Handmaid's Tale Act 1 Scene 1 Essay

The scene starts off with a long shot of the figure of Offred, with light shining in from the background that makes the viewer only see her shadow. The camera angle is eye-level making it seem like someone is staring at Offred from across the room. The room that we see looks like a typical room in any house, and the familiarity is supposed to invoke a sense of dread in the viewer. Everything aspect of the room is plain and gives off the feeling that no one lives there. Additionally, the light shining in from the window behind Offred, only allows a shadow of the figure to be seen. There are no distinguishable qualities that can be seen, even the color of her dress is obscured by the light. Therefore, creating the illusion that that shadow could be anyone of the women

Blue symbolizes numerous things, but in this instance its association to faith and heaven connect well with the type of religious society that rules Gilead. Consequently, blue is often considered to be beneficial to the mind and body, so surrounding handmaids with blue makes sense, because Gilead want these women to be in the best possible health. The camera starts to zoom in closer to the shadow of Offred, and then cuts to a medium shot of her hunched over holding her hands. The camera is angled so that the viewer gets a side profile view of Offred. The light is still shining in from the window behind her casting rays of light in a few directions. No light is casted on Offred’s face and it remains covered in shadows. This is done to show Offred’s anxiety and dread about finding out that there is an Eye in the house she resides in. The director keeps the light off her face to create a somber atmosphere. Then, there is a cut to a medium frontal view of Offred as she is looking down. There is a slight high angle looking down on Offred that makes her appear to be smaller and oppressed in the current