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In a time where women are denied freedom of expression, Offred spends a lot of time thinking about the intricacies of words, their differences, and their meanings. Applying the universal idea of the forbidden fruit, Atwood, like Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451, criticizes humanity's irreverence for the faculty of language. Offred's contemplation over whether lay is always passive seems also to relate to her own inner desire to be active, like the word lie, but fear to actually act upon that feeling.

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Atwood explores here the real-life prisoner mentality adopted by the victims of many totalitarian or tyrannical regimes. When offered a chance at some sort of freedom (or at least safety from the Colonies), Offred is immediately skeptical and would rather remain in her current circumstances, however bleak, than risk the possibility of something worse. Atwood also reminds her readers of the innate human curiosity, as the doctor, undoubtedly motivated by the same desire to have children as the regime's most elite, seeks to advance his intrigue by being with a Handmaid.

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Atwood simultaneously satirizes and inveighs against the use of religion as a front for tyranny, as well as the oppressive ideals touted by certain belief systems. Clear also is her critique of hypocrisy, possible through her use of a theocracy that allows people, whether or not in positions of power, to hide behind noble religion (evident through the scripture reading during the Ceremony, or the Handmaid's mantras "Blessed be the fruit," "Praise be," etc.)

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Atwood's satirical message is especially applicable today, where in the age of social media such shaming is ubiquitous. Going deeper than her obvious denunciation of this particular practice, Atwood also displays how totalitarian states can take an already existent practice and turn it into a tool of indoctrination and emotional control for the regime.

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Offred resigns to Gilead's message about what her body, and she, is: nothing more than a vessel for childbearing. This submission may be why she clings to strongly to her mental faculty and the idea of a 'story' whose ending she is allowed to dictate. Even that passion, however, eventually leaves Offred, once again displaying the far-reachedness of totalitarian control.

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Serena Joy has, through the policies of the Gileadean regime, achieved the standardization of those "traditional values" for which she fought so hard. Yet, of course, she is dissatisfied with the results, causing much internal discord as she has little more than a business partner-type relationship with her husband. These feelings come to an apex during the Ceremony, where her tough outer shell is broken. However, as Offred notes, this situation is similarly dire for her as well; however, Serena fails to realize this.

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The use of butter as a rudimentary face cream is Offred's one way of maintaining some control over her life. Even so, she herself notes that "[w]e all do it," serving the dual purpose of providing solidarity and something for the Handmaids to unite over while forcing the partakers to shed some sense of individuality. Nevertheless, this action is clearly important to the Handmaids, as signified by Moira's comment that at Jezebel's, they "even have face cream" (see Moira BookSnap later in Padlet). Finally, this scene allows Atwood to point out hypocrisy as a major MO for the regime, as they putatively consider the "inside of [the Handmaids'] bodies . . . important," while dismissing their very identities, arguably at the center of their beings and so their bodies.

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Offred has been seen to despise Janine's piety and conformity (noticeable here not directly, but rather through her sarcastic tone), reflecting Offred's innate desire to rebel against the system. Yet her fear to act upon that sense of rebellion, instead consistently turning to Moira as a source of strength, displays a double standard. That idea of duality is reinforced here through the double meaning of "inflated," describing both Janine's pregnant figure and her ego because of it, as well as the idea that she is "shorn of her former name," true in the sense of the Handmaids being reassigned identities as well as Janine herself going against the meaning of her name: "God is gracious," but Janine clearly is not.

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This scene describes not so much a sincerely fought conflict, but rather some (seemingly) casual banter. Offred's mother tries to be joking, but based on her vehement feminist beliefs, inducing her to burn pornographic magazines or attend rousing rallies, she may be doing so through clenched teeth. Thus Atwood invites the reader to consider whether Luke's jokingly misogynistic comments are, intentions aside, truly harmless, or instead harmful.

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Moira's rebellious nature is clearly admired by Offred, who desires but lacks the courage to do the same. Importantly, the method in which Moira escapes, shedding her Handmaid's habit and donning the outfit of Aunt Elizabeth, symbolically represents her fierce individuality, even in the face of oppression. Nevertheless, as we later find out, Moira is recaptured and working, rather complacently (see Moira BookSnap later in Padlet), at Jezebel's, emphasizing not only the way a totalitarian state can crush one's spirits, but also the limited efficacy one mere person can have in an already complacent society.

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The kinship between the Nazi leader and his mistress directly parallels Offred's relationship with the Commander as they engage in lighthearted, even fun activities like Scrabble. Offred struggles with the fact that the Commander shows her much kindness, yet is a tool of oppression via his connection with the regime. This dichotomy and complexity mirrors numerous hypocrisies within the regime.

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Archetypically, rain and nature represent rejuvenation and rebirth or growth. Atwood ironically reverses these expectations, as seen by Offred's obvious disgust with the "humid air which stinks of flowers." Her disdain is reasonable, considering that the garden represents, for Serena Joy but not Offred, the ability to engage in a hobby. Nevertheless, by the end of the novel, Offred "wonder[s] if it will rain" on page 291; thus, the weather phenomenon ironically ends up realizing its typical archetypical meaning: Offred, dismayed at the loss of Ofglen and sensing that she has reached the point of no return, is about to embark on a journey into the unknown.

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Offred's statement here represents her clear desire to maintain some sense of identity and self in the Gileadean sea of sameness and standardization. The regime's control over individuality and identity becomes clear when, despite Offred's conclusion that one and one "cannot be exchanged, one for the other," Ofglen is thusly exchanged just as soon as the state wills it done.

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On the surface level, Atwood describes a familiar phenomenon: the seizing up of the body from lack of use. This occurrence, however, can be seen to contain numerous other important messages. For one, we see an analogous seizing up of Offred's will to rebel as she more and more feels the overwhelming power of the Gileadean regime. Also, her mental faculty, whose importance was earlier analyzed, seems too to be seizing up, and Offred ever more realizes the possible futility of the "story" she tries to craft.

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Serena Joy's malicious cruelty comes to a point when she reveals that she, all along, has known where Offred's daughter has been. Her selfishness and inability to recognize not only her own struggles, but Offred's as well notwithstanding (see conflict BookSnap earlier in Padlet), Atwood drives home the idea that totalitarian states succeed through the complete manipulation of one's emotions.

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Here we unfortunately see that Moira has starkly shifted from fierce rebellion to complacency with the status quo. Her transformation is solidified by that fact that she believes Jezebel's can't possibly be all that bad, because "there's lots of women around." This dangerous belief, that women would never possibly oppress other women, is one of the key questions Atwood explores with The Handmaid's Tale.

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This is one of the few times that the Handmaids' spoken words are given in quotation marks. Thus, we see the freedom, however twisted, that Particicution gives to the Handmaids. Underneath the barbarism and violence, however, stands a viewpoint opposite that displayed in the shaming of Janine: the wide-sweeping elevation and victimization of women (see the introduction to the novel—Atwood's definition of feminism). Atwood therefore inveighs against this other extremity.

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Names in this novel symbolize the loss of identity at the hands of the regime; they also elucidate its sheer control, as Ofglen is replaced with a new Ofglen immediately after she (whether truly or not) kills herself following the Particicution. Now is a good time to also discuss the potential meanings of the name Offred. The primary meaning is of Fred, showing her consideration as property in this new era. Adding a missing vowel, her name turns into offered, suggesting that the Handmaid acts as a sacrifice for the well-being of others (potential hint to end of novel?). A final interpretation is Off-red, implying her opposition to the whims of the regime. However, this interpretation is somewhat ironic, as she fails ever to truly act upon her desire for disengagement.

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Offred takes time to focus on some rather mundane actions, her breathing and the blinking of her eyes, going so far as to recognize that, by breathing, she is "giving [her]self oxygen." Through this contemplation, she perhaps draws strength for any potential confrontation (which indeed does occur, courtesy of Serena Joy, on the next page). Whatever the case, certainly some recovery from the news of Ofglen's death is in order. Thematically speaking, we, for the first time, sense some serious resignation in Offred; this is a nice, suspenseful literary technique on Atwood's part considering how close to the end of the novel we are. Offred's enumeration of how she "can see [her] way" further displays her submission to the power of the regime: she can see her way, i.e. what is in store for her, because what is in store for her is what the regime deems appropriate.

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In terms of character, Offred's uncertainty is echoed in the reader as her ultimate fate is left unknown. The darkness and light imagery and archetypes fit well with the idea of knowing or not knowing. Thematically speaking, Atwood leaves us with a bleak outlook on things, given that Offred was, importantly, not saved (assuming she was) by her own actions, but by sheer luck alone. If she had taken action, Atwood suggests, she would likely have done little more than gotten herself killed because the regime is in full effect. Atwood thus entreats readers not to be so complacent to the point of the complete adoption of such a tyrannical state, because once in effect, one person can do very little to stop it.