Monday, January 3, 2011
Discussion Post 1: The Handmaid's Tale - Epigram
At the beginning of the book, before the Table of Contents, there are a series of three quotes. The first is Genesis 30:1-3 as printed in the book. The second is from Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”. The third is a Sufi proverb. After reading these quotes, what can you assume the book may be about or what issues do you think it may address? What do these quotes mean and can any of these quotes be related to one another? (You may address one or several of the quotes.) Make sure your response is a complete paragraph.
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The quotes leading into this novel, were very brief, but filled with such meaning. They seem to set the plot for what the novel will entail. Overall, all three quotes seem to reveal the importance of reproduction and the traditions of men and women in society. Men seem to be above all and women are far beneath. The genesis quote reveals the power of men as Rachel is seeking a way to grant Jacob's wish of children, even if it will really not be her child, she will treat it as her own. After all the trying to bear his children and things Rachel felt she did for Jacob over time, she just had to find a way to do what she knew was required of her in Jacob's eyes, based on the Modest Proposal quote. According to Sufi proverb, No matter how heartless that may make Jacob seem, or how it may demean Rachel completely there was nothing that stated against it. This novel will most likely destroy the dignity of women and men will be in control, and childbirth is a main concern.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the epigraph at the beginning of the book, one can construe that the book will revolve around a theme of male entitlement and the degradation of women. The quote from Genesis indicates how important it was for Rachel to give Jacob a child, even if it meant they would have said child by their servant. Rachel’s situation relates to the quote from A Modest Proposal because she is hopelessly infertile but finds opportunity in her fertile maid to give her husband what he wants. The Sufi proverb states that there is no sign in the desert telling people not to eat stones. It can be taken to mean there are not rules set against actions people know are wrong. A person is just expected to understand what is and is not asked of them and to abide by that way of living.
ReplyDeleteThe quotes in the novel seem to set a tone for a solemn discussion about infertility and marriage. They help promote that childbirth is a main concern and women, who cannot bare children, were worthless. The first is a quotation from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. The quote talks about a discussion among Jacob and Rachel and how Rachel cannot give Jacob children so he should go get her maid pregnant so Rachel can claim them as her own kids.The desire for children seems to set up a kind of allowed adultery within marriage, as long as, the ultimate goal is to make children. Yet while the Genesis quotation is concerned with the absence of children, Jonathan Swift's quote from "A Modest Proposal," addresses the issue of poor families raising multiple children. Both quotes seem to complement each other by promoting the affects of the two situations.The last quote is a Sufi proverb, which unlike the other two quotes, does not refer to children but as a guidepost. It identifies that some things are simply not acceptable no mater how desperate the situation is, like breeding women.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the quotes at the start of the novel I established that the book will most likely revolve around the fact that men will be in charge while the women not so much. For example the men will be given children when wnated. I think the first two quotes are related but from the way I interpreted the third one it doesn't exactly relate. The first quote from Genesis revolves around the fact that Jacob wants children and whether or not Rachel can have the child he will get one. That is why Rachel chose the fertile maid to give Jacob what he wants. The quote from A Modest Proposal can relate to the first quote by thinking of it as Jacob talking about wanting his child and he finally gets it. The third quote from the Sufi proverb means that you don't need to be warned about the obvious dangers, it is expected of people to know.
ReplyDeleteThe quotes in the beginning of the book highlight the issues of marriage, fertility, and desperation. The first quote describes Rachel as infertile, a trait that is a major obstacle for a stable marriage for her and Jacob. Rather than admitting failure, Rachel is desperate enough to even raise a child that is not hers but a servant’s. This corresponds with the second quote, where Rachel has an opportunity to achieve what she and Jacob want despite the negative circumstances. Finally the Sufi proverb could be interpreted two ways. The first would imply that because there is no clear rule establishing that achieving Rachel’s goal was wrong, committing adultery in order to have children could be possible. The second would indicate that there are some things that are clearly wrong that do not need to written down as a rule. In this case, the fact that exploiting a servant into adultery for Rachel’s benefit would clearly be wrong. Thus, the main themes of this book illustrate the issues surrounding fertility and the great strides women take to have children in order to satisfy their husbands.
ReplyDeleteThe quotes in the beginning of the novel establishes the conflict between infertility and marriage. The importance of fertility can possibly be a motif. In the Genesis quote, there's a sense of desperation for infertile Rachel because she wants to bear a child for Jacob but isn't able to. This then relates to the second quote because Rachel's desire causes her to go outside of her marriage and have to find a replacement so that Jacob will have children. To have to endure that will put a strain between Jacob and Rachel. The Sufi quote foreshadows the struggles that women have when they are infertile.
ReplyDeleteThese quotes seem to hinting at a pretty rough road for women throughout the novel. In the quote from Genesis, Rachel does not seem to want to have children out of love for her husband, but out of jealousy for her sister. Jacob recognizes this and becomes angry with her and notes that it is God’s fault, not his, that she cannot have a child. In that time period, something like infertility would be seen as a punishment for sins, so more or less, Jacob is blaming his wife’s sinfulness for her infertility. One partner blaming the other is never a sign of a good relationship, and clearly Jacob has all the power, for instead of Rachel conceiving with another man, she offers her husband her maid to have a child for her, depriving herself the wonder and joy of childbearing and birth, but allowing her husband to enjoy it still. I really don’t know what to make of the second quote without knowing what “this proposal” is. However, the Sufi proverb to me seems to say that when times are hard, there is no telling how hard everyday tasks, such as eating, will get. The desert signifies the environment around the individual and eating stones signifies how hard even the most basic needs can be to fulfill, pun definitely intended (for me). This quote seems like something that the women in the novel will be faced with; that everything in their lives, even the most basic necessities, will not be had easily.
ReplyDeleteA common theme that weaves a thread through these quotes appears to be invention due to desperation. In each quote, there seems to be a tension where one of the characters being addressed is lacking something that is necessary, may it be fertility or even water, and by the end of the quote, they are trying to figure out a way to adjust to the given situation. This tension that is conveyed within the quote shows that the book may have to do with the theme of a patriarchal societies seen around the world and possibly the degradation and usage of a woman for males to feel more superior. In the first quote, since Rachel cannot bear children, Jacob feels as if an injustice has been done to him. However, Rachel not only admits failure but also presents Jacob with a servant in order to have a child by her and give back Jacob whatever pride he may have lost by his wife’s infertility. This shows the lengths that women will go to improve upon their own admitted flaws in attempt to please the men. This novel will be about the usage of women as a means of the production of children by men.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through these quotes, the story that follows afterwards may be one dealing with the concepts of bearing offspring and the problems that are related with that and having a relationship. Although Jacob can do nothing to fix Rachel's problem of being infertile, she puts the pressure on him, telling him to produce her offspring through another person, like her maid Bilhah. This does relate to the second quote dealing with the proposal, which could mean that either Rachel or Jacob could have found a way to end all their misery. The last quote seems to just give a overarching theme of what the book may be about, such as there are hardships throughout life, but there will not always be a sign in your face telling what you should and should not do, so part of life is trial and error. You have to eat the stone, or experience the hardship, in order to learn and move on.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough brief, the quotes that are in the very beginning of the novel are there to set the mood and to get the reader thinking in the direction of the deeper meaning that the text will hold. I think that the quotes are hinting that the novel is going to touch heavily on the suppression of women and the importance of children in society. In the Genesis quote (Gen. 30:1-3) it becomes evident that child birthing is so important that Jacob’s wife tells him that he should make love to Bilhah, the servant, just so that there can be a child for the family. This extreme importance of a child – especially a male child – is present in today’s society especially in places like Asia. Also important is that “Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel” for her inability to bear a child; this anger of Jacob’s hints that in that society a woman’s ability to produce a child is of great significance. The second quote is important because Rachel goes forth to fulfill her desires despite her infertility. I interpreted the Sufi proverb to mean that in life some things are so obvious that they don’t need to be written down for one to know that they shouldn’t be done – eating a rock is clearly ridiculous. The Sufi proverb could relate to Genesis 30:3 because it makes it seem like it should be obvious that if you aren’t having a child it is because you weren’t meant to, and that there shouldn’t have to be a rule to say that you shouldn’t use your servant as a way to get a child via having her have sex with her husband. After carefully analyzing these quotes it would seem that this novel will attempt to show how woman are made out to look like insignificant people whose main – if not only – role is child birthing.
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