blog no 9. Objectification: susmitha chinni

11/3/17                       Blog no. 9       Control & Eggs: Objectification in Handmaid's Tale  

There is a power struggle between the deviance of Offred’s position as a handmaid and the objectification that comes from this patriarchal society.
Stated after Offred’s first ceremony, she misses Luke and more importantly intimacy.
“I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable. I repeat my former name, remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me. I want to steal something” (Atwood 97-98).
These thoughts alone are deviant from the values perpetuated in Atwood’s patriarchal society. Offred is completely objectified as her sole purpose as a handmaid is to procreate, and her first desire in this passage is that she wants to be called her real name. A person’s name is from birth is the first thing one truly owns. Having a new name, Offred, de-humanizes her because it separates her and places her as property of the Commander (Fred). Offred also wants to be more than ‘valuable’ which is another reference to her objectification, because the only significance that comes from a handmaid is their reproductive system, therefore, Offred wants to be significant for all of her not just her fertility.

Offred’s then immediate action after the ceremony and a moment of self-collectivization, she wants ‘to steal something’. This is significant as it is another battle in her power struggle, she wants to reclaim some power and have an object –a possession to claim when she has none, or is one. During the ceremony, she is forcibly held by her wrists, and is raped for procreation’s sake. This transition from lack of control to control in Offred’s is a concrete way to maybe keep some sanity, or a self-defense mechanism. Because it is a demonstration of trying to get some control in a situation where she has none, it can be juxtaposed to also her trying to get control in the situation, when as a woman, there is no control on how your body goes through the reproduction process.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What We Hunger For: Deep Thoughts

"Just because you survive something does not mean you are strong." To be completely honest, this story was one that I could almost watch in my head. Perhaps part of that was because it was written vividly with strong imagery and diction; perhaps because I could see a reflection of myself in Gay's story. This year has been a transformative one for me, as I have learned to become more self-aware and acknowledging that there is immense power in naming our struggles. I am consistently told by my friends how "strong, courageous, and unfuckwithable" I am... which, I think, genuinely stems from my inability to be comfortable. I've survived too much. I've been exposed to and made it through too much... and apparently, the fact that I managed to make it "out" of those immediate situations is seen as strong. However, I am very thankful that Gay made the comment above. To me, I've always seen strength as how people cope with the long-term effects o...
Read more

A word is a word is a word

In "Bad Feminist: Take One," Gay opens up about her inner quarrels regarding her identification as a feminist. This is something I, too struggled with. At the time, the term was gaining a less than popular connotation, with a minority of the movement taking it upon themselves to spread their isolated belief that women rise above the equilibrium of society; they are superior to men and all men are inherently awful. It is easy to understand, then, why a young girl that does not share these extreme views and stereotypes may not want to be a placed beneath a spot light during such a tense situation, and would subsequently ditch the term. Ditching the term, for me at least, did not mean that I lost my way and would slowly evolve into the submissive, modest, and good woman deemed to be the ideal. Although, ditching the term is controversial and some may see it as a betrayal to the movement executed by a ‘ bad ’ woman. If the individuals remains true to their beliefs and conti...
Read more

Fifty Shades of Fantasy

I've never been too intrigued by all the 50 Shades of Grey concept. As a social work major, reading the first book in the series and watching the first movie with my aunt (yes- my AUNT...), all I could think of when I was exposed to that plot was the lack of focus on Christian's real need and outcry for help. The novel flips the 'usual' narrative of the woman being the victim and her inability to retain a healthy relationship, and shows us a man who seeks domination and control, which- some argue- is what women *really* want. I will not be the first to argue that point. In "The Trouble With Prince Charming," Gay references 50 Shades and how the author uses a disgusting sense of erotica that we can't help but be turned on by, to romanticise the idea of pure abuse, submission, and toxicity in the text. I will commend the story on one thing: Christian is adamant about consent. Mostly because it could result in a MAJOR lawsuit against him if ever interprete...
Read more