/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54707341/673254492.0.jpg)
Let's start at the start. The dress of the handmaids. On page 8 and 9 the handmaids' costumes are described indirectly as Offred gets dressed and then on page 9, walks down the stairs, seeing herself in a hallway mirror. It is description loaded with imagery and symbolism. Atwood writes, "There remains a mirror, on the hall wall. If I turn my head so that the white wings framing my face direct my vision towards it, I can see it as I go down the stairs, round, convex, a pier class, like the eye of a fish, and myself in it like a distorted shadow, a parody of something, some fairy-tale figure in a red cloak, descending towards a moment of carelessness that is the same as danger. A sister, dipped in blood" (9).
Whoah - so what strikes me is a lot. I will mention just one thing I notice about this description, and then ask you to notice things and ask yourselves what Atwood meant by them.
So - I ask myself - Why is that mirror round, convex, a pier glass, like the eye of a fish"? I will just deal with the round and convex. IN that mirror, she must have looked round, round bellied at some point as she descends, right? Is this an image of pregnancy? And her in red instead of the blue or white (as the Virgin Mary is always depicted, and as the wives wear). Is she Mary Magdelene? Then - Is there any other evidence of that in the novel - Wait, doesn't the Commander sit at her feet at one point? Doesn't he dress her up and present her as a whore later when he sneaks her out to his "club"? Does Atwood intend to depict her as Magdelene, a repentant prostitute and Jesus's follower, later made a saint, to show that Offred is in some way a chosen one? What will she witness?
I could keep going, but I will let you continue instead.
Please continue - talk about what I started above and those white wings, the act of descending, eye of a fish, distortion, parody, fairy-tale figure putting herself in danger through carelessness, and finally - a sister - dipped in blood. As questions, provide each other answers if you can. Agree, disagree with each other. Just GO!
ReplyDeleteI notice when reading this passage that is a lot of questions about the authors wording come into mind, why she chose those words to convey the underlying circumstances of the dystopian society. The white wings she wears on her face are significant to the role of the Handmaid’s in general and seem to relate to the society as a whole. Later when watching the news, the helicopter on the TV are said to adorn white wings on their sides, ironically similar to how she describes herself in this passage. Wings are also typically a sign of freedom, which the Handmaids don’t have any of, which makes it ironic that they wear these wings, yet they are stuck on the ground, unable to escape. The wings must also be a symbol for the Angels and the fact that the Handmaid's wear these on their head signify the control the Angels have over them, that they are under the Angel's wing. But they aren’t nurtured under the Angel’s wings and instead are forced into this cruel existence, when that phrase of being taken under someone’s wing is used to describe a mentor figure. This is just one of the many deeper meanings that Atwood displays throughout this passage and story.
- Sofia Lanzi
I agree with what Sofia said about the white wings. They are like restraints from the Angels, a weight that keeps their heads down and reminds the Handmaids of who is in charge. As the wings frame their face, they frame their lives since the follow such a strict and rigid routine. I also think that this excerpt shows the lack of purity within the Handmaids. The color red - as opposed to blue or white - is representative of danger, the dangerous position that they are put in and the fear that dwells inside of the Handmaids. However, red also represents determination. Offed has immense determination to not forget the life she lived before and to use her daughter as her motivation to get through each and every day. She is determined, through prayer, to get herself past this time in her life. Atwood uses both the wings and the color red to add dimension to her novel.
ReplyDeleteThe mirror that “remains” on the wall may be referring to the men who are watching the Handmaid’s and are giving the Handmaid’s a specific reflection, one that is different from what they would have seen years ago. She sees herself as “round, convex, a pier class”, like she may be pregnant. She is not actually pregnant though, this is the reflection that the mirror is supposed to show her. It is what eyes who are always watching her want to see. The distorted shadow shows her an appearance that she does not recognize because it is one that the “eyes” have given to her. The white wings that frame her face may be there to remind her that she needs to look in one direction, which is the direction of getting pregnant. Atwoods also refers to Offred as a “parody of something, some fairy-tale figure in a red cloak” like Little Red Riding Hood. Her descending towards a moment of carelessness that is also of danger is like Little Red Riding Hood taking the basket to her grandmother. She did not know that she would encounter a wolf that would try to kill her, like Offred who goes out to get the groceries and comes back to be controlled by some man or a wolf who thinks he is bettering her life. Offred is trying to continue on with her new life, but every moment that seems to be a simple action is actually full of danger.
ReplyDeleteAfter thinking about the depiction of the handmaid’s clothing, I have come up with a few interpretations of what it may represent. The first thing that catches my attention in the wings. I think the description that the wings “framed her face” is somewhat ironic. That line, to me, has a very soft tone and reminds of when you put on like a pair of glasses and they “frame your face”. In reality, these wings are more like shutters, preventing the handmaids to see what it right beside them. These wings even distort the vision of the handmaids. These wings also somewhat prevent the handmaids from seeing their descent. Was their descent in life being removed from their homes and starting new, tragic lives, and did the “wings” block them from seeing it? The eye of the fish never blinks so it always just stares at you, much like a large mirror. It reminds them of what they have become. When I was reading this I thought of little red riding hood and the wolf (it’s a wolf right?). This dress almost made her become a target for the wolf. The handmaid's are definite targets; their presence, their identity always needs to be known and respected by those lower than her. What does this society fear? What is the wolf of this dystopia and what happened to this place? To finish it off she speaks about the sister dipped in blood. White represents purity, which is on the top of the handmaids, on their heads; what they say, how they react, how they are supposed to think, that is pure. Their lower half, dipped in blood, in danger, is a warzone. Sex is even more taboo, a period is now a failure, a miscarriage is a sin, abortions are death penalties. The body of a handmaid is like a ticking time bomb, and it seems like no one knows what to do when it goes off!
ReplyDeleteKAIT
As I was reading this portion of The Handmaid's Tale, I immediately questioned their clothing. I was so confused when I read about the wings. Initially, I saw the wings in a supernatural way, like angel wings. Then, as I understood the story more, I realized that the wings were simply a part of their head garment. After I understood what the wings were, I questioned them. Why was seeing or being seen so questionable? The handmaids did not even have mirror, like nunneries. The color of clothing then made me curious. I wonder what made the color red significant for the handmaids. Red seems to be a bold color that can even be thought of as promiscuous. However, this is not the case for the handmaids. Therefore I wondered if she dressed them in red in order to make them seem separate, odd, or women to stay away from. Red is an alarming color and it definitely contrasts the cool colors that other women wear like blue and green. In this case, maybe Atwood chose red to enhance how nobody truly likes the handmaids. Maybe she chose it to emphasize the fact that they are kind of like outcasts compared to other women. I also wondered why there were so much repetition and emphasis on the color red. Offred often mentions how her garments are red and she even related it to blood which also seemed a little morbid.
ReplyDeleteAriel
You are so right about the repetition of the color red. It is symbolic, as all the colors are. But RED screams, right? Think on that further as you read.
DeleteWhen I first read the line "round, convex, a pier class, like the eye of a fish," I interpreted it in a literal sense. The mirror that is hanging on the wall is purposefully distorted so that Offred cannot see herself. Handmaids are supposed to be objects, used to bear Commanders' children. They are not supposed to have identities or be depicted as people. For this reason, the mirrors do not allow them to see themselves. I don't know if Atwood meant the mirror is literally distorted, but this was my way of seeing it. Also, when Offred says she feels like "a parody of something" she may mean herself. In other words, she is a shadow of her past self, a hollow shell of the woman she once was. And, one more thing, I think that Offred and the Handmaids wear red because the color is associated with sin and evil. "Sister" is capitalized, suggesting a reference to nuns and Christianity, but she is "dipped in blood." In the eyes of the government and society, she is tainted by wrongdoing and seen as evil. In a way, she is like a fallen angel. I also find it interesting how her "job" is so vital to the community, yet her and the other Handmaids are frowned upon by everybody else. Why do the Wives and Marthas look at Offred with disgust when, in reality, she is doing them a favor by bringing them a child? It is an interesting dynamic.
ReplyDeleteSure is! ANd you are right to assume distortion, as she is a distorted version of herself! WOW! I never thought of that!!! Thank-you!
DeleteWhen I first read about the Handmaid's clothing, I thought that the white wings represented wings of an Angel. With the wings of an Angel, a person has freedom, however when I read this passage, I realized this was not the case. The wings restrict their vision so they cannot easily see or be seen. This makes me think they are being punished for some reason, even though they are very valuable in society. The line stating, “a Sister, dipped in blood” gives some insight into this. A Sister, is supposed to represent a Nun her because of the capitalization. Nuns are very religious people who follow God’s law. Atwood states that they are dipped in blood, indicating they are not pure, and they are tainted with some sin. This red taint makes me think back to the handmaid’s dresses which are also red. This connection makes me believe that the handmaids have also committed some sort of sin.
ReplyDeleteMichael T
Mike! You made me realize something!!! That I realize that nuns are supposedly chosen by GOD, and so, these women are chosen by the male establishment, making the rules, etc... Does Atwood mean to make us think that the male rulers of Gilead, the Commanders, are somehow equal to GOD? Also - Nuns are married to God, right? Hmm. Great insight.
DeleteI believe that the white wings, or blinders on the side of the handmaid's outfits are meant to act as a shield between them and other people. This is so other men cannot directly see them, and so they cannot do the same. When Offred is descending, she's becoming deeper and deeper immersed into this horrifying society, meaning that she becomes more and more brainwashed by them every day. Sometimes, she snaps out of it, but there are plenty of times when she mentally complies and agrees with their thoughts, descending further into the society. Offred compared the mirror to a fish eye because she is not able to see herself clearly in the mirror, like how the vision of a fish is underwater, blurry, unclear. The society also doesn't allow the handmaids to see their appearances - it's unimportant, and clashes with their whole purpose - to reproduce. Atwood compares Offred to red riding hood, who did not know what she was getting herself into, as she traveled through the forest on her own, being stalked by the wolf. She also continued to descend deeper and deeper until she was in grave danger. When I first read the part about a sister dipped in blood, I immediately thought of a nun. The handmaids have the modesty of a nun, the silence and grace of a nun, so why is the nun dipped in blood? First of all, the handmaids, unlike nuns, are clothed in red cloaks, and are not necessarily doing the lord's work, as nuns are. The handmaid's are clothed in a color symbolic of blood, of evil (Satan). The color red is the scarlet letter of the handmaids, easily distinguishing them from everyone else, but not necessarily in a good way.
ReplyDeleteAnd Atwood means you to see the connection to all of these things. Red Riding Hood, nuns. But, according to the Commanders, the Handmaids ARE doing God's work - creating children. HM You just made me look at this in a much more layered way. Thank-you.
DeleteLike Alessandra, I believe that the white wings act as a way to shield the from other people. However as they are shielded from others, their faces are erased. A face holds a lot of bearing, as one can derive emotions from facial expressions. In the case of the novel, the people need to be able to ignore the pain that they are causing to the the women.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read about the white wings, I was reminded of how in certain Muslim countries, women are required to remain covered at all times. These women live with many rules in their lives, in some countries, they are not aloud to speak unless spoken to, denied education and not allowed to choose their own husbands. This is very similar to the lives of the handmaid's who are not allowed to think for themselves. I think that it is very interesting that while see this world as being so far away, it is happening in other parts of the world right now.
And you better bet that Atwood had that in mind when she wrote this. She also had in mind nuns, red riding hood, etc...
DeleteThe first thing I think of when I read this is how common the color red is throughout the entire novel but also how red is so symbolic for a wide variety of things. Margaret Atwood uses the red as symbolic of blood as she mentions in the last line of quote, however, red is also symbolic of maliciousness. That is exactly what drives the handmaid's and everything they do. There's someone evil behind the scenes running the show and the recurring red in the novel is the reminder that this person or group controls everything. The white wings seem to be the opposite of this red as white is the generally the color of good and light, however, what these wings cover is almost the whole world. I also believe that the white of the wings is a mislabeled item. As I said, these wings cover almost everything surrounding the handmaid's and unless they look at something directly they can't see anything else. It stops them from viewing the whole picture of anything which I believe is a very essential component of life as a handmaid. This idea ties in with Offred's view of everything as she gazes through the mirror. What she sees is distorted, however, this is reality but she doesn't recognize it anymore. It now makes sense why she is described as descending towards a moment of carelessness and danger. Margaret Atwood is portraying that everything is at it seems but it's also the complete opposite. The illusion that this "government" has set up is completely brilliant and it makes it difficult to tell what's reality and what's staged by them.
ReplyDeleteThe mirror on the wall is left in its place on purpose. Almost everything in society is done to for a specific reason. The mirror is designed to make the handmaid look pregnant, or at least remind her of that in some way. The wings she wears has two purposes. One is to direct her attention. The handmaid's need to be above everyone. They are an object, only certain people can interact with. These wings focus her to look only at one thing, one person. In this case it is the mirror, which symbolizes the handmaid's focus on one goal, becoming pregnant. Now think about the mirror. Anyone can look at this mirror, and it will make them too appear round. I think it is a symbol for the wife as well. She can look into the mirror and appear pregnant, and through the handmaid, she is. This is especially evident from “like a distorted shadow, like a parody of something” where Offred is comparing herself to something else, someone she does not know. I believe this may be the wife. Together, they make one person. A wife, but also a mother. The last line “a sister dipped in blood” alludes to how different the handmaids are. A sister, like a nun, is someone who represents religion and purity. The handmaid's job is to get pregnant, they are “pure” from everything, drinking, smoking, and even freedom. However, the words “dipped in blood” takes an ironic twist. This dipped in blood means that the handmaid's are doing the dirty work. They have the hard part of the job, compared to the wives. It shows that the handmaids have important, highly regarded jobs, but are also treated like trash, much like anything with blood.
ReplyDeleteLook in the mirror. Catch a glimpse of yourself. For a split moment realize what is going in your life. But also realize the distortion. This mirror that distorts her image represents how this new way of life has distorted her perception of herself. Only on her way down towards danger can she view herself. View herself in a way where she is not truly herself. She is a character from a fantasy. This mirror deforms her only assurance she may have as to whether what is happening to her is real or not. To look herself in the face and truly understand the circumstances she has come under. The mirror is round and like a fishbowl. Staring at a creature that is unlike herself, and unlike the way of life she used to know. Carelessness that is the same as danger? If you are careless you can put yourself in danger. If you are in danger and don't care are you vulnerable to that danger? Atwood really got me on these few words. A moment of carelessness that is the same as danger. Has the mirror reminded her of her life and now she can do nothing but be careless. Her life is controlled and oppressed for the good of nation, but how can she care if she is not truly living. But if she doesn't care she might do something reckless, and if she does something reckless she could be killed or sent away to die without the resources provided to her. The wings on her face shields her from the glances of those who shouldn't see her. So should she not see herself in that mirror? Will seeing herself force her into carelessness that could get her killed? The wings are like angels trying to protect her from herself. If she cant see what has happened to her life maybe she can at least try to pretend it hasn't happened.
ReplyDelete^^^^ Maria C
DeleteIn this passage, Atwood both metaphorically and physically implies the distortion of Offred’s perception of herself. Given the massive societal changes that have completely altered every aspect of her life, Offred has changed beyond recognition. She no longer has any connection to the life that she used to live, in terms of her family, friends, career and the way in which she once perceived herself. For example, she presumes both her husband, Luke, and her mother to be dead or imprisoned, and only has a photograph of her daughter that she receives later in the novel from the Commander’s wife. Similarly, the new regime deprived her of a bank account and prevented her from going to work, totally altering her objective role within society. The drastic change is so shocking that it inspires great disbelief, true of fiction or of a “fairytale” or “parody,” as Offred notes of her changed reflection. On page 73, Offred describes her body in her former life as “an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will...There were limits but my body was nevertheless...one with me”(73). However, now the society she lives in has completely reduced her to her ability to produce a child, and ultimately owns her. When she sees herself in the mirror, she is no longer a representation of her former unique characteristics, and symbolically appears very differently. The uniformity of the bright red uniforms and white wings is simply an extension of this dissolution of any special qualities. These red uniforms promote the fulfilling of a universal purpose of carrying a child for the functioning of the society. However, Offred’s name spells out “off red,” demonstrating her inability and lack of desire to fit into this mold, which is further is indicated by her arrest at the conclusion of the novel. Overall, the distorting property of the mirror reveals an image that demonstrates how drastically Offred has changed in the way in which she lives and perceives herself.
ReplyDeleteFor my own interpretation of the handmaid's’ outfits, I believe that the white wings are a form of blinding innocence, rather, a false innocence. Offred and the other handmaids are unable to see the truth of their society and their society unable to see them. They are forced to cover their eyes and believe that everything going on is simply procedure, just another normal day. Offred was able to slightly see herself in the round mirror. I interpreted this part as Offred peeking at the truth. Using the idea that the round, fish-eyed mirror is a representation of pregnancy, my claim that Offred saw a glance of the truth is backed up. Yet, she continues to use the white wings. Now when thinking about wings, I personally think about birds, but since these are white wings, they must be referring to angel wings, adding a more religious touch to the subject. I do not have much religious background, but the comparison of Offred to Mary Magdalene definitely caught my attention.
ReplyDelete- Inthavha Singharaj
I love this analysis
DeleteMe, too. I like the peeking idea.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI think she refers to the fish eyes to symbolize the facade she’s putting up. She’s dressed up as a handmaid, she speaks to herself and attempts to think and act like one, but she’s constantly thinking of the past.
These white wings that frame her face and direct her vision are symbolic for the Aunts that constantly tell her how to think. The Aunts are like the pier glass--they are sturdy, old, and they frame the mirror that the Handmaids look into. She then describes her image as a distorted shadow. The shadow is distorted because it’s not really HER shadow. She’s trapped in this mirror of lies that are fed to her by the aunts. (scripture, ideals, being labeled a slut for dumb reasons)
It is also symbolic for hope. At church, the priest explains that white is the color of hope, which is associated with faith. These wings that frame her face keep her in a tunnel vision that doesn’t allow her to lose her mind. This tunnel vision is entangled with her constant thoughts of the past: her child and her husband, Luke.
She refers to danger as a moment of carelessness. Any moment of carelessness, like her losing her temper, can kill her. If she steps out of this superficial realm of hostility and structure, she will soon become another one of the sister’s that have been kissed by death or dipped in blood due to her carelessness.
Like many others stated before me, while reading the description of the clothing I had wondered why the handmaids had to wear white wings as a part of their dressings while other did not. The use of the word custumes makes me wonder if the point of the wings are to shield the handmaids from being revealing their true selves. With the red clothing or custumes it is as they are being someone they are not as they would not willingly chose to wear such attire. Also with the customer are their names, each handmaid recived a new name could this be as a way to disassociate them with their past selves? As a way to start fresh? All handmaids dress alike and are supposed to stay out of sight to the wife and to follow all rules that apply to them however the color red stands out. The wings are iconic in a sense that wings are associated with angels who have freedom while for the handmaids they are to hide their face and shield them from others while they do not have freedom. When I think of wings I think of of the element of flying and within wings a person is bound on foot or stuck in place and cannot easily escape such as a angel could. The wings are of a restriction to the handmaids as a way to block their view both literally and figuratively as they cannot see what is right beside them or further in front of them. Why was being unseen so important as a aspect of the handmaids? The handmaids job is one of importance to everyone else I’m the novel however they are treated with the less amount of respect. The use of the round mirror could be so the handmaids see themselves pregnant and know they have followed their job or carrying life for the commander and wife. The word descending could have been to foreshadow the ending of the novel of her slowly disobeying the rules or could be related to pregnancy as towards the end the third trimester the baby starts to descend.
ReplyDelete