Our starter questions

[Torri]

Here are the questions we are using to start our discussion. Thanks, again, to Kelly for finding these!
(source: www.penguinrandomhouse.com )

1. The novel begins with three epigraphs. What are their functions?

2. In Gilead, women are categorized as wives, handmaids, Marthas, or Aunts, but Moira refuses to fit into a niche. Offred says she was like an elevator with open sides who made them dizzy, she was their fantasy. Trace Moira's role throughout the tale to determine what she symbolizes.

3. Aunt Lydia, Janine, and Offred's mother also represent more than themselves. What do each of their characters connote? What do the style and color of their clothes symbolize?

4. At one level, The Handmaid's Tale is about the writing process. Atwood cleverly weaves this sub-plot into a major focus with remarks by Offred such as "Context is all," and "I've filled it out for her...," "I made that up," and "I wish this story was different." Does Offred's habit of talking about the process of storytelling make it easier or more difficult for you to suspend disbelief?

5. A palimpsest is a medieval parchment that scribes attempted to scrape clean and use again, though they were unable to obliterate all traces of the original. How does the new republic of Gilead's social order often resemble a palimpsest?

6. The commander in the novel says you can't cheat nature. How do characters find ways to follow their natural instinct?

7. Why in the Bible under lock and key in Gilead?

8. Babies are referred to as "a keeper," "unbabies," "shredders.' What other real or fictional worlds do these terms suggest?

9. Atwood's title brings to mind titles from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Why might Atwood have wanted you to make that connection?

10. What do you feel the historical notes at the book's end add to the reading of this novel? What does the book's last line mean to you?

[Kelly]

Looks great! I’m still waiting to get the book I have a request for it at the library - I guess it’s a popular one for book clubs!

[Pamela]

Hey girls, I just finished the book! I found it very interesting, intense, and a little scary given our current political environment; but that is an entirely different conversation, so I guess I will start with question one. Try to keep it short and then join in as others respond.

The novel begins with three epigraphs. What are their functions?

I found the epigraphs at the beginning of the book to be quite powerful. Well the Genesis verse at least. It gave great insight into how the laws of Gilead were formed and how the law makers interpreted the Bible and used it to justify their treatment and devaluing of women and their importance based on whether or not they could produce “keepers”.
The second quote I was not familiar with. I have not read A Modest Proposal so the context was not clear to me. I googled it and found its theme was pretty much children as commodities. To me it is still emphasizing control and the importance of women and their role to bear children...just another glimpse into the Gilead environment...but again just my take as I haven’t read the book quoted, just a few paragraphs on what it was about.
The last one seemed obvious in context but not as obvious to why it was part of the epigraph. The quote to me just meant, people don’t eat stones. They don’t need to be told, no sign necessary, they just don’t do it. So if it is obvious to everyone it is wrong it should not need to be mentioned.

Ok so I tried to keep it brief, excited to hear everyone’s thoughts, especially on the last two since I was unfamiliar with the second one and the third one although it makes sense to me, I still think it was an odd quote to use to start the story. Although the events taking place in the story are what you would consider an obvious wrong doing, the quote itself I didn’t feel added much of an impact for me.

[Kelly]

Wow Pam I can’t believe you finished the whole book! I couldn’t get it from the library every copy was checked out so I just got it from amazon! I will post more this weekend.

[Pamela]

Hahaha I have quite a bit of time :) I do not have a job at the moment...that is definitely not a complaint!!

[Kelly]

Wow this was quite the interesting read! I agree with Pam how it seems relevant with our current politics.

I also thought the three epigraphs in the beginning set up the mindset of the controlling environment of Gilead and the oppression of woman in the story.

Something that really struck me was the idea of different types of freedom. How there is freedom to do something and then freedoms (aka protection) from something.

It’s really interesting this book has been out for thirty years and is still so popular today!

[Torri]

Kelly, the “freedom to vs. freedom from” concept really resonated with me, too! Especially within context. The narrator’s mother seemed to be quite an activist, which is an interesting detail that the author references a number of times throughout the book.

[Kelly]

Question #3 was interesting to think about too. There was a lot of color symbolism in this book. The Haindmaids were forced to wear the long red dresses while the wives were dressed in blue. The color of the dresses is interwoven with each women’s identity as the red symbolizes the Handmaid’s ability to have children and in this book it’s basically their “job” even though it’s not by choice. Which also contrasts how the color red is usually symbolic of power but the handmaid’s really don’t have much power at all.

[Pamela]

It is so funny you say that Kelly about the red. When I think of red personally, I always associate it with confidence and strength, but for some reason while reading this I could only think of Hester and the Scarlet letter and felt it more a color of shame, even after the author goes into detail about blood, shame kept coming back into my mind which was so weird.

[Torri]

Ok, I’m going to open up question #2 re: Moira not fitting into a mold and what she represents throughout the book. I loved the idea of this character! She was so easily introduced to the reader through the narrator’s memories of “before” and it really led me to feel a strong connection to her. The fact that she was unattached to a man when female finances/ assets were frozen was an excellent kickstart to show her as an independent and strong-willed woman at a time when women were being suppressed and oppressed. She clearly managed fine after the freezing of women’s accounts, worked “underground” with her company that was not supported by the new regime, and represented a fight while society was getting kicked to the ground. Then, once at the Red Center, her continuous fight represented her strength and will, but also highlighted the importance of wit, smarts, and confidence in her manner of defiance and escape. I think, to the narrator, she represents all that COULD be, if society would fight back, and this hero that she believes is out there. Offred seems content to simply dream about what Moira would do, regardless of her own situation. After seeing Moira at Jezebel’s, though, I think she becomes representative of lost hope and complacency. We see, through Moira’s insight, how bad the Colonies are and that she is making the best of what horrible options she has. At this point, Offred stops waiting for “this” to pass and starts to live in the reality of the times.

[Pamela]

Torri, I couldn’t agree more. She is introduced in the “before” and I immediately was drawn to her strength and independence. For most of the story she symbolizes hope. Offred puts her on a pedestal and wants to believe that she will “save” them. The question states that she doesn’t really have a niche, but after they met at Jezebels I felt the disappointment that Offred felt. I think she did what all of the other women in the story did, she found a way to adapt/ survive really in an environment she didn’t want to be in...but found reasons to justify it and still feel like she had the tiniest bit of control in her life. I feel most of the women in this story did this. I think they had to, to feel sane. None of them really had control over their lives or their bodies so they found ways to feel like they did. Moira drew the line at handmaid, but chose prostitution and convinced herself this was better because she could drink, smoke, and be with women. Offred found a little control when she started seeing the general, and sleeping with Nick. I think Moira had a niche. Offred wanted her to be different, but in the end they all accepted their reality and found a way to deal with it and still preserve the tiniest bit of themselves.

[Kelly]

I think you both really nailed it! I agree that Moira in the begging was the rebel one in the story who the other women looked up to because she stood up for herself and refused to accept what society was doing to the women.

Pam like you said I also remember feeling disappointed when Moira started working at Jezebel’s because she had symbolize hope for the narrator but but then you see Moira succumbing to the oppressive culture of Gilead.

It’s kind of sad that we never really find out what happened to her either.