Sun and Moon (Nature and Balance II)

Offred is an interesting character. In the beginning of Chapter Thirty, she talks about something I found very interesting - the night. She asks, "Why is it that the night falls, instead of rising, like the dawn?" (201). This was interesting to me because it connected directly with my idea of balance in the world. If we take the sun and moon to be opposites, then one must rise while the other falls. This does still happen, however, if we take Offred's view of the night rising. To see her view, we must imagine the sunrise and the sunset. During sunrise, the sun is coming up and the darkness is falling back. You can see this very clearly, and imagine it almost like a dome opening itself from one side to the other. During the sunset, you can see the darkness rise as the sun falls. So here is our balance. One always rises while the other falls. But one can never be without the other. How would we know what light is without the darkness? We never enjoy things until we have felt their absence. This could be compared to the fragile balance between men and women in society. As one side rises, the other falls. However, neither can live without the other because of the way nature has been built upon this Earth, because of the way we are. If either the male or female lines were to disappear, our human species would come to extinction. And so, in a sense, I suppose we could say that we as a species, and all other species like our own resemble the very thing that give us life - the sun. Interestingly enough, in this story, the Handmaids have been given the color red, and the Commanders, the color black. Darkness is usually associated with depression, sadness, negativity and death. We discussed in class that red also symbolizes things that give the characteristics expected of the Handmaids. In the book, Offred describes that the "night falls because it's heavy, a thick curtain pulled up over the eyes." (201). The night could represent the Commander, while the dawn represents the Handmaids. Commanders are supposed to be dark, powerful, generally negative people. And so, they are the night which smothers all happiness from Offred's life. They are the thing that takes away her freedom. But at the same time, for balance, they could soon be the very thing that helps Offred escape.