The Handmaid's Tale Loss Essay

Have you ever lost someone or something important in your life? And by losing it, it somehow changed the way you thought about your life? Although both characters in The Handmaid’s Tale and The Book Thief experienced a great deal of loss, I believe that Offred’s loss was greater than that of Liesel Meminger.

Offred’s previous life was never really talked about during the novel The Handmaid’s Tale. The Handmaid’s Tale talks about the changes in her life, but we never really have a full understanding of her life before the Republic of Gilead was formed. We never know how happy she was, we only know how happy she remembered being. Offred’s life is described as scheduled, boring, and dangerous. Not necessarily in that order. Much of

what we know about Offred is that she has lost. She not only has lost her family, but she had lost her freedom. There were strict rules. She had to talk and dress a certain way. She was not allowed to have an open conversation with anyone. A lot of Offred’s freedoms were taken away. She was not treated as a human being but as a vessel. They only needed her for one reason and they made that fairly clear. Although Offred lost everything the one thing she had that Liesel did not was security.

One the other hand Liesel Meminger dealt with a great amount of loss. Liesel lost her mother. Her mother did not die, or become ill, but her mother gave up. Liesel was being brought to another family because her mother could not take care of her. And even though her brother was always with her, his laugh, and his smile were left behind in the frozen dirt. She felt the pain of loss as she gripped the fence before being pulled into her new home. Liesel lost the only life she ever really knew. Toward the end of the book Liesel lost even more. Liesel lost her new family, and her new best friend. In Liesel’s story there is a lot of loss of family members. She knew the pain of losing a close friend. Liesel even experienced the loss of love.

Can you think of a memory where you experienced loss?

It could have been the loss of your lucky sweater, to the loss of a family member or friend. I am sure you can think of many, but have you ever lost everything? Although both characters in the novels experienced the loss of family only Offred could have known what it felt like to lose everything.

Liesel Meminger still had a somewhat normal life. She played soccer, and even had a crush. She could talk freely, laugh and even argue. Liesel could voice her own opinion, which she did. Liesel Meminger walked, and talked the way she wanted. She had the freedom to talk to whomever she wanted. Liesel was able to go out and be herself. She had one of the most important things in life. Freedom of choice. At the end of the book Liesel knew what had happened to her family. She knew they were killed by the bombs and that they were gone. Liesel was able to move on knowing what her past represented.

Offred had none of these things. Offred was forced to act, talk, and even walk a certain way. Offred’s life was planned out for her. She would go here one day, and do this the next. Even Offred’s room was not as a room should be. They had to take ceiling fans, locks, or anything you could hang

a
rope by, out of the room.

And even though the author barely comes out and says it, they were forced to do this so Offred could not commit suicide. Her freedoms were restricted and taken away. The only way she could be free was to escape, and that was near impossible. This left her with the option of taking her own life, but that was also not a possible choice. Offred had to live with the fact that if she made a mistake they could and would kill her. Offred lost all of her freedoms when the Gilead Society formed. I say this knowing that Offred did not only lose her freedom, but she lost her family and even her memories. Offred believed that she was being drugged to forget her old life. She was losing her memories of her family, of her daughter. Offred first lost her family the day in the woods, but she lost them a second time when she lost her memories. Offred lost who she was before Gilead. It talks throughout the novel about Offred trying to remember Luke’s face. She lost her memories of her family. Something that had been so important to her in the past was now just a fading memory. Offred did not even have the knowledge of what had happened to her family. She was left with the thoughts that formed in her brain about what they could have done with her sweet daughter. She was left to hope and pray that they were safe, left to think they could be dead. She had nothing. They had given her nothing. She was not even granted the gift of knowing what

happened to her daughter until the end. When the commander showed her a picture of her daughter she regretted asking for it. She regretted wanting to know. Before she saw the picture she was able to think that her daughter made it out and that she was safe. Offred lost everything that she had in her life before Gilead. Instead of all of those things she was given one. Security. No one would ever touch her or threaten her, but this came at a price. The price was that she became a human, baby making, robot. I say this meaning she did and said exactly what she was told. She could not think for herself. But don’t worry you’re “safe” now. There could have been other ways to provide this so called safety to women, but this is the one that they chose.

Offred’s life was much different to that of Liesel Meminger. Not only were they years apart in age but they experienced life in a different way. Liesel experienced life much like we do today. She did not lose all of her freedoms through her loss. Liesel’s losses are also very much similar to the ones we have all faced. Offred’s life was very much different. We have never experienced the loss Offred has faced throughout the novel. Offred’s life is not one that most would wish for. I still believe that Offred’s loss was greater than that of Liesel’s.