Power Dynamics

Offred and the Commander developing a relationship has to be one of the most unexpected things I could have imagined, largely due to the power imbalance. The “head of the household” who yields the most power coerces a woman who has arguably the most marginalized position in the novel, so much so that it feels almost caricatured. This “relationship” is completely fake, in that Offred has to perform for her own survival, and the Commander seems too short-sighted to even notice. What’s ironic is that eventually, Offred seems to have made connections involving power imbalances throughout the book (or rather, she is being coerced into doing certain people “favors”), including figures like Serena Joy. Everyone seems to bend the rules in their own way, even those who ostensibly benefit from the dystopian society’s practices. But the thing is Offred can’t say “no” because of these very power dynamics. 

Thankfully, Offred seems to have developed her first real ally in this world (besides Moira, wherever she could be). Ofglen seems to be part of a larger movement to resist the dystopian society, but we as readers then see the Eyes and hope that they aren’t coming for Offred. The Eyes (and their bosses, of course), in my opinion, are also some of the most privileged classes in the novel, given their seemingly blind authority to kill other people. The theme of power dynamics resurfaces when Offred feels like she can trust Ofglen, her societal “equal” in a way, but still has to avoid the Eyes, who embody power. What do you think? Flashbacks aside, do these chapters seem to have a central theme regarding power dynamics?

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