Defining
Love in words is hard, as is always the case when talking about emotions.
Emotions are felt, sensed and acted upon, but not physically touched.
Love adds purpose to one's life and in some cases it defines somebody's
life. For example, parent’s lives and their children are defined by how
much love they give and receive. When a person feels love and is loved in
return, it means they are adding enjoyment to the source of love. They are
contributing into each other's lives and their happiness. Love is a
powerful feeling that has seen the destruction of great men and women alike, as
witnessed from the legendary story of Cleopatra, to the modern day stories such
as King Edward, who gave up the throne to be with his love Wallis Simpson. Many
confuse love for lust, which is defined as having a ‘strong sexual desire for
someone’ (OED). Some even mistake love for fear or even envy. However, Love is
none of those things, but more of a powerful spiritual affair that allows us to
reach divine nature. With this
in mind I would like to define love in terms of what is established between
Nicks and Offreds relationship.
Through Offred’s
eyes the theme of love is illustrated through segments of Offreds memories of
Luke. "I want Luke here so
badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I
am not; I want to be more than valuable" (127). This sense of attachment
to Luke is what gives her an identity and more importantly a motive to keep living. Now that Luke is not part of her life
anymore, Love is now remembered rather than pursued. Offred’s liaisons with the
commander have nothing to do with love. Her encounters with the Commander are
purely to satisfy individual desires. For the commander it is to satisfy him
sexually and for Offred it’s to gain information of what is actually happening
in Gilead. She even has to remind herself when she is at Jezebels with the
commander that “he is not an unkind man; that, under some circumstances [she]
actually likes him” (266). And with this lack of romanticism, it is evident how
Gilead outlaws the liberty crucial to passion. In my opinion, Offred’s
relationship with Nick is the closest she comes to love. “With the commander I
close my eyes, even when I am kissing him goodnight…but now here each time, I
keep my eyes open” (281). “Time after time” she goes back to see Nick, and it
is established between them that “it is never too late” to see each other.
Although they don’t talk a lot, I sense there exists a deep internal connection
between them. It is established that she has fallen into the state which love
puts you through in which she becomes increasingly more reckless in taking
“stupid chances” to see Nick. One might also conclude that Nick is merely a
replacement of Luke, however Nick shows his love to Offred in unconditional
terms when he sends after the guardians to rescue Offred. In addition when Serana
is talking to Offred about her recently discovered outing with the commander,
she gets an irritable urge to run back to Nick and “throw [her] hands around
him”(299). I think Offred’s relationship with Nick is powerful as she favors to
stay rather than flee Gilead. Although critics can say that Nick is merely a
replacement for Luke, I think their relationship has redefined the way Offred
looks into the past for joy and their experiences under the patriarchal society
of Gilead makes their relationship ever more significant.
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