Motivation to Carry On

Throughout The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, Offred tries to hold on to some parts of her former life before the totalitarian government took over. One way in which women keep in touch with their previous selves is through a simple act known as "buttering." In their present world, women are simply vessels—their exterior beauty or internal feelings have no value. In order to care for themselves, women salvage bits of butter or margarine to use as lotion to keep their skin soft. Offred described it, saying "As long as we do this...we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire. We have ceremonies of our own, private ones" (125). To these women, the simplest act of softening their skin is enough to give them the motivation to carry on. Buttering gives their lives a semblance of times past, and provides hope for the future.

Another way in which Offred stays calm is through her memories of her best friend Moira, her old lover Luke, her daughter, and her mother. Atwood switches seamlessly between flashbacks and the present moment, directly illustrating Offred's thoughts. One idea that keeps Offred motivated to stay alive is the possibility of reuniting with Luke, and that he'll send her a message: "The message will say that I must have patience: sooner or later he will get me out, we will find her...Meanwhile I must endure, keep myself safe for later" (135).

Offred also feels a strong connection to the former woman who lived in her room. This woman left a "Latin" note scratched into a cupboard, which reads "nolite te bastardes carborundorum," or "don't let the bastards grind you down.". Although the meaning of the phrase is unknown to Offred, it still serves as a reminder that someone once lived in her room, that they survived for some amount of time, and that they held on to enough of their former self to take a risk and carve something into the cupboard. Offred said "it pleases me to ponder this message...to think I'm communing with her, this unknown woman"(69).

Offred also loves to rebel against society in tiny ways, which helps her to feel alive and giver her a small sense of power. When passing one of the Guardians' inspection points, she looks up at one of their faces. She explains how it's "a small defiance of rule...but such moments are the rewards I hold out for myself, like the candy I hoarded, as a child...Such moments are possibilities, tiny peepholes" (28-29). In a world where Offred has such little power over herself and others, the knowledge that she can defy rules and make guards blush gives her the ability to carry on living her stripped-down, restricted life.