Revealing The Symbols Of The Womb English Literature Essay

I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping.

Tropology (Symbolism): The term “cloud” in the above quote is used as a symbol of a womb.

The cloud is used to symbolise that the women are instruments of reproduction. They are no longer considered as individuals who have rights of their own.

This distinction emphasizes the idea of fertility and how it affects the women’s lives in the community.

The women who are fertile no longer have a life of their own. They have to follow the order of their superior and are confined to the space provided by their masters.

If they are not fertile, they are no longer of any use to the Gilead society which may lead to harsh consequences for them.

This conveys the idea that in the Gilead society, the central object of a woman’s body is her womb, neither the will, nor the pain of the fertile women matter. The fact that they can bear a child is the only thing that the society is concerned about. Thus, it reduces their dignity and pride.

It generates thoughts in the readers mind such as why are women who are fertile valued so much in the Gilead society?

If the fertile women are valued, why are they treated in such harsh manners instead of treating them as equals?

This can be related to the way the women are treated in countries like Saudi Arabia, where the women and men do not have equal rights. The women are treated just like how the women are treated by the Gilead government. The Islamic law states that the women are not equal to men, thus they do not have the same liberty and voice.

I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending, to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off.

Perspective: First person, as this is being told by Offred and uses the personal pronoun ‘I’

The protagonist is the narrator of the story which can be seen by the use of the personal pronoun ‘I’

This reveals the power and authority of the government over the community and women.

The present Gilead system is shown as a system which seeks on suppressing the voice and needs of the women.

Offred’s words portray that she is getting tired of the system which she is living in. Her inner voice beings to develop i.e she wants to revolt against the system.

She seems to speak out, against this society, even though it is to God or the readers, it pinpoints the spark of an uprising.

This sentence also illuminates that she denies the authority of the government over her in the future. She does not want to be seen as an instrument of reproduction. Instead, she wants to be recognised as an individual who is responsible for their own actions, not a pre-defined society.

She mentions that “there will be an ending to the story” which indicates that this government will soon collapse and “real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off.” Showing that she is hopeful that she will be able to resume her life normally, just like the pre-Gilead days.

She considers the present situation to be a story which will soon, as she is the writer of this story. This brings up the theme of reality vs. escape as the narrator is hopeful that she will be able to escape from this Gilead story and continue her life the reality.

This creates questions in the readers mind such as how does the protagonist intend on freeing herself from this Gilead society?

Will the narrator be able to accomplish her goal?

This narrator is identical to Abigail Adams, a prolific writer, who spoke against slavery on behalf of the women, many years before the abolitionist movement.

There is no such thing as a sterile man anymore, not officially. There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren, that’s the law.

Rhetoric: The repetition of “women who”

This line highlights the very idea of bioethics among the fertile women.

Even though the men may be sterile, the women are held responsible for not being fruitful. They label a woman barren if she fails to conceive. Thus the Gilead’s do not use modern science to explain men’s sterility in order to keep their dignity and glory in the community.

This shows the suppression of the women’s rights and voice.

The Gilead’s use women to reproduce but do not offer them any kind of respect.

The reader may think, why don’t the women protest against the Gilead government if they are being ill-treated?

“They’ve got oranges,” I say. “At Milk and Honey. There are still some left,”

Location: The grocery store named “Milk and Honey”

The grocery store is an important setting in this section as it is the area which women usually visit for buying various commodities.

This location expresses the ideology of freedom among the women who are suppressed by the Gilead.

This is a place where the reader visualises some sort of interaction among the women who are distant from each other. This place provides a mode of interaction for all those who have faced isolation and allows them at least some form of contact.

The oranges are significant as they are considered luxury. They are a symbol of wealth and power. They are rarely available in the grocery stores due to the tight security in which the citizens are living in.

This creates a sense of isolation and seclusion as it makes the people feel that they are being overprotected which is denying their sense of freedom.

The makes the reader ponder, why did the author choose oranges as the symbol of power?

Even in the most adverse situations, the market place is always the most lively and happening place.

Serena Joy was never her real name, not even then. Her real name was Pam. I read that in a profile on her, in a news magazine, long after I’d first watched her singing while my mother slept in on Sunday mornings. By that time she was worthy of a profile: Time or Newsweek it was, it must have been.

Character: Serena Joy’s character is illuminated.

The character’s real name is revealed, which is Pam.

The early life of Pam is displayed. She was once a singer which is no longer acceptable in the Gilead society.

This reinforces the idea of feminism and segregation within women in the society.

Even though she is also a woman, she has a huge influence over the narrator’s life. She controls the narrator’s actions proving that she has the power and authority being the commander’s wife.

Earlier she was a singer and a motivational speaker. But now she is no longer any one of these and continues to remain in the house verifying that she no longer is recognised in the society as an individual. Instead, she is known as the commander’s wife.

This shows that even though there is segregation among the women in the community, all the women are at a loss as they are now recognised by their husband’s or fertility. Not by whom they really are.

This makes the reader think, did the commander’s wife quit singing because she was forced to, or had she lost interest in it?

Does Serena miss the fame and popularity which she earned from her own hard work?

Serena Joy is similar to my aunt who was once a very famous singer. But once she got married she was forced to quit her profession as she had to take care of the family. She had lost the fame and reputation which she had earned for the sake of her family.

Don’t let her see it, said my mother. Here, she said to me, toss it in, quick.

Visual Structure: The word “see” is italicised in the text

This word stands out as compared to the other words in the page.

This signifies the idea of oppression and religious fundamentalism.

All the magazines which was a source of information for the people were being burned in huge piles portraying that the religious views of the people were similar and did not want anyone to read any article which was in any form of opposition to their religion.

Offred was interested in the picture of the cover page of the magazine. But she was forced to throw it into the huge pile of fire, burning it to ashes.

This demonstrates that from a very young age, the narrator was oppressed and was not allowed to express her feelings. She was forced to follow the social norms and was emotionally stuck between the things she wanted to do and the things she was forced to do.

This makes the reader ponder, why do the people hate the magazines so much that they are burning it in huge bonfires?

What impact does this event have on Offred’s development as a child?

This incident is similar to the bonfires which take place in the farms and riots where the people gather in a particular location and burn huge amount of garbage to get rid of junk.