The Handmaid's Tale

“Something could be exchanged, we thought, some deal made, some trade-off, we still had our bodies. That was our fantasy.” 

That the Handmaids-in-training consider trading sexual favors for the chance of escape shows that, however problematically, they still view their bodies as their own, as things with which to trade for their own benefit. This stands in contrast to the ways Offred gradually comes to dissociate from her own body and view it as not her own.

“It isn’t running away they’re afraid of. We wouldn’t get far. It’s those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge.” 

Offred’s discussion of Handmaids committing suicide provides a shocking insight into the extent of the trauma and desperation the Handmaids experience. The fact that this is treated as a problem to be solved by removing any sharp objects rather than an indication that the Gileadean regime is doing something terribly wrong shows its true callous disregard.  

“The truth is that she is my spy, as I am hers. If either of us slips through the net because of something that happens on one of our daily walks, the other will be accountable.” 

One of the most effective ways Gilead maintains social control is by encouraging the population to spy on one another. When they first become shopping partners, both Offred and Ofglen are careful to maintain an image of pious conformity, each terrified that the other one might report her for any infractions. Such paranoia is rife in Gilead, where anyone could be a potential spy or informant.