Ava Tran

The Handmaid's Tale Analysis

​

It is obvious who generally has the most power, but from Offred’s point of view, everyone has some sort of power, and even though it’s unclear exactly how much, even Offred and the other handmaids have some form of power. While the commanders seem to have the most authority, Offred still constantly finds ways to continue to still have some amount of power. Offred is always finding ways to rebel, and even though they often go unnoticed, she still has that sense of power from knowing something that no one else knows. Towards the beginning of the book on page 22, Offred states, “As we walk away I know they’re watching, the two men who aren’t yet permitted to touch women. They touch with their eyes instead and I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me. It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a fence or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach, and I’m ashamed of myself for doing it, because none of this is the fault of these men, they’re too young. Then I find I’m not ashamed after all. I enjoy the power; power of a dog bone, passive but there.” This quote explains, that even though the interaction was small, Offred was able to find power in that situation, by slightly bending the rules. In the quote, she explains that even though she knew that what she did was considered to be wrong, she didn’t regret what she did, because she was able to have that sense of power, that she’s technically not permitted to have anymore.

Another example of how Offred puts herself in a position of power is when she starts sleeping with Nick, without Serena Joy knowing. A quote from page 270 states, “If I were caught there would be no quarter, but I’m beyond caring. And how have I come to trust him like this, which is foolhardy in itself? How can I assume I know him, or the least thing about him and what he really does? I dismiss these uneasy whispers. I talk too much. I tell him things I shouldn’t.” This quote explains that even though Offred knows that if she’s caught with Nick the consequences expected are severe, she’s willing to take the risk. The way that Offred maintains a state of power is by breaking the rules, without having anybody know that she has. When Serena Joy had first asked Offred to try to have a baby with Nick, rather than the commander, Offred had explained how it seemed like Serena was somehow putting her into a position of power, by making it acceptable for her in this situation to no longer abide by the rules. Not only did Offred receive a sense of power when Serena had asked her, but when she had made the decision to start going to see Nick by herself, she was able to have a greater sense of power, knowing that she knew something that she couldn’t let anyone else know. In this particular passage, I found it interesting how Offred began to doubt herself. In the first passage I had chosen, Offred explains how she didn’t feel guilty about what she had done, while in this passage she begins to doubt herself by questioning whether she made the right decision. Ultimately, Offred had come to the conclusion that having that connection with Nick was worth having to possibly face the consequences, but she had explained that she knows what she did was wrong, and how it was a bad story. In my opinion, since Offred was expected to follow a strict daily routine, the fact that she took matters into her own hands and chose to rebel against the system shows that she was able to find her own personal sense of power, by going against what she was expected to do, as a handmaid.