Luke

Luke

Role in Gilead
1. He provides hope for Offred that they're could be a life after Gilead, when she is reunited with her family
2. He exists in Offred's memory and she never see him in the present day, however Offered tries not to think about it as the past tense
  1. The self-correction from past to present tense "Luke wasn't a doctor. Isn't." (page 43) shows how Offred doesn't want to accept the fact that Luke only exists in her past, she tries to imagine he is still alive
Relationship with Offred
1. Overtime Offered visits the wall, she checks it is not Luke as he is a symbol of hope and freedom that Offred doesn't want to lose
  1. Page 43. "What I feel is partly relief, because none of these men is Luke"
2. However, as Luke cannot provide her with the physical intimacy she craves in the present day, she forms a relationship with Nick, perhaps subconsciously replacing Luke despite the fact she doesn't want to
  1. "They cannot replace each other"
Character
1. As the novel continues, she mentions him less and less, perhaps because her relationship with Nick is providing her with the comforts that her memories of Luke used to do
2. When Offred loses her job, the possessive pronouns "I'm his" suggest that she now belonged to Luke and for that she began to hate him, this has similarities to her relationship with the Commander
  1. Causes the reader to think about their society and the links between their relationships and the relationships in Gilead
  2. Luke doesn't seem to understand the pain of losing her economic freedom - "It's only a job". The adverb "only" undermines Offred and it parallels the Commander's ignorant views of the subjugation of women
Appearance
1. When she imagines what he could look like now she uses the simile "bent like an old man" and that he "looks 10 years older". This shows the horrific effect that the regime has had on Luke and it has ruined his life, suggesting he is close to death
2. Offred cannot recall a vivid description of Luke and she wishes she had "paid more attention, to the details, the moles and scars, the singular creases" showing her longing for the simple things in life
Body Language
1. Haptic body language shows a sense of protection and nurture in "hand on my rounded belly", presents him as caring and protective of Offred and her daughter. Show a sense of safety that she no longer has
Pre-Gilead Life
1. "We were both feeling miserable, how were we to know we were happy" shows a realisation of what really matters in life and it shows how people don't realise what they have got until they lose it
  1. Juxtaposition between "miserable" and "happy" show the change in Offred's perceptions of life, and how Gilead has changed her priorities

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	Created by Beth Muckle about 7 years ago