“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” Words of encouragement from the oppressor to the oppressed. Why would the Commander tell his previous handmaid that phrase? In my experience, proper empathy eludes most attempts of condolence. Being that the commander cannot comprehend the suffering of women in Gilead, he can only belittle their problems and give words of false hope. By telling the last handmaid and Offred not to let the horrors they endure faze them, he is basically taunting them. The quote he gives implies that the handmaid’s should resist, but it is well known that resistance against the Gilead is futile. Resistance to domination would result only in salvaging or deportation to the dreaded Colonies. What if the Commander wasn’t referring to the Gilead’s leaders as “the bastards?” Maybe the Commander’s underlying message was supposed to be “resist the resistance.” The attitude towards the Gilead is that it will become normal over time. The smallest hope for the return of the old world is going to prevent the Gilead from ever seeming normal though.
Inhumanity of Man
“How easy it is to invent a humanity, anyone at all.” Is it really so easy to make ‘monsters’ into fluffy little cuddle bunnies? I’m not so sure of that. My confidence in that statement is very low. I would guess that it comes down to the individual. If you want my opinion (which you do); I think a monster is a monster in all of its destructive monstrous demeanor. It’s the selfish nature of human which allows horrors to be paid for in favors. Child labor is fine as long as they keep making great shoes. Polluting the environment is ok as long as big corporations give money to government officials. A bit of guilty generosity if you ask me. Evil people always want love and respect for the positive things they do. All their wrongdoings are supposed to be swept under the rug. However, the crimes against man that are commited by evil people are never overlooked. A monster is still a monster; even if you put lipstick on it.
Inhumanity of Man
“How easy it is to invent a humanity, anyone at all.” Is it really so easy to make ‘monsters’ into fluffy little cuddle bunnies? I’m not so sure of that. My confidence in that statement is very low. I would guess that it comes down to the individual. If you want my opinion (which you do); I think a monster is a monster in all of its destructive monstrous demeanor. It’s the selfish nature of human which allows horrors to be paid for in favors. Child labor is fine as long as they keep making great shoes. Polluting the environment is ok as long as big corporations give money to government officials. A bit of guilty generosity if you ask me. Evil people always want love and respect for the positive things they do. All their wrongdoings are supposed to be swept under the rug. However, the crimes against man that are commited by evil people are never overlooked. A monster is still a monster; even if you put lipstick on it.
Gang Rape is a fun one, right?
In chapter 13, Jeanine testifies that she was gang raped at age 14. This was “her fault,” however, because she led them on. Rapists and their lawyers use excuses like that all the time. “She led me on. I couldn’t help myself. She came on to me.” But then, isn’t that basic human mentality? Bad things happen to bad people. Thus, since a girl decides to express herself outside of what society sees fit for a young lady, she must be raped and she must accept it and ‘haha’ that’s what you get. Excuse my language, but that’s a crock of crap. I don’t care how much you lead someone on, raping them is never justified. The sad part is that this philosophy of appearance and manner is everywhere. You have to look and act a certain way in order to not only be accepted, but also to be safe in certain places. It’s sad because then it turns into people inhibiting themselves and just being unhappy. It’s not a good place to be for anyone. I think people should always be allowed to freely express themselves. If a girl wants to wear skimpy clothing or likes to flirt with everybody, it’s fine by me. I may or may not make a positive judgement of her character, but that doesn’t give me the right to do whatever I want based on that judgement. I may not agree with people running around naked or being overly sexual at all times of the day, but I don’t think that anyone ‘deserves’ to be raped. That’s sick. Quite frankly, reading that part of the book made me want to throw up.
Gang Rape is a fun one, right?
In chapter 13, Jeanine testifies that she was gang raped at age 14. This was “her fault,” however, because she led them on. Rapists and their lawyers use excuses like that all the time. “She led me on. I couldn’t help myself. She came on to me.” But then, isn’t that basic human mentality? Bad things happen to bad people. Thus, since a girl decides to express herself outside of what society sees fit for a young lady, she must be raped and she must accept it and ‘haha’ that’s what you get. Excuse my language, but that’s a crock of crap. I don’t care how much you lead someone on, raping them is never justified. The sad part is that this philosophy of appearance and manner is everywhere. You have to look and act a certain way in order to not only be accepted, but also to be safe in certain places. It’s sad because then it turns into people inhibiting themselves and just being unhappy. It’s not a good place to be for anyone. I think people should always be allowed to freely express themselves. If a girl wants to wear skimpy clothing or likes to flirt with everybody, it’s fine by me. I may or may not make a positive judgement of her character, but that doesn’t give me the right to do whatever I want based on that judgement. I may not agree with people running around naked or being overly sexual at all times of the day, but I don’t think that anyone ‘deserves’ to be raped. That’s sick. Quite frankly, reading that part of the book made me want to throw up.
Blood as Clothing.
Blood as Clothing, what strange concept. In chapter 13, Genly claims to have taken on a man’s blood as clothing during his trek to Orgoreyn. How could one possibly do such a thing? Well, I don’t really think that he made a literal statement. I believe that he used it as a metaphor to describe the cloak of grief, guilt or perhaps some combination of other factors; felt because a man had died in his comfort. What could the reason for these feelings be? Genly does say that he places the man’s head on his lap to relieve him of breathe. The first thing that came to my mind in reading that was a mercy killing. In case you’re unclear, a mercy killing is killing someone, who is already in pain, in order to end suffering. In the event that is what Genly did, why would he feel guilt or sorrow? Perhaps he feels guilty for taking the man’s life. That would leave a heavy weight on your shoulders if you had to live knowing that you took someone else’s life. What if the man simply died of his own accord? Well then one would realistic expect some form or trace of grief to be experienced by Genly. No matter the circumstances or reactions, death is an experience that stays in the mind for a long time. For some people it’s harder to get over. That’s most unfortunate. 
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Traitor.
What does it mean to be a traitor? I think that question, however objective it may appear, is really subjective. It depends on circumstance. Estraven, for example, is called a traitor for killing people who were trying to kill him for his efforts at uniting people. Is that really a characteristic of a traitor — being a peace maker? There are some parallels in our world: the civil war and civil rights movement. We see both Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., being executed for trying to unite people. Why do people do this? Why kill those who want peace? Why would one be punished for opposing chaos in the name of peace? I guess people are just afraid of change. Once you get used to chaos you thrive on it. It doesn’t really make any sense. It’s almost like the saying, “Nice guys always finish last.” However, it’s more like, “Hate before peace.” Personally, I think trying to stifle peace is a tactic for controlling people. Being that people are easily controlled with fear, keeping them angry and confused will always ensure that they are scared. Scared of anything new. Scared of anything different. Scared of the natural cycle of change. And thus, in being scared they are led away from truth and peace. This is a crying shame.
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