The language of The Handmaid’s Tale is odd, as in the words and phrases that are used. There are “Marthas,” “Commanders,” “Wives,” “Handmaids,” “Guardians,” “Eyes,” and many more. Each name has some significance to them, and when I looked up what Martha meant, it came from the Old Testament story of Martha and her brother, Lazarus. Lazarus was sick and Martha tended to him, like a servant. Not only that, but Martha was the one who did all the chores, while her sister, Mary, sat and listened to the teachings of Jesus, another similarity between being a servant in the household of a Commander and the Biblical Martha. The rest of the names are fairly obvious to what they mean, Commanders being the heads, Wives being the original wives of the Commanders. Handmaid is a more clever name because it name just means, from the two definitions, “something that is necessarily subservient or subordinate to another,” and “a female servant or attendant.” Handmaids are meant to be subservient and subordinate, Handmaid is also used within the Bible, meaning just plainly as servant. “It is probable that Hagar was Sarah's personal attendant while she was in the house of Pharaoh, and was among those maidservants whom Abram had brought from Egypt.” This actually relates to the beginning of the book, or rather before the book even starts. Three quotes are on one of the first pages of The Handmaid’s Tale, and the first quote is about how Rachel could not give birth so she sent Jacob to her servant, Bilhah to bore her a child. With Sarah, she gave her servant, Hagar, to Abram to have a child, and that child was Ishmael. The language with the names held interesting information as to how they were given the names.
I like the comparison you draw to the importance of names, and how the meaning of identity reflects the sense of character for the person in the book. However, you didn't touch upon Ofglen and one of the most interesting cases of names, which is why Ofglen's name was never mentioned. I think with the importance of identity her name never surfacing was an interesting piece of the story.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Atwood used the name "Martha", knowing the biblical significance, to label the marthas, but I still don't understand why she chose that name in particular. There were many loyal servants in the Bible, not just Martha, and it just makes me wonder if there's more to the name than simply that one Bible story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda, I think Atwood's commentary on the bible and it's place in society goes deeper than that one story. But nonetheless you did a great job analyzing the importance of names in the story and how they affect the reader's perception of the novel
ReplyDeleteI think throughout history and even today, Martha has been a name for a servant/servant-like person, and Atwood amplifies that by making it an entire group of people.
ReplyDeleteI like how you really connected the names to their Biblical counterpart. It's interesting to point out how Atwood writes a religious dystopia while drawing so much from Christianity.
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