Oppression, a common tool in the schemes of power-hungry tyrants, is an unparalleled force seeking to remove all individualism and sanity from the oppressed. This reckoning force can whip a person - regardless of his or her level of will or mentality - into a whimpering little puppy. However, the select few learn to deal with their situation. They learn to hope, even search for an answer. They learn to cope. In Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale, the character Offred is one such person. With the help and support of some of her friends, Offred learns to deal with oppression in an imaginative society where women are merely baby-making tools. Offred seeks relief by coping with oppression through "underground" methods of three different levels: communication, inactive rebellion and active rebellion.
The primary way to deal with oppression is the simple but infinitely important art of conversation. Communication, whether it be by mouth or not, is the basis of a society. Without it, a world cannot function. Throughout the novel, Offred constantly attempts to communicate with the people around her, even though it is against the rules. The Handmaids are not allowed to interact with one another, a controlling aspect of oppression. If the Handmaids cannot speak to one another, then there is no chance they will rebel together. However, they take their chances, and Offred says, "We learned to lipread, our heads flat on the beds, turned sideways, watching each other's mouths" (4). Even at the start of oppression, the first impulse of the girls is to reach out to one another in an attempt to communicate. Without communication, the Handmaids will be trapped inside their own minds, with no means of expressing their emotions. Nevertheless, there are also opportunities, however rare they may be, to communicate freely without the watchful "eyes" noticing. When Offred goes out on a walk or takes a trip to the market, she interacts with her "partner-in-crime" Ofglen.
