Blog no. 10 Jealousy& Guilt

Blog no. 10      11/10              Jealousy& Guilt
After a couple ceremonies had occurred, Offred forms a new awkwardness with the event because of developments with her relationship with the commander. This relationship heightens the tensions within this triangle as Offred’s perspective with the family gets more complicated.
“I was jealous of her; but how could I be jealous of a woman so obviously dried-up and unhappy? You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself. Nevertheless I was jealous. But I also felt guilty about her. I felt I was an intruder, in a territory that ought to have been hers. Now that I was seeing the Commander on the sly, if only to play his games and listen to him talk, our functions were no longer as separate as they should have been in theory. I was taking something away from her, although she didn’t know it” (Atwood 161).
Jealousy and guilt usually do no go hand in hand therefore, Offred’s emotions reveal her internal struggles beyond the physical intrusions on her body.  jealousy is a selfish emotion towards ‘someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself’ versus guilt which is reflective and selfless emotion that comes from looking at another person’s perspective. Atwood including both emotions in Offred’s internal struggle adds to the complexity of her character and situation, showing to the reader that she is more than a handmaid, she is human.

            Offred’s company to the commander shifts her responsibilities as a handmaid to roles of a wife/ partner should fulfill. Offred sees this form of intimacy as a ‘something’ and ‘I [Offred] was taking something away from her, although she didn’t know it’. This discourse in the perception of the reality of the situation causes the reader to want to defend Offred even more as they are reminded, she did not want any of these roles or relationships.

Comments

  1. Leah EricksonNovember 12, 2017 at 11:01 AM

    I really like how you pointed out the importance of Atwood's use of the conflicting emotions jealousy and guilt. It is very interesting that you do not typically see these emotions being felt simultaneously, but Atwood's use of them creates a dynamic for Offred that is much deeper than what meets the eye. I believe that this is trauma-based. I mean, she was torn away from her life, and although it was not perfect to begin with, she was forced to make a new normal. I cannot even begin to imagine how that must feel and how it is altering her psyche. Your post really emphasized how Atwood uses emotions to allow us to get a taste of how Offred is feeling.

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  2. Gina EnyartNovember 12, 2017 at 4:55 PM

    I agreed with this post because it emphasized Offred's emotions. She is experiencing a variety of different feelings towards her situation and the people in her life. Offred doesn't know what to feel, this post really humanizes her, and makes her situation more than a fictional story. It made me think of if I were in her situation, and all the conflicting emotions I would be experiencing. It creates a depth to the actual story being told in Handmaid's Tale, Offred becomes more than just a character when you see her from this post's point of view.

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