Handmaids Tale - Chapter 2 Analysis

504 Words3 Pages
English Charlotte Russell Chapter Two – The Handmaids Tale How is the character in the extract limited? In the extract it is explicitly clear that the narrator is deprived freedom. We can see this when she talks of her superiors removing ‘anything you could tie a rope to’. This suggests that she is believed to be a possible suicidal character, however whoever has removed the items she would need to conduct this act does not want her to have release from her circumstances. This is enhanced by the narrator saying “it isn’t running away they’re afraid of…it’s the other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself”. This shows that the character is limited because she is denied the choice of whether she wants to live or die, meaning she is restricted in her life choices and has to abide by the rules of others. We, as readers, get a feeling of complete control over the narrator and her surroundings. The imagery of the room she abides in suggests confinement and emptiness, which could reflect how the character is feeling herself. The ceiling and the curtains are white which could mirror a feeling of innocence, which is a sharp contrast to the rest of the story, however it could also be used to represent the blank surroundings that make her physical space feel claustrophobic and restricting. To enhance the feeling of confinement, the word ‘prison’ is used which suggests limited opportunities and a feeling of no escape. Also, the windows only open part way, which shows control over free will as she is not even able to decide how much air is let into her room and also exaggerates the feeling of there being no escape. Everything in her life is limited, even her ‘thought must be rationed’ which shows the measure of control being imposed upon her free will. Her circumstances mean that ‘there’s a lot that
Open Document