gender roles

• women in positions of power are controlled. women also control other women
• aunt lydia= 'cattle prod' not a gun like the angles/ eyes

  serena joy= once supported the regime and its religious ideas but is now trapped by it

  moira= although she escaped so still works to please men in the regime
• 'something for them to order and maintain' ch 3, gardens
• 'feel that i could not come into the house unless she said so' ch 3, front door
• 'this number's not valid' 'we're cut off' ch 28, money
• 'just like the other one a slut' ch 45
• 'teach her a lesson' x3 ch 13
• 'she is in control' ch 16
• 'there wasn't a lot of choice but there was some' ch 16
• commander maintains his power through his gender. 'better never means better for everyone' ch 32. despite his and offreds growing relationship it is clear her uses her as instrument for personal pleasure 'fake it i scream at myself' ch 39
• luke is suppose to be the opposite of the commander and show a time of equality for offred before the regime. however, he is also mysoginistic at times. finding serena joy 'funny' as he understands he will never be subjected to her ideas and also that he doesn't respect her. but offred finds her 'frightening'
• nick and offred potentially have the most equal relationship as he is of a 'lower class' too. a 'servant' who hasnt 'been issued a woman' as if women are seen as a currency to be traded. even when they sleep together he 'gets paid' for it and if they were to get caught he is less likely to be severly punished