Lit Log #2: Reader Response

The wall scene in The Handmaid’s Tale struck me as the most shocking and revealing moment in the book. The red-brick Wall is introduced in chapter 6 when Offred and Ofglen return home from a grocery run. They both pass this wall on their way home and are fixated on what they see: “Six more bodies hanging, by the necks, their heads tied in front of them. (32)” The red-brick Wall separates Gilead from the outside world. Citizens of Gilead who break the laws of this society are hung from the wall with a white bag around their heads, as described. On each body, a sign is hung around their neck indicating the reason for their execution.

My initial reaction to this scene was shock. Even though it was already inferred throughout the book that Gilead is a strict and harshly governed society, I didn’t expect a public showcase of dead bodies on a brick wall. These bodies represent a disturbing symbol for enforcing the laws of Gilead. The body’s identities were concealed and the only explicit message associated with each body was the crime they committed. This draws a direct correlation to why they were executed. Anyone who values their life in Gilead is inclined to follow the rules because the bodies are examples of what happens when you don’t: “They have committed atrocities and must be made into examples for the rest. (33)” In addition to this, seeing a dead body can be traumatizing, making the whole experience hard to forget. Covering the faces of the dead takes attention away from their identity, reducing them to figures of defiance. The bodies hanging from the wall symbolize the repercussions of not following the laws of Gilead

The consequences of not following the rules can vary. Sometimes they result in death or serious injuries. One day, in middle school, I was walking to my bus stop and saw a car totaled into a brick wall, about waist high. I asked a man nearby what happened and he told me that the man in the car was on his phone and wasn't paying attention to the road. The same man told me the driver was also arrested. When I saw the crash I was shocked and a bit scared. I remember thinking the driver was an idiot and that I didn't ever want to be in his position. It’s moments like these that stick with me. Before seeing the crash, I knew that nobody should be on their phone while driving but never saw the direct consequences. Following this day, I would more often call out my sister, mother, or brother if I saw them on their phones while driving. Seeing the crash in person made me take driving safety more seriously.

I resonate with the wall scene in The Handmaid's Tale because Margret Atwood's narration is closely connected to how I felt when I saw the car crash. Both moments depicted the consequences of breaking the law. I felt shocked by seeing the car crash but didn't feel bad for the man who crashed into the wall. On page 33, Atwood writes, “What we are supposed to feel towards these bodies is hatred and scorn.” Atwood explains that the people of Gilead should feel hatred towards those who don't abide by the laws. I wouldn't say that I felt hatred towards the driver but anger towards him because of his recklessness. I wasn't worried about the driver at all. The society we live in and Gilead punish those who disobey the laws and as citizens, it's our responsibility to know what they are. The driver was arrested and the citizens of Gilead were executed. If you decide to not follow the law, as the driver did, you may face the consequences of your actions. I initially struggled to accept why I felt no remorse for the driver but I quickly understood it was no one else but his fault. Everyone is in control of their actions and by choosing to challenge or disobey the rules, whether you think it's correct or not, you're putting yourself at risk.

Lit Log #2 Close Reading:

In chapter 31 of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood gives the readers a deeper look into the inner thoughts of Offred and her struggle through vivid imagery and deep thoughts. The first thing that I notice is that the chapter starts with her repetitive thoughts. Atwood writes, “In the morning I will wake up in my own house and things will be back the way they were.”(199) This line immediately stuck out to me because not only does this particular repetition of wanting to escape this reality she’s in give us a look into how hopeless she feels, but also how repetitive her life in Gilead is, with no sign of improvement or change in the near future. Atwood contrasts this desire of hers with her realization that, “It hasn’t happened this morning, either.” The way that both of these sentences connect with each other in an emotionally broken way is while the first sentence expresses hope and goals, while the second lets the reader know that it is unfulfilled.

The vocabulary and diction are also incredibly important and significant to my understanding of Offred’s character as well. When Offred takes time to describe what summer feels like to her Atwood uses words such as “Breathless” and “Sauna” (199) which automatically struck me first. Breathless not only speak on her how one could lose breath in the hot and warm days but also how she’s being suffocated by her own thoughts in her room trapped and enclosed like how one would be in a sauna. She then writes about how Independence Day was “abolished” (199) which puts emphasis on how her own freedom was as well.I think that another double meaning word she used would be on page 200 when she writes “I’d ike to have Luke here, in this bedroom” she then later mentions an inevitable egg which she refers to being “Lukewarm” like her room. I think that she puts a double meaning on that word because the closest feeling she has to Luke being with her in her bedroom in the summer is the egg.

Atwood’s use of discerning patterns in this book are also very interesting to the readers as well. In this particular section from chapter 31, Atwood’s sentence structure when in reference to Offred’s despair usually includes a lot of punctuation, such as periods, dashes, and commas which creates a tension to the readers with pauses which make the readers understand and break down her feelings more. “I bend over to do up my red shoes; lighter weight these days, with discreet slits cut in them, though nothing so daring as sandals.” (199) Then she uses different types of writing like narration and description which is seen throughout the whole book to help vividly put us into the thoughts of Offred and her experiences. There seems to be paradoxes when it comes to her wanting her independence so badly while being trapped in a place that doesn’t allow that.

In terms of point of view and characterization in this book the readers are being told from the first person perspective of offred. She comes off as an unreliable narrator at times due to her constantly switching between memories of the past and what’s happening in the present. This not only confuses the readers and builds up tension but it also gives the readers another view into offreds psychological state as well. She says, “ I decide I’m only having an attack of sentimentality, my brain going pastel Technicolor, like the beautiful-sunset greeting cards they used to make so many of in California. High-gloss hearts.” (200) This quote shows us more of her struggle when it comes to trying to forget and remember her past while adapting to her issue in the present. Her use of imagery by saying “my brain going pastel Technicolor” and comparing them to old happy greeting cards contrasts to her dull and empty life in Gilead with an emotional disconnection to her brighter past. This really brings the readers into thinking is she starting to slowly lose her mind?

And lastly what really piqued my interest was when she mentioned the “wreath on the ceiling” (200) which to me really was a good way to further describe her entrapment. She calls it a frozen halo, which really a halo is known as a symbol of holiness but to call it frozen, is she saying her purity and wellbeing is also held captive like her in the room?

United in Grief

In chapter 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale Offred and Ofglen are walking the Red Center leaving All Flesh. Ofglen tells Offred that she wants to pass by the church, and Offred narrates what she sees as she walks to give the reader an idea of what the area looks like. There’s a boat house where they used to keep the sculls, some bridges, trees, green banks, and places to sit down and look over the water. They pass by a football stadium and finally reach the church. They don’t enter but stand on the path looking in the churchyard. They stand there for a while before turning around to see the truth they have come to see: the Wall. The Wall is hundreds of years old with a gate, floodlights mounted on posts, and broken glass on the top. Near the getaway are six bodies hanging from hooks mounted into the wall. They are hung there to represent fear, disobedience, and truth. Offred says “Perhaps I’ve become used to them,” (32), which is incredible because to forget that people were hung for the world to see, shows how normalized it has become.

I chose to represent the Wall for my artwork because I wanted to visually represent the horrors that they are seeing. Offred mentions that “it doesn’t matter if we look. We’re supposed to look.” (32). This reminds me how they don’t have free will and even if they didn’t look, the bodies would still be there. They go from seeing beautiful scenery to snapping back to their reality. Each body hanging has committed “atrocities” and as Offred puts it, “must be made into examples for the rest.” (33). I imagined the Wall to be a simple brick structure and not be an architectural achievement because it was there to prevent access and show what happens to the disciplined.

I couldn’t pinpoint Offred’s face when she saw the Wall because she had become accustomed to it and it was just another stop on her journey. Instead, I chose to have her face the Wall to show that she is in deep thought about the Wall and how it leads to describing every part of it. She mentions one of the worst parts of the hanging: the white bags around their head. She describes them as “scarecrows” and says that, “ in a way is what they are, since they are meant to scare.” (32). The bodies are meant to strike fear into the disobedient and serve as a reminder of what happens to those who don’t follow the rules. She settles on a body that has a red mark around where the mouth must’ve been, in the shape of a smile. I didn’t focus on this detail much because I found it less relevant to what the Wall represented than what it might have contributed to Offred’s inner thoughts.

I used a simple color palette to show that color that has fled from their world from all the agony and torment. I kept her dress dark red because she had described it as the color of blood and her veil white to show the color symbolizes religious commitment and for dedication ceremonies like those of the births. I kept the rest of the world a grayish color because I felt as if it lacked color. After all, seeing a saturated world didn’t matter to the Republic anymore. I wanted to capture the overwhelming sense of fear and submission that the Wall has in The Handmaid’s Tale. The Wall isn’t just a symbol of punishment but a brutal reminder of how power can dehumanize and strip one of their individuality. Their faces are kept hidden, stripping away who they are just to be a mere warning to others.

Through my artwork, I want viewers to feel the silence around the Wall as a stillness that reflects both the regime’s control and the passivity it forces upon its people. I wanted viewers and readers alike to realize that even if there was a large change in power in Gilead, they could not save them. The bodies will continue to hang there—with white bags around their heads to silence their voices, united in grief.