Reading up to half of the book, I was shocked at how the story was being told. I knew that Offred was there to hopefully give birth to a healthy baby. However, I wasn’t expecting that the wife of the Commander would be there to witness the whole thing! When the book describes the sex scene, it tells us how the Wife is sitting behind the Handmaid holding her hands as the Commander basically plows into her, “fucking the lower part of her body”. Offred asked the question, “which of us is it worse for, her or me?” And that is a question I don’t think anyone could answer. There is the Wife - sitting there watching her man fuck another women so that she can have his kid, while holding the other woman’s hand! How could anyone do that? And to be the other woman, Offred, sits there and takes it, almost as if it’s a job. She is seen as an object to them. There to use her woman parts. The question is hard to answer, and like I said I don’t think anyone really could!
Another thing about this part of the book that interested me was when Offred talks about Luke and what she believes has happened to him. She describes a few different ideas and images in her head about where he is, what he looks like, what he’s doing, etc. All of which are very different. One he is lying dead in a ditch, shot in the head. Another he ran away and his hiding out. And that he has going to send her a message. She believes all of it! They’re all so different scenarios, but to keep her sane and not surprised when she finds out what actually did happen to him, it makes it easier for her to believe everything possible. I think I would go insane!!
No comments:
Post a Comment