We: Analysis, Quote, & Thoughts

      A somewhat minor, although important, symbol in the novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is hair. Zamyatin uses this symbol to create contrast between the strict, mathematical society of OneState, and the barbaric “rebels” on the other side of the green wall. In OneState, each person must shave his head. Through this image, Zamyatin provides a feeling of bareness and conformity. This can be associated with the lack of creation and imagination in OneState. Opposing this image is the image of hair, which represents wildness. Through out the novel, D-503 complains about his unnaturally hairy hands. As the novel progresses, and D-503 becomes more and more frazzled, this image emphasizes his lack of control. Hair as a symbol also appears when I-330 takes D-503 to the other side of the wall. The people he meets are covered with a fine layer of hair from head to toe. This emphasizes the wildness and freedom that these people have about them.

The quote that I found most interesting from We is:

            “All my madness seemed to be blown away from me all of a sudden. I was me again. One thing was clear: I hated her, I hated her, I hated her!”

I found this quote humorous because the way D-503 acted towards his feelings for I-330 reminded me of the way a child would act. The feelings of love and seduction that I-330 shows towards him are completely foreign to D-503, so he rejects them. Once he is his “normal” self again, he declares three times that he hates I-330, when it is quite obvious that he actually loves her. He just does not know how to act towards those feelings.

      Overall, I did not really enjoy reading We. Although the overall topic was intriguing, I found it hard to follow at times, and I had to re-read chapters very often. I also found myself getting very frustrated at D-503’s ideas and statements. However, I did like how the sentence structure became more disoriented as D-503 became more and more confused. Because it was written in a journal entry format, I found this to be very effective at illustrating what D-503 was going through.

The Handmaid's Tale: Favorite Passage & Thoughts

A quote that I found interesting from The Handmaid’s Tale is the description of the FAITH pillow:

I go to the window and sit on the window seat, which is too narrow for comfort. There’s a hard little cushion on it, with a petit point cover: FAITH, in square print, surrounded by a wreath of lilies. FAITH is a faded blue, the leaves of the lilies a dingy green. This is a cushion once used elsewhere, worn but not enough to throw out. Somehow it’s been overlooked. (Atwood 57)

In this passage, Margaret Atwood characterizes the faith in Gilead through the description of a single pillow. The tone she creates with words like “narrow,” “square,” “faded,” and “dingy,” show how much true faith has been overlooked in Gilead. Religion in this society has as little faith as possible. People buy mass produced “Soul Scrolls” from machines that read in sharp metallic voices, and parts of prayers are constantly removed from sermons. This is very ironic considering the fact that Gilead is a theocracy. This quote shows that this treatment towards religion has taken a toll on the faith in the society. It has been worn out to the point where it is “dingy” and “faded.” However, the last few lines saying that the pillow has been overlooked show that even though the faith has been worn out, it still exists in some people.  

All in all, I really enjoyed reading The Handmaid’s Tale. The plot and concepts kept my attention throughout the whole novel. While the novel was not exactly happy, I did love the descriptions and imagery that Margaret Atwood used. My favorite description is when Offred is talking about her past life and she says, “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories” (57). I enjoyed the image that Atwood conveyed through this description. I also liked the flashbacks that she used to tell Offred’s story before she was a handmaid. These were very effective in that they made the contrast between Offred’s old life and new life sharper. They also made me have more admiration for Offred to know what she went through in the past. Because I enjoyed this book, it let me form a deeper connection to Offred than I otherwise would not have been able to do. With this in mind, I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the novel.

The Handmaid's Tale: Analysis of the Historical Notes

In my opinion, the historical notes included at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, provide an interesting and thought-provoking conclusion to the novel. Loosely speaking, these notes, which are written in the format of a college lecture and take place in the year 2195, act as an epilogue to Offred’s story. Margaret Atwood provides the reader with a vague description of how Offred’s story ended, and some details as to who the Commander was. However, Atwood did not choose to include these notes merely to provide details otherwise not mentioned. Instead, Margaret Atwood uses this section to comment on the continuous nature of humans to criticize previous societies existing before them.

            Each part of the historical notes contribute to Atwood’s point; the analytical speech of the professors, the titles of the organizations (i.e. the Gileadean Research Association), the laughter scattered through out, and even the name of the college, as in, the University of Denay, Nunavit (kind of ironic, huh?). Each of these provides the historical notes with a satirical tone. The lecture opens with recreational announcements, letting the reader know that this lecture, in a sense, is also just for recreational purposes. The professors crack jokes about missing lunch, and the audience laughs, even groans, at points when descriptions of the society are given. This laughter gives the people attending the lecture an air of arrogance. It shows that they look down upon the society of Gilead, and that they feel their current society is far more superior. These people could care less about the hardships that women like Offred lived through in Gilead, whereas, we as readers, feel as though we developed a personal connection to her, and become slightly offended at the analytical approach that this lecture takes towards Offred’s story.

            The historical notes also contribute a great deal of irony, which assists in further highlighting the main concept that Atwood conveys. Through out The Handmaid’s Tale, the ruling officials in Gilead believed that their society was exact, and they endlessly deemed ideas from the previous society to be wrong. However, here in the historical notes, the same thing is being done to Gilead. By demonstrating this, Margaret Atwood shows that society moves in never-ending loop; one society gives way to another, which thinks itself to be superior, and then that society gives way to another and the loop continues. While successfully conveying this concept, the historical notes in The Handmaid’s Tale, also show how easily a personal story like Offred’s can be forgotten in this chaotic loop, allowing a greater appreciation for the novel.

Now… Are there any questions?