Moira

· ‘If I were Moira, I’d know how to take it apart, reduce it to its cutting edges. I have no screwdriver, but if I were Moira, I could do it without a screwdriver. I’m not Moira.’ Page 180

o Moira is a sort of ‘alter-ego’ for Offred, as she has abilities that Offred wishes she had. In this case, Offred is coveting Moira’s resourcefulness and boldness.

· ‘I said I was in love. She said that was no excuse.’ Page 180

o This shows the side of Moira that is rational and logical. Moira has a tendency to make her own mind up about things and express it in a forward and vocal way, which is evident through the various forms of rebellion against the regime she instigates throughout the novel.

· Offred recounts an argument between herself and Moira (pages 180-181), which is evidence of the maturity of their relationship. Despite their disagreement about relationships, they are still able to maintain a strong and close bond. Their relationship is also close in the fact that Moira can make jokes about Offred’s mother, (pages 181 and 183) where in newer friendships, this may be inappropriate.

· Moira is also politically aware of the governmental situation regarding the early signs of Gilead. She warns Offred over the phone (page 183) that this may be the beginning of a sticky situation for them both.

When Offred invites Moira over after she has lost her job and access to her money (page 187), Moira is already one step ahead in comprehending the situation. She explains what has happened to Offred; ‘They’ve frozen them… Any account with an F on it instead of an M. All they needed to do was push a few buttons. We’re cut off.’

· After Offred loses her job at the library, she is unsure of what to do, but resolves to call Moira after her mother doesn’t answer. (Page 187) This reveals that Moira is a form of support for Offred, and that Offred is reliant on her, perhaps because she believes that Moira knows what to do. Given Moira’s political awareness, perhaps Offred thinks that Moira will have devised a solution to her problem.

· Moira’s occupation is ‘working for a women’s collective, the publishing division. They put out books on birth control and rape and things like that,’ which shows how much importance Moira places on gender equality and the importance of women having control and rights. There is boldness in this campaign, as it goes against the values the government are trying to instil in their people. (For example, in Gilead, children are highly valued, so birth control is not used. The Ceremony could also be considered an act of rape, as Handmaids had little choice in deciding their role within the Republic of Gilead.) The lack of support for Moira’s work is also noticed by Offred; ‘There wasn’t as much demand for those things as there used to be.’

Overview: Moira is a character which Offred relies on. Offred looks up to Moira, as she believes that Moira always has an answer or a way out, regardless of the consequences of her rebellious behaviour. Offred admires her friend’s boldness and wishes that she was like her in some respects. Throughout the novel, thinking about Moira and her ridiculous escape attempts gives Offred hope. Offred values their friendship, and despite obstacles (like Moira’s sexual orientation) they’ve still remained friends; ‘We could fight and wrangle and name-call, but it didn’t change anything underneath. She was still my oldest friend. Is.’ (page 181)

Luke

· Offred’s affair with Luke was a form of escape from the austerity she was living in; ‘time off from the cockroaches, the dripping sink, linoleum that was peeling off the floor in patches…’ (page 181).

· Offred is described by her husband as having ‘the mind of an antiquarian’ (page 182). The word ‘antiquarian’ describes a person who studies or collects antiques. This is a common interest between Offred and Luke, because Offred tells us ‘he liked old things himself.’ (page 182).

· Luke is portrayed as being a caring character; ‘Luke knelt beside me and put his arms around me. I heard, he said, on the car radio, driving home. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s only temporary.’ (page 188) This illustrates that their relationship is close and Offred is a priority in his life, as it seems like comforting his wife is the first thing he does as he arrives home.

· ‘He was still kneeling on the floor. You know I’ll always take care of you. I thought, already he’s starting to patronise me.’ (page 188) This shows how Luke’s caring side can be a form of irritation for Offred, because he has been given higher status and the ability to financially support her when she is unable to do so herself. Luke’s higher status is symbolised by the fact that he has to kneel in order to be on her level. Luke is not intentionally trying to patronise Offred, but because he is not experiencing the same disadvantage as she is, he is unable to comprehend how she is feeling. This lack of understanding, however slight, is a division in their relationship, which changes its overall dynamic.

· Depending on your viewpoint, Luke could either be politically knowledgeable, like Moira, or patriarchal as Offred describes; ‘I didn’t go on any of the marches. Luke said it was futile and I had to think about them, my family, him and her.’ (page 189). In a sense, Luke was right about the futility of the marches, as they didn’t change the outcome of Gilead. However, this also reflects that Offred is the submissive partner in the relationship at this point, because the reason she gives for not going to the marches is that her husband thought they were ineffective. Perhaps this balance of power in decision-making is a result of the lack of Offred’s rights to work and have money in her name, as Luke had to assume the position of the dominant partner.

It is evident that Offred believes their relationship has been reshaped by this imbalance of power. On page 191, she says things that suggest she is vulnerable; ‘I felt shrunken, so that when he put his arms around me, gathering me up, I was as small as a doll.’ Offred also feels powerless, as she is his possession; ‘We are not each other’s, any more. Instead, I am his.’ (page 192) She suspects he may be enjoying his power, but felt unable to challenge him; ‘Was I right? Because we never talked about it . By the time I could have done that, I was afraid to. I couldn’t afford to lose you.’ (page 192)

Overview: Offred and Luke’s relationship was negatively affected by the beginnings of Gilead. Luke became the dominant partner, which meant Offred became his property and dependent. Luke was very much ‘under the thumb’ of his ex-wife, so perhaps he is exercising his dominance over Offred instead of being the submissive partner.

Luke’s ex-wife

· Offred mentions how she got a new apartment after Luke managed to ‘pry himself loose’ (page 181). The word ‘pry’ suggests there was difficulty in the marriage ending; it suggests that Luke’s wife was still trying to maintain a hold over him and convince him to stay.

Offred’s mother

· Although Offred’s mother has been depicted in a rather unruly and sometimes, an uncaring way – ‘I went to my bedroom to be out of their way. They were talking too much, and too loudly. They ignored me and I resented them. My mother and her rowdy friends,’ (page 190) – she is still shown to be caring in other ways. She was described ‘lingering over the photo albums in which she had me framed; these albums were thick with babies, but my replicas thinned out as I got older, as if the population of my duplicates had been hit by some plague.’ (page 190) In some respects, she was no different to other mothers, who take a lot of photographs of their children as young babies, but perhaps the novelty of having a cute baby wore off as Offred grew up. Perhaps Offred offered resistance towards her mother’s actions, whereas she didn’t when she was a young child.

· When talking about the uselessness of money, Offred mentions how her ‘mother kept some of it, pasted into her scrapbook, along with the early photos.’ (page 182) This shows how she places value on the past and memory. Perhaps she feels the best times were in the past and she wants to relive it.

· On page 183, Offred says Moira was quoting a saying of her mother’s; ‘It’s you and me up against the wall, baby.’ This sounds like an expression someone might use to persuade others that they should participate in a protest for rights. Specifically, Offred’s mother was concerned with women’s issues, such as access to abortion and the problem of porn, therefore, this saying might have been used to convince others they needed to join one of their marches. Offred’s mother was trying to convince others that having these rights were necessary, by saying they were ‘up against the wall’, or in other words, trapped. Offred’s mother used this phrase before any sign of Gilead’s establishment, which could mean she is prone to over-reacting and over-dramatizing the reality of situations.

· Offred makes a comment about her mother’s living arrangements in this chapter; ‘She’d settled down more by then, she’d stopped moving every few years; she lived across the river, in Boston.’ (page 187) The history of moving around reflects immaturity and lack of security. Moving around is usually done by younger people who have few responsibilities, however, Offred’s mother does have responsibilities and has chosen to disregard them. Offred reveals that they moved around whilst she was growing up, by using the phrase, ‘one of our many apartments’, (page 189). They may have moved around for the sake of the marches and riots, which reflects that Offred’s welfare and the presence of stability in her life was less of a priority. Also, the lack of security caused by moving around is also reflected in the nature of how she spent her time. Riots are disorderly by definition, which links to the lack of organisation and or structure to Offred’s mother’s life.

· Offred’s mother was involved in riots and marches, two of which are mentioned on pages 189-190, the porn riots and the abortion riots. On pages 189-190, Offred describes; ‘My mother had a bruise on her face, and a little blood. You can’t stick your hand through a glass window without getting cut, was what she said about it.’ The fact that she was willing, and even determined to continue to participate in these protests shows that she, like Moira, had the boldness to stand up for and advocate her beliefs about important issues. Also, her nonchalance about her injuries shows her strength and determination for the cause.

· As a teenager, Offred gives details about why she was often irritated by her mother’s behaviour; ‘My mother and her rowdy friends. I didn’t see why she had to dress that way, in overalls, as if she were young; or to swear so much.’ (page 190) This is similar to how a lot of parents may describe their teenage children. This section of the novel reflects her mother’s desire to stay young. ‘She liked being more outrageous than I was, more rebellious,’ (page 190) shows how she set out to be more unruly than her daughter, who was in the social group that is widely known for rebellious behaviour. Perhaps this to prove that she has ‘still got it’ and is still young at heart.

· Offred reflects on her relationship with her mother on page 190; ‘I hadn’t turned out entirely as she had expected. No mother is ever, completely, a child’s idea of what a mother should be, and I suppose it works the other way around as well. But despite everything, we didn’t do badly by one another, we did as well as most. I wish she were here, so I could tell her I finally know this.’ This reflects that although their differences caused challenges within their relationship, there was still love in it, and Offred now realise that in retrospect, her upbringing was not as bad as she had once thought it to be.

Overview: Offred and her mother had a very unconventional and varied relationship. Offred’s mother tried to stay young in her behaviour (dressing in overalls, swearing and moving around for the sake of going to riots) and Offred was often regarded as the ‘prude’ (page 190) who tried to spoil her mother’s fun, which is the opposite of more conventional, mother-daughter relationships, where these roles are switched. Offred’s mother was determined and bold enough to make a stand for what she believed in, but had a habit of over-reacting and over-dramatizing different situations. This resulted in Offred’s childhood being unstable, and their relationship being perhaps weaker than more conventional mother-daughter bonds. Offred was forced to grow up fast, due to her mother’s lack of responsibility. Despite this, there was still love in their relationship.

The woman behind the counter

· This character is first introduced on page 183. Offred engages her in a little more in depth conversation than small talk. She brings up the topic of the Pornomarts closing, which indicates they have some sort of relationship, in order to discuss a topic like this.

· This woman’s name isn’t mentioned, which could indicate that the views she expresses represent the wider views of a majority of women.

· She is described as ‘older, with grey hair; my mother’s generation.’ (page 183) The reference to Offred’s mother’s generation could mean she holds similar views to Offred’s mother, or that she is giving a more balanced outlook on current affairs from the same sort of generational experiences.

· She says to Offred, ‘Trying to get rid of them is like trying to stamp out mice, you know?’ (page 184) This reflects little worry for the amount of change that could potentially happen at this point in the novel. Although it does seem like pornography and prostitution had been outlawed by the Republic’s establishment, the existence of Jezebel’s and the Commander’s access to illegal magazines show that these things do still exist, despite the regime’s dominance.

The man behind the counter

· This character is first introduced on page 184. He is described as being about twenty years old. He could represent the views of some of the men towards the changes that are a part of creating Gileadean society. Since he is younger, we can assume this view is being encouraged among young men to agree with the regime.

· Offred enters the shop confidently, and asks if the woman she usually sees is sick. He responds, ‘Who? he said, aggressively I thought.’ This suggests he is trying to cover up any trace of the wrong-doing (women prohibited from working) within the regime by responding with aggression and ignorance.

· ‘It’s not valid, he repeated obstinately. See that red light? Means it’s not valid.’ (page 185) This shows that he is unmoved by Offred’s objections and attempt to persuade him. There is little emotion shown within his reactions towards her. He is described as ‘indifferent’ which means he has a lack of concern, sympathy and interest for her individual cause, much like the harsh norms of the regime.

Offred’s boss

· This character is first introduced on page 185. Presumably he is older than the man at the counter, and could represent other views of men towards the regime in Gilead.

· The pressure to fire his female staff has a visible emotional effect on him; ‘He looked terrible; his hair was untidy, his eyes were pink and wobbling, as though he’d been drinking.’ (page 185) This could also be the case with other men who feel pressured into treating women a certain way. For example, in other points in the novel, the Commander shows signs of wanting to treat Offred as he would a woman he was dating before the regime was established, which reveals a reluctance to fully accept the regulations of the regime as the right way to treat people.

· Also unlike the man behind the counter, Offred’s boss shows a lot of sympathy and concern for his staff; ‘I’m sorry, he said, but it’s the law. I really am sorry.’ (page 185) This links in with what the Commander says in another chapter that men still feel things, as it suggests that men are emotionally affected by the regime just as women are.

	Created by Summer Pearce over 7 years ago

A-Level (Year 1) (Year 1) English Language and Literature (The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood) Note on Chapter 28 Analysis of The Handmaid's Tale, created by Summer Pearce on 03/11/2016.