In The Handmaid's Tale, the idea of freedom is brought up time and time again in the context of a society where all citizens are stripped of their basic freedoms and placed in an environment of rigid control. An intriguing question which is raised throughout the novel in this: Is it better to have the freedom to do what we wish, even if it may cause destruction, or is it better to have another choose what is best for us? As Americans, we value our freedom greatly, and cling to the ideals of justice and equality- none of which can be found in Gilead. Their society attacks these ideals as worthless, and even harmful, chosing instead to create a societal structure which exploits women and restricts men as well, which is ironically, much worse than the problems which they sought to solve. In one part of the story, Aunt Lydia summarizes their skewed mentality, saying "There is more than one kind of freedom...Freedom to and freedom from. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it" (Atwood 24). Later in the story, Offred mentions that "Yesterday was July the 4th, which used to be Independence Day, before they abolished it" (199). The abolishing of Independence Day is symbolic of the abolishing of independence itself. The characters in this novel are not permitted to make any choices regarding their own lives, nor are they allowed to have any individuality or uniqueness. The mentality of this society is that people cannot obtain happiness on their own; they need authority figures to lead them to happiness by the creation of rules and restrictions. As human beings with free will, we know that happiness essentially cannot exist without freedom, and with freedom comes the ability to make mistakes and cause pain. Margaret Atwood conveys this idea in novel through the use of satire. The character of Moira exemplifies a desire for freedom and a rebellious nature. Moira refuses to conform and break under the pressure of her society no matter how they may try to oppress her. "Moira was like an elevator with open sides. She made us dizzy. Already we were losing the taste for freedom, already we were finding these walls secure" (133). At times, it the characters may feel that it is easier to give up their freedom and let someone else live for them when it seems that there is no hope of ever escaping or being happy again. Moira, however, exemplifies a basic human desire for freedom, independence, and individuality in her willingness to fight for these things, even to the point of risking her own life.
"No mother is ever, completely, a child's idea of what a mother should be, and I suppose it works the other way around as well" (181). This was my favorite line in this novel. This line really made me pause for a moment and consider just how true it is. One thing that struck me about this story is that there are very few lasting and true relationships involved in the plot- the nature of the society makes it virtually impossible. In a novel that was very difficult to relate to, this line really affected me and connected to my own life. The relationship between a mother and a child is one of the most beautiful and yet complicated things, and this line effectively captures that idea. I felt that this quote made an unrealistic story a bit more personal and emotional. I found this line to be refreshingly honest and insightful, and it made me think of my own relationship with my mother.
Overall, I liked this novel and I thought it was very thought-provoking. I'm not sure that this is a novel I would have chosen to read on my own, however, I think that it had many valid points, and it made them in a very captivating and convincing manner. Initially, the disturbing and violent elements of the plot line (and there were certainly plenty) made me strongly dislike this story. Though I still dislike those scenes, having read the whole story, I now understand how the author used them to make more of an impact, and as part of an exaggeration to make her main points. I like this novel because I feel that is raised a lot of questions that are very relevant to our world today- about freedom, about gender roles, religion, and other traditions, and about the need to question traditionally held beliefs. I like the way Atwood uses a very dramatic plot to reveal her views to the reader, rather than just coming out and stating them, and she allows the reader to question and debate these issues. Though I also didn't like the ending, which I felt was very anti-climatic, I can appreciate the style of the work as a whole and the themes that Atwood conveys.
Monday, November 1, 2010
We
Yevgeny Zamyatin, in his novel We, provides a commentary on human nature, particularly, our search for love and happiness. In order to do this, he creates a society in which any abstract concept- anger, sadness, happiness, love, sympathy, etc.- must not exist at all if it cannot be mathematically quantified. At the start of the story, D-503 lives by the regimented rules of OneState, as a human being who has virtually no human characteristics. Although he has no emotion, he still believes he is happy. As his friend R says, “We are the happiest of arithmetical means…As you people put it: integrated from zero to infinity, from the cretin to Shakespeare” (Zamyatin 43). As the novel continues, D-503 slowly discovers and is overwhelmed by emotion, and struggles especially with the ideas of love and happiness, two major themes of the book. R provides more twisted insight, saying “Those two in paradise, they were offered a choice: happiness without freedom, or freedom without happiness, nothing else. Those idiots chose freedom. And then what? Then for centuries they were homesick for the chains. That’s why the world was so miserable, see?” (61). While R believes that one can have either happiness or freedom, but never both, the truth that D-503 learns is that happiness cannot exist without freedom. It is impossible to be happy without some amount of sadness and pain in life, and one must be free to ask questions and to search for fulfillment. Happiness is not something that can be handed to another, or forced on someone- it must be searched for. The idea of love in a love-less society also comes into play in this story. As I-330 tells D-503, “You’re afraid of it because it’s stronger than you, you hate it because you’re afraid of it, you love it because you can’t master it. You can only love something that refuses to be mastered” (71). The idea that there is anything in the world that cannot be mastered by math and science is a completely new one to D-503, and perhaps part of the reason why he is so confused by his feelings for I. For the first time in his life, D comes to the realization that love is not something that can be controlled or measured or rationed out using pink tickets- it is complex and painful times, and it refuses to follow any rules. The Benefactor tries to simplify things for him. “What is it that people beg for dream about, torment themselves for, from the time they leave swaddling clothes? They want someone to tell them, once and for all, what happiness is- and then to bind them to that happiness with a chain” (207). What he doesn’t realize is that it is impossible to hand someone happiness without the pain and struggle that come intertwined with it.
My favorite quote in the novel is, “Can it be that everyone harbors the kind of pain that can be extracted only along with the heart…?” (91). This line has many layers of meaning and a great amount of truth. This line represents D-503’s realization that perhaps he is not the only person in his society with the curse of a soul and the burden of emotion. He has come to realize that all the math equations lay out the laws of their society do not equal happiness, but only serve to repress the emotion and thoughts that lay just below the surface. Each member of this society is walking around with some kind of pain in their heart- whether it results from millions of unanswered questions and impossible thoughts, or a lack thereof. With such emphasis on the great Operation to remove all imaginations, this line suggests that emotion is not something to be simply removed, but rather, something that is at the very core of human existence. This line is a stark contrast to the sentiments and language used at the start of the story, which were completely devoid of any notion of love, pain, and anything associated with the heart. It also emerges from the confusion that is created by his newfound thoughts and emotions as one clear and profound truth.
As a whole, I disliked this novel because of its writing style and the plot line. The story was written from the first person perspective and gave the reader the feeling of being inside the mind of D-503. This was helpful in understanding the mentality of this society for the first several “records” in the novel, however, once D-503 obtained a soul, his thoughts became more and more disorganized, and I felt trapped in his very confused and perhaps slightly delusional mind. At times, the progression of thoughts and events flowed smoothly and logically, but at other times, completely unrelated ideas would pop up in the midst of the narration, and the actual events of the story became unclear as they got lost in the fog of D-503’s thoughts. I felt as though I was missing some major events and key points in the novel because of the way in which the story was written using stream of consciousness, particularly towards the end of the novel. I also disliked the characters because the majority of the time, it was impossible to relate to them in any way. This society was so far removed from my own reality that it felt as though it could not possibly exist. Even when D-503 began to feel emotions, they came with such intensity and such confusion, and in the context of such an unrealistic lifestyle, that it was impossible to relate to anything in this novel. At the most, I could appreciate the author’s message regarding freedom and human nature, and I found several quotes that I really enjoyed.
My favorite quote in the novel is, “Can it be that everyone harbors the kind of pain that can be extracted only along with the heart…?” (91). This line has many layers of meaning and a great amount of truth. This line represents D-503’s realization that perhaps he is not the only person in his society with the curse of a soul and the burden of emotion. He has come to realize that all the math equations lay out the laws of their society do not equal happiness, but only serve to repress the emotion and thoughts that lay just below the surface. Each member of this society is walking around with some kind of pain in their heart- whether it results from millions of unanswered questions and impossible thoughts, or a lack thereof. With such emphasis on the great Operation to remove all imaginations, this line suggests that emotion is not something to be simply removed, but rather, something that is at the very core of human existence. This line is a stark contrast to the sentiments and language used at the start of the story, which were completely devoid of any notion of love, pain, and anything associated with the heart. It also emerges from the confusion that is created by his newfound thoughts and emotions as one clear and profound truth.
As a whole, I disliked this novel because of its writing style and the plot line. The story was written from the first person perspective and gave the reader the feeling of being inside the mind of D-503. This was helpful in understanding the mentality of this society for the first several “records” in the novel, however, once D-503 obtained a soul, his thoughts became more and more disorganized, and I felt trapped in his very confused and perhaps slightly delusional mind. At times, the progression of thoughts and events flowed smoothly and logically, but at other times, completely unrelated ideas would pop up in the midst of the narration, and the actual events of the story became unclear as they got lost in the fog of D-503’s thoughts. I felt as though I was missing some major events and key points in the novel because of the way in which the story was written using stream of consciousness, particularly towards the end of the novel. I also disliked the characters because the majority of the time, it was impossible to relate to them in any way. This society was so far removed from my own reality that it felt as though it could not possibly exist. Even when D-503 began to feel emotions, they came with such intensity and such confusion, and in the context of such an unrealistic lifestyle, that it was impossible to relate to anything in this novel. At the most, I could appreciate the author’s message regarding freedom and human nature, and I found several quotes that I really enjoyed.
**Technical Difficulties**
I'm currently having a lot of technical difficulties with this blog. As in, I typed up a whole wonderful thing about "We" in a word document, but every time I try to copy paste it onto this blog, it refuses to work and closes out the internet on my computer. Clearly I am not meant to do this assignment. Except that I already did it. So...if the "We" blog never does appear on here, it will be because I have no idea how to work technology, and I'm very sorry. In the meantime, if anyone reads this and wants to comment with ideas on how to fix it, that would be great and would really save my sanity. Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)