphere: The narrator sets the scene of the Gilead which is
encompassed with luxury and splendidness- Outside of the commander’s
house, there is a spirit of liveliness and an overwhelming bucolic beauty on
the surface, but in reality, the Gilead society is filled with melancholy and
ruination. It is interesting to note that the names of the shops are all found in
the Bible- ‘All flesh’, ‘Milk and Honey’: Atwood is intelligently reinforcing the
narrative that the Gileadean society is under the rule of theocracy, and they
intricately implement religious values in their daily lives: The angels for
example. The setting changes when the Japanese tourists are introduced
whereby, they stand out from the others in Gilead as they have freedom of
expressionism, something the members of Gilead are not exposed to.
Narrative voice: The narrator seems to be exposing the readers to what
she does on a daily basis- establishing a routine that she must follow. Then
the narrator adopts a tone of envy and jealousy when she focuses on Janine
(otherwise known as Ofwarren) who is pregnant; the narrator wants and
desperately needs to experience what Janine is experiencing- That's her
whole purpose of being a handmaid. Then the narrator seems surprised yet
curious about the Japanese tourists who go against everything that the
narrator has conformed to the narrator still seems to judge them as
according to her, they are ‘naked’ and exposed.
Summary: The narrator and Ofglen walk down the street- the narrator
thinks back to the time when ‘doctors, lawyers, university professors lived
there’ but now the ‘university’ is closed.
-The narrator reminisces about her walking down the street with Luke
thinking and dreaming of having children- she emphasises that such freedom
now seems weightless.
-A hierarchy is once again established when the narrator conveys that only
the commanders' wives don't walk on the sidewalks, rather they use only
cars.
-The narrator thinks back to the period were women had the freedom to do
as they pleased yet she conveys that when they had freedom, they had to
take necessary precautions to protect their selves from the grasp of men-
Now they have less freedom but they are protected from the wrath of men
sexualising them. Atwood is effectively iterating that women always have to
