“That night… lose you.” Pg. 182
Offred’s flashbacks to her life
before the current timeline – chronologically inconsistent though they may be –
gradually reveal more about how the society became what it is. This flashback has revealed some of the most
important information thus far: the assassination of the government’s leaders,
the suspension of the constitution, the laying-off of female workers, and
closing of females’ accounts. All of
these things show the slow progression of the world in which Offred lived into
one in which the people were governed by religion and martial law. The specific passage selected is extremely
important, because it shows the first moments in which Offred became isolated
from those around her.
Luke wants to make love to her in
this passage, but Offred is unable to due to her internal conflict resulting
from the events of that day. She
expresses that she doesn’t know what is bothering her, but her language here
(as well as in previous passages) reveal the cause of her distress. Previously, she felt that she had been
paranoid to view his intent to protect her as paternalistic and, likely,
somewhat demeaning. Here, she expresses
how small she feels, likening herself to an inanimate “doll” for Luke to do
with what he wishes; she even states that she sounds and feels indifferent when
she tells Luke that they “still have each other.” For the first time, she views the possession
as one-sided, evidenced by her doll comparison and the language she uses in
describing Luke’s metaphorical behavior.
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