Baylee Wilkins
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Compostition
19 December 2014
Mrs. Rutan
AP Literature and Compostition
19 December 2014
A Deadly interview
"So you knew he was married. You were aware you were his mistress.
Why would you do that? How could you condone that?"
Nobody asked the most important question.
"Did you know about the things he's done? Did you want to ruin his marriage?"
The most basic one.
"Was it for revenge? Did it even mean anything to you?"
Nobody asked if she had loved him.
Why would you do that? How could you condone that?"
Nobody asked the most important question.
"Did you know about the things he's done? Did you want to ruin his marriage?"
The most basic one.
"Was it for revenge? Did it even mean anything to you?"
Nobody asked if she had loved him.
All you need is love
Margaret Atwood, the author of The Handmaid's Tale, is a human rights genius. She said in an interview, "Go three days without water and you don't have any human rights. Why? Because you're dead" (Atwood). In The Handmaid's Tale, she explored the need we all have for certain rights as human beings. Atwood covered topics from the right to wear the clothes you want, to the right to choose religion. She has a very blunt perspective on some of these rights. A main argument throughout her novel is the right to love. Love is interpreted in many different ways today. Some believe love is simply a myth, while others believe it is a plausible thing needed for a real quality of life. Atwood is clear in her novel that if one is in love, they should not have to hide it or be ashamed, no matter the circumstance.
|
This is a youtube video of the poem "Variations on the Word Love" by Margaret Atwood.
|
Survival of the strongest love
In every great novel, the main character has a flaw. Flaws give the normal, human readers something to identify with. Atwood's main character and narrator, June, has something most readers would categorize as a flaw: June was once a mistress. She loved and made love with a married man named Luke. June describes some of their times in a hotel room before they were married and June was officially his wife (50). This happy ending to such a "flaw" sheds new light on being a mistress. Luke and June loved each other--June was not an affair, she was not meaningless. She was desired and loved. It was vital for Atwood to include June's flaw because it introduces Atwood's view that loving someone is not an evil act, and one should not be ashamed of it. It also showed that though June was a mistress, she was not completely corrupt, because she is the protagonist of The Handmaid's Tale.
Luke was cheating on his wife in this part of the novel and it was important for readers to know that though his process may have been morally incorrect, Luke loved June more than his wife. Eventually, Luke left his wife and married June. The author included this to show that having a choice in the person one loves is crucial for a human's happiness. Readers are lead to see that strong love will prevail.
Luke was cheating on his wife in this part of the novel and it was important for readers to know that though his process may have been morally incorrect, Luke loved June more than his wife. Eventually, Luke left his wife and married June. The author included this to show that having a choice in the person one loves is crucial for a human's happiness. Readers are lead to see that strong love will prevail.
All's Fair in Love and War
Atwood included June's memory of an interview with a Nazi's mistress. June, the narrator, was young when she saw the interview, so she did not recollect much of it. June remembered that "the man had been cruel and brutal" (145). The mistress was asked questions about the Nazi she had been with. The mistress denied knowing of his cruelty and said, "'He was not a monster'" (145). June pondered on why the woman, or how the woman could have believed he was not a monster. She decided the man must have had some "endearing trait" (145). Atwood chose one of the worst periods in human history and had a woman fall in love with a Nazi. The author shows readers in this passage that there may not be such a thing as total evil. Though the man might have been terrible, someone still loved him, cared for him, defended him. A powerful point made by Atwood was that some acts of evil do not warrant a totally evil person; if one was totally evil, how could they be loved?
The Make-Up, the cover-up, the concealer
The mistress of the Nazi caught young June's attention because she was beautiful. Forty or fifty years later though, the mistress was "carefully made up" and it was clear that she "still took pride in her appearance" (145). June stated, at the end of the memory, "What I remember now , most of all, is the make-up" (146). Atwood wanted readers to pay careful attention to the make-up the mistress wore. Make-up in today's world is looked at in two ways: to amplify beauty, or to conceal and pretend. Atwood makes it apparent to readers that the mistress' make up was not beautiful by using words like "heavy," "stretched," and "rubber" (145). At first glance, this seems like a conceited woman who is caught up in her appearance. However, after a closer examination of the passage, it can be concluded that the woman was using make-up for the latter purpose; she was trying to conceal and pretend. The mistress was hiding from the world because she was ashamed now of being a mistress. Ashamed of love? Is it right to be ashamed of loving someone, even though it may not have been morally correct for them to have been together. Atwood answers no. She was trying to conceal herself and pretend that all of the ugliness the interviewers suggest was something she could cover up. She couldn't though, and the narrator tells readers the woman "killed herself" after the interview was filmed (146). This was a great plot point by Atwood to show how desperate the woman was to escape her past and the judgment she received for it. No one asked the mistress about why he was with her, or how close they were. Perhaps if they had treated the woman decently, or thought about what it would have been like to be her, her life may not have ended the way it did. Instead, they treated her like she was evil. Evil for being his mistress. Evil for loving an evil man.
Here, Atwood reveals to readers that the mistress is often blamed for loving someone, or being with them. However, when the man is not respected, the interviewers wonder how she could stand him. Mistresses have a double standard: they are either wrong for loving a man, or they are wrong because they don't love the right man.
Here, Atwood reveals to readers that the mistress is often blamed for loving someone, or being with them. However, when the man is not respected, the interviewers wonder how she could stand him. Mistresses have a double standard: they are either wrong for loving a man, or they are wrong because they don't love the right man.
good vs. Evil
Atwood poses a question then: Can love be evil or wrong? Not including "fairy-tale love," but honest, whole-hearted love. Atwood shows readers women who love married men with honest, true hearts. How can they be blamed? How could they be evil? They can't. Love, at it's truest cannot be evil. The mistress, in true love, is not evil.
Atwood also shows readers that untrue love, (in other words, an affair just to have an affair,) is in a way evil or wrong because it never will work out. The man or mistress will never win in a lying affair. Atwood shows readers this when June is found out sleeping with her Commander--a married man. His wife finds her out, calling June, "a slut" (287) and the novel ends with June being taken away either to a place of safety, or a place of hell.
|
It all comes down to love
June makes a point, "Nobody asked whether or not she had loved him" (146). This was great emphasis on the judgment a mistress receives: no one thinks a mistress can actually be in love with a married man. Today, we think a mistress is someone who is careless about the lives of others, or that they are getting revenge on another woman. Perhaps these stereotypes are true, but Atwood argues that even though it may not be the right way, it does not mean it is evil or shameful. No one should be ashamed to love someone if they want to. We see that in the case of Luke and June, true love can actually be found and cherished. We see that some evil acts do not warrant an evil person, and that love can be found in all types of people. Finally, we can conclude that love is not an evil thing; it is what keeps us alive and humane. The author of The Handmaid's Tale argues one should be free to love whomever they choose without shame, judgment, or concealment. Love is love is love. It cannot be hidden, it cannot be destroyed.
Works Cited
Andrews, Emily. "Why Having a Good Cry May Not Actually Make You Feel Any Better." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2021649/Why-having-good-actually-make-feel-better.html>.
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Print.
"Biography - Margaret Atwood." Margaret Atwood. V.J. Bauer, 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://margaretatwood.ca/biography/>.
"Evil." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evil>.
McCrum, Robert. "Margaret Atwood Interview: 'Go Three Days without Water and You Don't Have Any Human Rights. Why? Because You're Dead'" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited or Its Affiliated Companies., 27 Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbooks%2F2010%2Fnov%2F28%2Fmargaret-atwood-interview>.
Moore, Pamela. "Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database." Atwood, Margaret : The Handmaid's Tale. Houghton Mifflin, 20 May 1994. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=157>.
Stacy. 6 Different Types of Divorce. Digital image. Stacy Knows. Stacy Knows, 24 July 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://stacyknows.com/2014/6-different-types-divorce/>.
Variations on the Word Love. Kleo Urbanowicz, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkgTsmMfphs>.
Willis, Amy. Tens of Thousands of Dead Nazis Still Being Repatriated. Digital image. The Telegragh. Telegragh Media Group Limited, 10 May 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.< http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9256121/Tens-of-thousands-of-dead-Nazis-still-being-repatriated.html>.