Something that I find remarkable about The Handmaid’s Tale is how much detail is packed into the novel.
Take, for example, Offred’s room. I know exactly what it looks like: every
little detail, from the lack of chandelier to the windows to the ceiling. One
of the details that is particularly sticking with me, for whatever reason, is
the cushion in Offred’s room that says “Faith”. It seems a bit out of place for
many reasons, but it also got me thinking about the role of faith in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Faith, or lack thereof, plays an important role in this new
society. People are forced to adhere to a faith that is standardized for the
government’s purposes. Household duties, reproductive roles, even speech
patterns are dictated by faith. An accusation of being unfaithful can get you
punished, even killed. Having a variant of the same faith doesn’t work either,
as Offred and Ofglen see on their walks.
The cushion is one of many reminders of the before that seem
to have slipped through the cracks when the new regime took power. At a basic
level, it is an unnecessary item in a world that seems to value function over
anything deemed frivolous (like love and family). It is a word in a room where
only women go, reminding Offred of times where women could freely read. It is
also something for her to read, to help her remember the language.
Offred assumes that the cushions are Serena Joy’s doing: “I
wonder what has become of the other two cushions. There must have been three,
once. Hope and Charity, where have they been stowed? Serena Joy has tidy
habits. She wouldn’t throw away anything not quite worn out. One for Rita, one
for Cora?” (110). It makes sense that Serena would leave the pillow—she’s not
fully bought into this new regime, bending rules where she can. And faith would
be the most appropriate one to leave, after all, considering this society must
have an abundance of faith, particularly the handmaids.
But Offred, and many others, unable to envision a good
future in this new society, maintain faith that they will someday get the
chance to go back to their old normal. It’s
a faith common to all the Handmaids, as demonstrated by some of their customs:
“As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we
will someday get out…” (96). When Offred describes her room and mentions the
faith cushion, she often recounts a memory from before, with Luke and her
daughter. She describes what could have happened to both of them, prefacing
with “Here is what I believe” (104). Rather than buying into the society’s
faith, Offred keeps her own faith in the people in her life and the idea that
things will somehow go back to normal. She isn’t the only one: much of the
household does not think that the society is the best, but they’ve accepted the
position that they are in. Serena Joy has merely put the other cushions into
storage, not thrown them away.
Going into the end of the book, do we as readers have faith
that things are going to change? I don’t know. I don’t doubt that the society
could be toppled. However, I hesitate to think that Offred could accomplish a
total overthrow by the end of the novel. But I do have a lot of faith in
Offred. What else would compel me to read?
I agree, because this society is so new and people still remember how it used to be, and there are a lot of people that prefer the old soceity, then it is really easy to believe that they can overthrow this corrupt government. I also doubt that offred could because a total overthrow would require a lot of people working together and it would take awhile because overthrowing government just doesn't happen in a day with one person. Faith makes the most sense to have a pillow of because its might be away to remind her that she should have faith in this system and that life is better now, but the fact that offred instead has faith that she will get out shows how faith can't be controlled. There will always be someone that has faith in something else. Like in BNW, everyone believed in Ford and Freud but then people like John believed that all of that was wrong.
ReplyDeleteI found it odd that the pillow is allowed to stay in the room, as it has a word and women aren't really supposed to be reading. It's sort of funny that what the government wants is faith (in their rules, their interpretation of religion, etc.), but they end up causing another kind of faith. However much the government may dislike or ignore it, faith in change is what keeps the society going, at least for the moment. If people had no faith in a brighter future, what reason would they have to follow the rules and play along? I don't think people have faith that things will return to normal (how would that be possible, after seeing what intentional pain others are capable of causing?), but they must have faith that the current situation is temporary.
ReplyDeleteI think this is really interesting, because we honestly don't see that much actual religious faith. We've seen people try to uphold the rules of the society, and imprison and torture and kill those who don't, but it seems like none of the characters we can see (possibly excepting Serena Joy before Gilead was established) are actually deeply religious. It's a duty for all of them, but not one which they seem to care about at all. Maybe the Eyes and the Angels are religious, but honestly it seems like many of them are likely simply trying to save their own skins by getting power.
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I really liked your explication of "faith" and what it could mean to the government, Offred, and the reader. On the one hand, the government wants people to be "true believers" in the ways of Gilead. On the other hand, people like Offred and a lot of other citizens in this society hate it and want to change something about it. A lot of the characters we've met so far have some type of issue with the role they play, from Offred up to the Commander. For that reason, I think maybe, JUST MAYBE, they're might be some type of revolutionary change at the end. Or it could end similarly to Brave New World, where nothing really changes. Hopefully Offred steps up to do something and is backed up by others.
ReplyDeleteI too have faith in Offred, maybe she won't topple the society, but leave, like Bernard did in Brave New World. Maybe she'll get out. I think that faith in change is what fuels Offred and the other members of the household who grudgingly complete their roles. This new faith that the government promotes is skewed and, like Bridget said, causes another type of faith. As much as I want to see Offred reunite with Moira and cause an uprising with other Unwomen, I can't see it happening.
ReplyDeleteThe cushion is definitely an interesting element to the household. It seems to serve as a reminder that faith is the thing that controls everyone in Gilead, and instead of what purpose it serves today it seems to serve a more political purpose in Gilead where it is used to have power over all women. It seems that few actually believe in the true faith, as most see what it has become over the years.
ReplyDeleteFaith is an important aspect in this society, and as you said anyone who had slight disagreements would most likely be severely punished. In historical notes we eventually find out that this society collapses sometime in the future, but we also know it lasts probably longer than Offreds lifetime. Which goes to show that Gillead lasts into further generations. This means that new people who may not know about the old faiths and values and were living based off Gillean faith eventually disliked everything to the point where Gillead collapsed, which I find really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Despite the devastating things they were forced to endure, faith seemed to be the one thing they clinged on to to keep themselves going, even when the situation seemed hopeless. They had faith that things would go back to how they used to. I did not think Offred alone would have been capable of overthrowing the government, but I did believe their world was going to change in the end and would no longer be cruel and oppressive.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this post. I love that you play with the idea of faith, either something Serena Joy might have let slide because she doesn't really feel the power in the word, something the handmaids hold on to as a hope to get out of this regime in the future, as a way to look to the past and look art the faith Offred had then, or even our faith as the reader of whether they will be able to overthrow this government or not. Great post, and I really like this way of looking at such a seemingly small detail.
ReplyDeleteReading this after finishing the book is sort of sad. We have faith in Offred changing the world, but her beliefs are pretty firm and her actions are swayed strongly by her surroundings. Even by the end, she gets in the van because she has no other option, not because she suddenly had an urge to rebel. By surrendering herself to "the darkness or the light" she puts herself, her body, her faith in the path of least resistance. Does she have faith that the world will revert, or does she just have faith in the way things were? Offred can't change the world, just like Bernard couldn't, but they can still have faith in a better (define that as you will) society, right?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting post! I think that Offred has some faith that the world will change, because she knows there are a bunch of people rebelling and such. Personally, I don't have faith that the world will change. It seems that despite peoples' best efforts, the current regime has been able to suppress the majority of uprising through scare tactics. Even at the end, Offred is at the mercy of others - everything is really uncertain.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic to think about. I'm not sure why, but as I was reading the book, the cushion with the word "faith" on it didn't really jump out to me, even though it clearly breaks many rules and seems to have a deep significance. I think the word "faith" can be seen in two ways: one can be faith, as in having faith that this society will eventually fall down, and the other could be in alignment with the society, having faith that this society will make things better. However, if the word "faith" was really there to encourage Offred, I'm confused as to why Serena would've allowed it to stay there. I understand that she's unhappy with the society that came to be, but she was also the one that supported it and helped create it, and throughout the book, I never sensed that she was on Offred's side or the handmaids' side in general.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to consider faith in the context of the last scene where she gets in the car. It seems less faith that things will get better and more faith that something good or bad will happen.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post! Faith seems to be the only thing the handmaids rely on as they suffer the oppression and injustice in the new world. It seems to remind Offred to keep her own faith for a better future. But I think the 'Hope' cushion, if left in Offred's room, would have been just as meaningful an element in the context of her hope for things going back to the old ways that she cherished.
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