power/politics

• chap 28 'when they shot the president and machine-gunned the congress' :political system
• corruption of power: Jezabels is symbol of corruption chap 37 by hypocricy
• 'Remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power'Offred, Chapter 23

  • reflecting on her encounter with the Commander in which he asks her to kiss him like she means it

  Analysis

  • She is challenging the reader to think of forgiveness, which is often seen as a kind gesture, as corrupted and used as way of holding power over someone
  • The Commander’s position of power allows him to break the rules and be forgiven for it
  • However, if Offred were to break the rules, she would be subject to much harsher consequences
• “It’s difficult for me to believe I have power over him, of any sort, but I do; although it’s of an equivocal kind”  Offred, Chapter 32

  Meaning and context

  • This quote is said by Offred about the shifting power dynamics between her and the Commander

  Analysis

  • Offred acknowledges that she does have some power in the situation, but the true nature of their relationship is unclear
  • This demonstrates that having power over someone is a struggle: one person can have it, and the other must fight for it
• “She is looking straight at me. We can see into each other’s eyes”  Offred, Chapter 27

  Meaning and context

  • This quote is said by Offred when she and Ofglen are stood outside the shop window

  Analysis

  • Mirrors and glass are important symbols, showing truth and reflection
  • Offred and Ofglen’s reflections in the window symbolise their similarities and their role as each other’s equals
  • They are able to connect with each other as equals, in a world in which connections are forbidden:
  • This is empowering - they are able to find power with each other
• “But find out and tell us.”

  “Anything you can”  Offred and Ofglen, Chapter 35

  Ofglen learns of Offred’s relationship with the Commander

  • Information is power, and Ofglen seizes any opportunity to obtain information that may help the Mayday cause
  • The gaining of information can be an act of resistance to those in power who control the information
  • By wanting to work together, Ofglen wants to use the power of comradeship to gain power over the oppressors
• Power

  The ability to make others do what you would have them do
• Four ways power can be expressed

  • Power Over
  • Power With
  • Power To
  • Power Within
• Power Over

  • Associated with coercion, force, and corruption
  • A situation where having power means taking power from someone else
  • Can perpetrate inequality and injustice
• Power With

  • Collaborative
  • Working with others together to achieve a common goal
• Power To

  • Individualistic
  • A person's potential to make change
  • A person's agency and ability to make change
  • Wants people to realise they have power to shape their own life
• Power Within

  • Individualistic
  • A person's potential to make change
  • A person's agency and ability to make change
  • Wants people to realise they have power to shape their own life
• The Commander

  Symbol of power over
• Ofglen

  Symbol of power with
• Moira

  Symbol of power to
• Offred


  Symbol of power within
• The Commander: '"A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do something that B would not otherwise do."'
• The Commander and Offred's relationship

  Example of "power over"
• The Commander is an archetype of power
• Even though Offred and The Commander are familiar and comfortable with each other at times, he always has power over her and can make her do things that she would not otherwise do
• Offred: '"Remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest [...] Maybe it isn't about who can sit and who has to kneel or stand or lie down, legs spread open. Maybe it's about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing"'
• This scene challenges the reader to think of forgiveness as a tool for power
• The phrase "legs spread open" is an allusion to Offred's role as a Handmaid, as she is in this physical position during The Ceremony. It is meant to convey Offred's sense of powerlessness
• The Commander's position of power allows him to break the rules and be forgiven for it. If Offred were to break the rules, however, she would likely have much harsher consequences due to her role as a Handmaid
• Offred: '"the Commander could give me away so easily, by a look, by a gesture"'
• This quote shows how Offred's relationship with The Commander puts her in a vulnerable and powerless position. She cannot tell him no, but she must live with the possibility that he could give her away to the authorities, which would likely lead to her being sent to the Colonies
• Between Offred and The Commander, only Offred is under the constant threat of death for breaking the rules
• This exemplifies how Offred's fate is not in her control, and The Commander's power over her dictates her survival
• Offred: '"It's difficult for me to believe I have power over him, of any sort, but I do; although it's of an equivocal kind"'
• She acknowledges that she does have some power in the situation, but that it is "equivocal" and the true nature of their relationship is unclear
• This shows how "power over" is always a struggle: one person can have it, and others must fight for it
• Offred: '"The fact is that I don't want to be alone with him, not on a bed [...] But my silence does not deter him [...] The trouble is that I can't be, with him, any different from the way I usually am with him"'
• Offred expresses that she does not "want to be alone" with The Commander. In this situation, they are both away from the formalities and restrictions of their roles, but The Commander still has power over Offred
• Even though the situation and environment have changed, Offred "can't be [...] any different" which shows how The Commander has power over her, regardless of where they are
• Because The Commander still has power over Offred in this situation, she cannot directly say no. Instead, Offred is silent, and tries to use her body language to let The Commander know she's uncomfortable. The Commander, however, realises he still has power over her, ignores her signals, and forces her to have sex
• In Gilead, Handmaids are prevented from forming friendships or alliances with one another. This is a way to ensure that they remain oppressed, and cannot unite and rebel against Gilead
• Ofglen and Offred's relationship, however, demonstrates the potential power of companionship and alliances (i.e. power with), and exemplifies what Gilead is trying to prevent
• Offred: '"Now I shift my gaze. What I see is not the machines, but Ofglen, reflected in the glass of the window. She's looking straight at me. We can see into each other's eyes."'
• Mirrors and glass are an important symbol in literature. They are meant to show truth and spiritual/physical reflection
• Offred and Ofglen's reflection in the window is meant to symbolise their similarities and their role as each others' equals