a. A symbol from the The Handmaid’s Tale which particularly contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole is the game of Scrabble. Played during furtive evening meetings between Offred and her Commander, Scrabble represents a vestige of name-brand material reminiscent of pre-Gilead society. While the popular identifications of theaters, movies, cosmetics, and local shops have been replaced with designations such as “Soul Scrolls” or even rudimentary illustrations, Scrabble, with its commercial title, persists. However, besides its element of familiarity from the past society that Offred so dearly misses, Scrabble also serves to convey important information on the purpose of the novel: that women possess a high level of sophistication, and are fully capable of acquiring a position of power.
Gilead’s mantra is that it that it protects women from the atrocities of “modern society”; atrocities which are portended by female’s supposed lack of intellect and inherent gender inferiority. As a consequence of this, Gilead confines women to tasks consistent with the focal stereotypes of their gender: cooking, cleaning, and becoming pregnant. Additionally, in association with their supposed lack of intelligence, women are prohibited from reading or writing. However, when the Commander invites Offred to play Scrabble in his office, Offred beats the Commander with ease; facilely playing elevated words such as sylph, prolix, larynx, or zygote. Additionally, in cleverly governing her environment, she even allows the Commander to win in a second round. Offred’s academic sophistication is juxtaposed with the Commander’s intellectual inability to perceive the insinuations that his female opponent forms with merely tiles on a board game. Scrabble plays an important part in emphasizing the meaning of a work as a whole, as the game illustrates that a women can not only be more sophisticated than a man, but can also be more powerful than him.
b. My favorite quote from The Handmaid’s Tale is from the epilogue, “Historical Notes on The Handmaid’s Tale”:
He could have, of course, assassinated her himself, which might have been the wise course, but the human heart remains a factor, and as we know, both of them thought that she might be pregnant by him. What male of the Gilead period could resist the possibility of fatherhood, so redolent of status, so highly prized? Instead, he called in a rescue team of Eyes, who may or may not have been authentic but in any case were under his orders. (Atwood 311)
This passage, near the epilogue, discusses Nick, the Gilead guardian and Offred’s subject of affection, revealing his association with the Eyes and making some more direct statements on his involvement with Offred’s removal. I like this passage because I believe more is revealed about the vulnerability of Gilead in it than in any other point in the novel. Throughout the story, Gilead is feared as an intimidating, infallible force; not entirely invulnerable to minor, covert infractions, but potent in promoting its rules. The gruesome spectacle of the bodies hanging from the Wall, the cult-like methods of the Salvagings, and the uncertainty surrounding the capacities of the Eyes, serve the purpose of accelerating Gilead’s ruthlessness. Meanwhile, Nick, an Eye as opposed to a Guardian groundskeeper, is portrayed as having components of emotion and affection. While Nick could have simply been saving himself for his relationship with a Handmaid, Nick utilizes his status to instead give Offred a method of escape, pregnant or not; assumedly from Gilead. Nick’s rejection of Gilead control, whether for personal motives or not, represents the first step in the break down of the society’s rigid codes.
c. Overall, I believe Margaret Atwood did an excellent job conveying her opinions on the modern treatment of women through a wide variety of symbols, metaphors, allusions, and potent characterization. While I personally was not fully intrigued by the concept or plot of the book, I do value it as respectable social commentary.
