Even though he is a Commander he still does not have any freedom which leads to him breaking the rules as well. Another example is when Offred and Serena are talking and Serena says, “He’s been with us a long time. He’s loyal. I could fix it with him” (Atwood 205). In this quote, she’s talking about Nick and how he runs her “black market” errands.
When Marlowe deduces this, he gives Vivian three days to leave and have Carmen institutionalized. Even though Marlowe is harsh to Vivian, does not immediately alert the police, showing that he is still trying to spare General Sternwood’s feelings. Perhaps Marlowe feels that this resolution is fair because Carmen gets the help that she needs, and General Sternwood does not learn how twisted his daughters are. Marlowe seems to believe that he is being loyal by protecting his client’s emotions, but at the same time he is preventing General Sternwood from knowing the truth about Rusty Regan’s disappearance. For Marlowe, loyalty seems to be a balance between protecting a client and actually doing his job by solving their
Not only did the Commander have an affair with Offred , but he also had plenty affairs with the Jezebels, which took place in a brothel. The Jezebels are biblical allusions, in which they represent corruption and or wickedness. When the Commander shows Offred the “club,” she tells him that it is forbidden. The Commander replies , “Well officially, but everyone’s human after all.” When she asks him what he means by that , he replies, “It means you can’t cheat nature. Nature demands variety, for men.
I want anything that breaks the monotony, subverts the perceived respectable order of things.” (Atwood 231). She agreed because she knew it was risky and she did not care because it seemed odd. This leads to her having fun breaking rules because she does not know where she is going with the Commander and likes odd surprises. Strict leadership can cause rebellious acts among the people of the totalitarian government, also the leader can commit rebellious acts too. The Republic of Gilead can relate to other governments as well.
Nick and his commander share many differences between one another due to what their status are in the Republic Of Gilead. However the two still have similarities between one another which consists of both of their relationship with Offred and them both committing adultery with Offred in hopes to produce a child for the commander and his wife. The commander has one of the most highest positions in the Republic Of Gilead and is unable to produce a child with his wife Serena Joy due to her being sterile. The commander is then required to commit adultery with there handmaid Offred in hopes to produce a child through her. However Offred had no signs of becoming pregnant through the commander suggesting that the commander was possibly sterile himself the whole time.
In other words, a wedding for the daughters of Wives as young as fourteen. The next meeting in the Commanders office he gives her a skimpy, flashy outfit and tells her he wants to take her out. Offred agrees and Nick drives her and the Commander to a building where he puts a tag on her wrist and tells her that if people ask, she is an evening rental. At this club she sees Moira and she tells Offred about her attempt at escaping, and how she chose to work as a prostitute instead of living in the Colonies. In a hotel room at the club the Commander and her have sex, although the Commander is disappointed that she was not excited about a real sexual
Try as they might, their tactics are of no use when in comes to the more resourceful handmaids and wives who are able to use their influence to bend the rules made by the superior men. Offred’s first meetings with the Commander demonstrate her ability to communicate with others in order to have what she wants. Although Offred is nervous during her first encounter with the Commander alone, she eventually grows more comfortable with playing Scrabble and reading magazines with him. It doesn’t take long for her to feel secure enough to make her own requests, as she states, “On the third night I asked him for some hand lotion, I didn’t want to sound begging, but I wanted what I could get” (158). Offred’s interactions with her Commander are
Offred implies her relationship with Serena saying “she then was a woman who might bend the rules… I looked at the cigarette with longing. For me, like liquor and coffee, they are forbidden.” Otherwise stated, Serena encompasses the authority to “bend the rules” whilst Offred must obey the limitations bestowed upon her by her red cloak. Offred further expresses Serena’s dominance when she quenches her cigarette with “one jab and one grind, not the series of genteel taps favored by many of the wives,” for this indicates Serena’s unequivocal declaration of power, whilst Offered gazes with a yearning
Offred has the opportunity to show her knowledge of the past when she is with the Commander. Shortly after arriving at his home, she finds out that the Commander wants her to come to his office. Offred’s fear of the unknown reason for this request is evident when she says, “I lie in bed, still trembling. You can wet the rim of a glass and run your finger around the rim and it will make a sound. This is what I feel like: this sound of glass.
Whether one era or society allows to think about themselves and individual is always obligated to make there action for there happiness and for themselves .In the novel The Handmaid 's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Offred’s acceptance towards complacency helps her survive in a misogynistic society but internally she is refusing to comply to sustain her identity. As much as Offred disagrees with the value and beliefs in the society she has to comply in order to endure. The commander throughout the book breaks many rules one of them was calling Offred secretly in the nights.Offred cannot decline the commander 's request, situation like these causes Offred to be forced in to complying even if it is against the Gilead’s law. In the society Offred 's in her decision and the acts of complying is difficult “ But to refuse to see him could be worse. There’s no doubt about holds the real power.”(Atwood 136) she cannot challenge the power of the commander even without agreeing she has to forcefully comply to every command she is told.