Janet Jacobs
AP Literature and Composition
Mrs. Rutan
16 December 2014
AP Literature and Composition
Mrs. Rutan
16 December 2014
Robots love too
Remember the time when you had your first crush? Whether it was in kindergarten, middle school, high school, or even when you were 25 years old, it could happen at any age. We grow up into a society where the average goal is to marry and have kids, but why? Why does everyone desire to want a significant other to love, to have children with? Simply because it’s human nature.
Human nature is what’s natural for humans.
Emotions are natural for humans whether its love, anger, or sadness. Being social and being ourselves is natural. Margaret Atwood expresses an interesting viewpoint from a futuristic perspective in a novel called The Handmaid’s Tale.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, human nature is suppressed due to the depletion of the population. The author argues that humans want love—whether it’s emotional or intimate. Even if we tried, we cannot suppress human nature.
Atwood’s style of writing enhances her overall message. The character, Offred, throughout the story has flashbacks of memories of her and her husband before the population started to deplete. One flashback was when she used to wait in hotels for Luke—her husband—before they were married. Offred would imagine that, “The knock would come at the door; I’d open, with relief, desire. He was so momentary, so condensed. And yet there seemed no end to him. We would lie in those afternoon beds, afterwards, hands on each other…” (51). By doing this, the writing feels dream-like and almost unreal compared to everything else that was happening. Atwood did this to enrich the idea that the world her character is living in, is very different to the world that we live in today—to make us realize that the character can no longer be with her husband because of the world she lives in. Even after society tries to suppress human nature, Offred still day dreams about being with her husband because all she wants is love.
What’s the best way to suppress human nature? Take away everyone’s identities just like Hitler did to the Jews during the World Wars. Hitler gave each Jew a number for their identity, and in The Handmaid’s Tale, the government takes away the handmaids’ real names and replaces them with names that represents their commander to show possession. Not only does the society that Atwood created take away people’s real names, but also they force them to dress the same, and act the same--almost like robots.
In the novel, Offred tells us “My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others” (84). By reiterating the idea that Offred’s name is only useful to other’s and not to herself, reinforces the idea that Atwood’s characters are being forced to suppress their human nature. |
One of the things banned in the book is emotional connection between a handmaid and a male. Handmaids are created just to produce children. They are not allowed to love or be loved. In the novel, Atwood’s character stumbles upon what seems to be some type of emotional connecting with someone who she is forbidden to even talk to—her Commander. For the first time in years Offred feels like she is human again because she and the Commander have conversations that are not allowed between the two of them.
When the Commander requested to see Offred, she had no idea what he wanted. After the Commander told Offred, “I’d like you to play a game of Scrabble with me” (138), it showed that the Commander is lonely and all he wanted is someone to understand him. This emotional connection develops even deeper when they start to become comfortable with one another. Although this is banned in society, people still did it because all they want is a connection with someone, to understand one another and share interests—and emotional link.
Another thing banned from this book for the handmaids is sex outside their room and with anyone else besides who they are supposed to have it with. The character ends up being intimate with the chauffeur because she likes the idea of being loved. Even if it is dangerous, she did it to be selfish because she wants more out of life than what is being offered to her—which isn’t much. Even Nick wants a relationship because he was the one who told Offred, “Keep on doing everything exactly the way you were before. Don’t change anything. Otherwise they’ll know” (270). Nick wants a relationship so bad that he will break the rules to have one. Humans want love because it’s natural to us.
Another thing banned from this book for the handmaids is sex outside their room and with anyone else besides who they are supposed to have it with. The character ends up being intimate with the chauffeur because she likes the idea of being loved. Even if it is dangerous, she did it to be selfish because she wants more out of life than what is being offered to her—which isn’t much. Even Nick wants a relationship because he was the one who told Offred, “Keep on doing everything exactly the way you were before. Don’t change anything. Otherwise they’ll know” (270). Nick wants a relationship so bad that he will break the rules to have one. Humans want love because it’s natural to us.
The character of this book wants nothing more than love and the society wants nothing more than the character to be a robot with no emotions. People will work their way around society to do what feels right. Love is something natural for humans. Emotional connections, friendships, companionships, relationships—they are all forms of human nature. Atwood clearly states her argument when we see the main character fall into a love triangle where she is emotionally connected with one, but physically connected to the other one. Due to the society that she lives in, she can’t seem to have both so she is broken.
Human nature is what comes natural to us; when it is suppressed, are we allowed to call ourselves human then?
Works Cited:
Card, aty. "The Handmaids Tale Plot Summary." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Dec 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10xTCYiKQo
Commander and Offred playing scrabble. Digital Image. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale - in pictures. The Guardian, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 December 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2012/jan/23/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-in- pictures
Emotional Link. Digital Image. Getty Images. Getty Images, 2014. Web. 18 December 2014. http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/connection-with-fibre-optic-light-trail-high-res-stock-photography/144635393
"Margaret Atwood Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 18 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-atwood-9191928>.
"Robot." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/robot>.
Steiner. Personal Robot 05. Digital Image. 19 March 2009. Web. 18 December 2014. http://www.templates.com/blog/robots-people- striking-3d-perspective/
Wedding Picture. Digital Image. Pollination Events Company. Pollination Events Company, 2014. Web. 18 December 2014. http://pollinationevents.com/