2020 IB Extended Essays

On the other hand, Atwood utilises the introspective narrative voice of Offred as a tool reveal her hiding elements of her character to maintain her identity, “[Her] self is a thing [she] must now compose…What [she] present[s] is a made thing, not something born” ( p72 ). In this way, the reader is exposed to the reality of Offred’s personality through her inner thoughts, juxtaposing the censored version of her personality that she presents to society. Throughout the novel, Offred is passively rebellious, however, within her conscious, the reader can see Offred’s inner resistance. She attempts to preserve her thoughts and feelings and in doing so maintain her autonomy and reject the dehumanisation of authoritative regime. However, despite Offred’s consciousness being her voice of resistance, there are instances where the reader can see her indoctrination, especially when she references Aunt Lydia's aphorisms. For example, when traumatised by the sight of the bodies by the Wall, the reader sees Offred desensitize herself by recalling that, as Aunt Lydia said, “This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.” ( p78 ). This moment reflects Offred’s complacency and the way in which the totalitarian nature of Gilead transformed horror and tyranny into normalcy. Her use of these aphorisms suggest that even those who are being directly oppressed can teeter on the brink of total acquiescence and succumb to the pressures of totalitarian social pressure. Atwood identifies that the removal of individual expression is vital to the success of the government, when Offred explains that “What [she] think[s] doesn’t matter. Which is the only reason he can tell [her] things.” ( p216 ). Here her understanding of her disempowered position directly highlights the dangers of loss of expression and acts as a warning against the tool of oppression. Atwood, by exhibiting the depth of indoctrination within Offred despite all her efforts otherwise, is sharing a bleak message that loss of individuality and autonomy is inevitable when treated as the Handmaid’s are. Atwood’s unification of Offred’s personal resistance narrative with the metanarrative against female oppression and indoctrination created a novel that is not just speculative fiction but diverges into a warning to readers about loss of identity.

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