In Atwood's novel, the symbol of the egg is everywhere for some obvious and for some not so obvious reasons. It's mentioned in the scrabble game and its mentioned every morning when she has breakfast. The egg is the most desired thing in this society due to the lack of procreation and everyone does anything in their power to accomplish that.
Without describing each scene, I wanted to discuss the meaning of the egg. Fertility, rebirth, and procreation are all pretty easy to grasp when discussing the symbol of an egg. However, I feel that Offred herself is quite similar to the egg. She, herself isn't fragile like the shell of an egg, her situation and the things expected of her cause her to have fragile circumstances. If she fails to have a child, she, like an egg, has an expiration date and could be sent away to the scum of society, the Colonies. Offred is an unfertilized egg and therefore not usable, or helpful in Gilead. Inside of her, she carries the ability to be great, holding a possible life form; however, if she fails, she's just sent away.
Now several scenes involving the symbol of an egg are in the novel, but the scene when Offred spelled zygote in the scrabble game intrigues me. The scrabble scene gives Offred the ability to communicate to the commander without actually speaking to him. It shows this with beginning with larynx to show her lack of voice in any area of society. The words following are all things she would probably like to discuss with him. but cannot. Anyway, back to zygote and the egg. She is communicating different parts of her role in these words. Valence shows the uniform or the wings she must wear, zygote is the child that she must procreate, and larynx and limp are the restrictions she has. She is held back and handicapped as a handmaid and as a woman in general.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Handmaid's Tale- Review
Hands down this was my favorite of the few dystopian works that we have read. I felt it stood apart from the others while still following that basic recipe for a perfect anti-utopia. Throw in a some harsh governing body- the bible, a dash of always being watched- the eyes, and for the "wow" ingredient, add one protagonist that has a desire to rebel against the rules, and you've baked up a beautiful, miserable society- Republic of Gilead.
I felt that reading this it was more of a challenge than We because it didn't come right out and say what was going on. We had to weave through the past and present and meet old husbands, nuns, mothers, children, commanders, and a few Martha's before we could really grasp what was going on. Any gaps, we fill in for ourselves which allows the reader freedom to imagine some horrors that weren't detailed to the tee. While on the other hand, We was straight-forward and described how things worked and why and who was in charge.
Something, however that stood out to me that I kept forgetting to mention in discussion was the uniforms the handmaids wore. We discussed a comparison to traditional Muslim dress, but the color intrigued me. Red in some cases goes along with birth and females, but I went back to The Scarlett Letter. The color red in Hester Prynne's situation was representing her sin of adultery. I thought this connection was interesting because by taking in a handmaid, the commander is committing adultery; sleeping with someone who is not his wife. The "A" was something that was to be sinful, but Hester made it beautiful with her embroidery. Adultery is sin in the bible, but by twisting the worlds, the society sees the handmaids as needed to procreate and therefore looked without disgust or disapproval.
The ending of the novel, does she make it or is she killed for her sins? That is how we are left, but I lean toward the more positive of the two in which she is taken in by more of the Mayday group. I feel that Offred has suffered enough and that this society is so hypocritical that it is slowly falling apart. The original believers, Serena Joy, the Aunts, are even doubting the teachings. The club, Jezebels, is proof that Gilead has failed and a new idea must be tried out. I believe that Offred, although a little new at this whole rebellion thing, she's perfect for it. Her mother was a radical feminist and she took a married man away from his wife, she's gone against the rules before. All in all, I liked the cliffhanger ending that was followed by the eerie historical notes. It was as though a new utopian society had formed. It, thankfully, seemed a little more successful.
I felt that reading this it was more of a challenge than We because it didn't come right out and say what was going on. We had to weave through the past and present and meet old husbands, nuns, mothers, children, commanders, and a few Martha's before we could really grasp what was going on. Any gaps, we fill in for ourselves which allows the reader freedom to imagine some horrors that weren't detailed to the tee. While on the other hand, We was straight-forward and described how things worked and why and who was in charge.
Something, however that stood out to me that I kept forgetting to mention in discussion was the uniforms the handmaids wore. We discussed a comparison to traditional Muslim dress, but the color intrigued me. Red in some cases goes along with birth and females, but I went back to The Scarlett Letter. The color red in Hester Prynne's situation was representing her sin of adultery. I thought this connection was interesting because by taking in a handmaid, the commander is committing adultery; sleeping with someone who is not his wife. The "A" was something that was to be sinful, but Hester made it beautiful with her embroidery. Adultery is sin in the bible, but by twisting the worlds, the society sees the handmaids as needed to procreate and therefore looked without disgust or disapproval.
The ending of the novel, does she make it or is she killed for her sins? That is how we are left, but I lean toward the more positive of the two in which she is taken in by more of the Mayday group. I feel that Offred has suffered enough and that this society is so hypocritical that it is slowly falling apart. The original believers, Serena Joy, the Aunts, are even doubting the teachings. The club, Jezebels, is proof that Gilead has failed and a new idea must be tried out. I believe that Offred, although a little new at this whole rebellion thing, she's perfect for it. Her mother was a radical feminist and she took a married man away from his wife, she's gone against the rules before. All in all, I liked the cliffhanger ending that was followed by the eerie historical notes. It was as though a new utopian society had formed. It, thankfully, seemed a little more successful.
Friday, October 23, 2009
We- Symbol
The use of the green wall in the novel, We, really stuck out to me. The entire society made of glass so that nothing can be done in secret and nothing can be hidden. These walls surround the city, towering high above so nothing can leave or enter. This concept of a wall to keep in or a wall to keep out was part of the symbol of the wall.
Inside OneState, everything is simple and gray and glass. Nothing really sticks out as different, because everything is equal. But outside, however, an unknown possibly dangerous environment is present. Towards the end of the novel, D-503 and I-330 go to the other side of the green wall and discover what is basically described to us as nature and forest. D is just completely shocked by this green and real outdoors, that he nearly fainted form dizziness. The people he sees remind him of creatures and not humans at all. He noted that they looked like his ancestors from many years back.
The Green Wall is the separation between the monotony and equality of OneState and the chaos and rebellion of the outside. The people on the inside are all the same; shaved heads and gray-blue uniforms. Those on the outside, however, are all different, skin colors, hair colors, no one is really too groomed, and they are all free to do as they please out here in this unknown forest-like area.
In general a wall indicates a separation from on side to another. In this novel it separates the society filled with people from the people who will take action and rebel. It separates the free thinkers and those who must have mathematical thought processes. It shows a past and present perspective; the way those on the outside are similar to his ancestors and how the inside is this futurized mathematical society. The way D-503 feels he is connected to this hairy hunched ancestor shows where he truly belongs, he just hasn't realized it until he ventures over there.
Inside OneState, everything is simple and gray and glass. Nothing really sticks out as different, because everything is equal. But outside, however, an unknown possibly dangerous environment is present. Towards the end of the novel, D-503 and I-330 go to the other side of the green wall and discover what is basically described to us as nature and forest. D is just completely shocked by this green and real outdoors, that he nearly fainted form dizziness. The people he sees remind him of creatures and not humans at all. He noted that they looked like his ancestors from many years back.
The Green Wall is the separation between the monotony and equality of OneState and the chaos and rebellion of the outside. The people on the inside are all the same; shaved heads and gray-blue uniforms. Those on the outside, however, are all different, skin colors, hair colors, no one is really too groomed, and they are all free to do as they please out here in this unknown forest-like area.
In general a wall indicates a separation from on side to another. In this novel it separates the society filled with people from the people who will take action and rebel. It separates the free thinkers and those who must have mathematical thought processes. It shows a past and present perspective; the way those on the outside are similar to his ancestors and how the inside is this futurized mathematical society. The way D-503 feels he is connected to this hairy hunched ancestor shows where he truly belongs, he just hasn't realized it until he ventures over there.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
We- Review
This dystopian society novel was probably not my favorite of all that we've read, but I enjoyed it for the most part. The element that held my attention was most likely the use of the math and numbers in the society. I am not a numbers person, but I liked the reoccurring use of society simplified to arithmetic in OneState. Each person in this society wasn't a Mike or an Emily, a number was assigned as a name. Women had vowels and even numbers and men had consonant and an odd number. This signified the equality of each person to another. OneState is an equation that is never undefined.
This society is obviously a victim to too much equality in my opinion. No one can be discriminated against for anything they do, say, wear, or how they act in general. While in theory this seems great, similar to other dystopian societies, when it's put into action, the flaws become clear and people begin to rebel. OneState is a society built around math, but the irrational root is ever present.
This was another idea that I liked- the irrational root. For D-503, it was I-330 and for the society in general, it was the unforeseen flaws; the people who were unhappy with the mundane table of hours and the omnipotent benefactor. No matter how perfect a mathematical society is, the irrational numbers are always there hanging over it like a shadow.
In general OneState is a good, exaggerated example of what could happen if we lived in a society entirely controlled by this perfectly equal equation. I was happy with how it ended however. I felt it was necessary for him to receive the operation and become completly emotionless. Although unpleasant, D didn't have much where he was. He worried about al of these emotions and wasted emotions at that. I-330 was just using him for his position and all that confusion and feeings of being lost were wasted on her. He didn't have much to imagine at this point.
This society is obviously a victim to too much equality in my opinion. No one can be discriminated against for anything they do, say, wear, or how they act in general. While in theory this seems great, similar to other dystopian societies, when it's put into action, the flaws become clear and people begin to rebel. OneState is a society built around math, but the irrational root is ever present.
This was another idea that I liked- the irrational root. For D-503, it was I-330 and for the society in general, it was the unforeseen flaws; the people who were unhappy with the mundane table of hours and the omnipotent benefactor. No matter how perfect a mathematical society is, the irrational numbers are always there hanging over it like a shadow.
In general OneState is a good, exaggerated example of what could happen if we lived in a society entirely controlled by this perfectly equal equation. I was happy with how it ended however. I felt it was necessary for him to receive the operation and become completly emotionless. Although unpleasant, D didn't have much where he was. He worried about al of these emotions and wasted emotions at that. I-330 was just using him for his position and all that confusion and feeings of being lost were wasted on her. He didn't have much to imagine at this point.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Anthem Review
As a whole I enjoyed the novel, Anthem. I generally find the dystopian books entertaining and this was no different. I especially like the use of "We" instead of I or me. It seemed to help set this anti-utopia apart from others. Also, it reminded me a lot of a book I read years ago, The City of Ember. Anthem was a simple novel, but it still got its point across of how this altered society can affect its inhabitants into revolting.
The use of "We" in this book, was interesting and a little tough to grasp at first. I had originally thought that it referred to a group of people as "we" does today. But upon learning that it meant just one person and this society had so far stripped each person of individual identity that they didn't even refer to themselves when speaking, but everyone as a whole; it was an odd but clever technique to show the loss of uniqueness and flood of equality and sameness.
All at the beginning I kept thinking of the City of Ember. In that book, the society is underground and slowly loosing its supplies to continue living there. Simply the fact that it was so primeval and happening so far in the future helped me draw comparisons between the two. The underground society takes place after we have run out of all resources and have created this place to live underground to avoid the conflicts of the surface. But the lack of knowledge of the surface and lack of supplies below brings the inhabitants to find a need for escape. In Anthem both Equality and the Golden One thirst for knowledge of a world without this sameness and therefore escape the restrictions.
The simplicity of Anthem was refreshing because even though it was short and sweet, the point was still made. In the mere 100 pages, characters and a setting were introduced, the plot to leave was in place, and the act of leaving the society was carried out. I liked that Rand was able to do this in such a short novel.
The use of "We" in this book, was interesting and a little tough to grasp at first. I had originally thought that it referred to a group of people as "we" does today. But upon learning that it meant just one person and this society had so far stripped each person of individual identity that they didn't even refer to themselves when speaking, but everyone as a whole; it was an odd but clever technique to show the loss of uniqueness and flood of equality and sameness.
All at the beginning I kept thinking of the City of Ember. In that book, the society is underground and slowly loosing its supplies to continue living there. Simply the fact that it was so primeval and happening so far in the future helped me draw comparisons between the two. The underground society takes place after we have run out of all resources and have created this place to live underground to avoid the conflicts of the surface. But the lack of knowledge of the surface and lack of supplies below brings the inhabitants to find a need for escape. In Anthem both Equality and the Golden One thirst for knowledge of a world without this sameness and therefore escape the restrictions.
The simplicity of Anthem was refreshing because even though it was short and sweet, the point was still made. In the mere 100 pages, characters and a setting were introduced, the plot to leave was in place, and the act of leaving the society was carried out. I liked that Rand was able to do this in such a short novel.
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