"There is more than one kind of freedom... Freedom to and freedom from." (24)
--
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
I just began reading this book tonight, about three hours ago, and I haven't been able to put it down, except right now to force myself to make some notes about it. I'm surprised this wasn't on the reading list for my Women's Voices class-- I think it should have been. The issues of freedom and power and choice that come up are so strong.
There are many ideas of freedom, many interpretations. They vary from person to person, from state to state, from ruler to ruler. Freedom is different to women and to men, even in our "modern" and "civilized" society, but even more so in
The Handmaid's Tale. The piece I've quoted above says a lot about how women are forced to view freedom in that particular setting. While before so many strictures were imposed upon them they were free
to do things, they are now only
free from atrocities that happen in a world in which women are free to do such things as expose their flesh, be individuals, make themselves attractive, acquire knowledge.
Who knew it could be such a freedom to hear the catcalls and the whistles of horny men, to feel the stares? But without that... and even lesser "evils," such as touching the body of a man you loved, putting your mouth against his,
choosing him, your actions, your interactions... without that, how is a woman a woman at all? She becomes nothing but a black hole, a deep cunt... nothing more than a means to an end.
"I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born." (66)
So she loses her sense of self. Or, rather, self goes from something empowering and individual to a mere product, a product of her desire for self-sustainment, to keep her alive. She is an actress. She has lost all sense of displaying herself as it was, or perhaps still is, deep inside her; she now can only display her self, this thing she has created using the mold of her flesh and her bones, the ones she has been assigned but that are no more
hers than is anything else in her life now.
No freedom. No choice. Or, as she would say, "very little choice."
The freedoms we take for granted every day. The right to wear clothing of our choice. Clothing is a
very important issue when it comes to freedom and choice. The right to read. The right to write. The right to express oneself and one's ideas and one's dreams. The right to choose a partner. The right to create life through a chosen partnership, or to dispel that life if deemed appropriate (and yes, I am pro-choice). The right to a name.
Her name is taken from her, and replaced by Offred. Every woman is given a new name, of + man's name, to represent her belonging to him. She no longer possesses herself. He possesses her. In this way, names are very important. Names indicate ownership, power, control. She no longer has the name bestowed upon her by her mother - she has instead been given a name by a man. He has in essence taken the power and control over her which her mother once had, when she was a mere baby. He keeps that power, that control. He does what he wants with it.
It is easy to forget, in the mundane world that our lives might be, that we still have freedom, we still have choice, we still control our own bodies. There are people in the world that want to take that away, that want to blame us for the weakness of man's flesh. But women are not to blame for this, and we cannot be made to feel as if we are. We must remember our individual selves, our strength, our power that comes from within ourselves and from our mothers, sisters, grandmothers... But we must also be aware that it can be stripped away, and not become so comfortable or so ignorant in the daily ins and outs of life that we forget to hold on to the most important aspect of it: freedom of choice.
