Q: What are some of her [Offred] small scale acts of rebellion?
Offred’s action of “shaking her hips” at the officers at the gate is one of the most significant acts of minimal rebellion. The scene leading up to this act is filled with tension, mostly of the sexual variety. She flirts with the guards, mostly through eye contact and subtle movements, allowing her to have some power over her own actions and body. Her sexuality has been co-oped and suppressed by a greater power to use for their advantage and gain; this is her taking back some of that oppression that’s been forced upon her. It’s an act of empowerment for her and makes her remember a time when she did have control over her body.
“It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a fence or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach, and I’m ashamed of myself for doing it, because none of this is the fault of these men, they’re too young. Then I find I’m not ashamed after all. I enjoy the
power; power of a dog bone, passive but there.” (Atwood)
The act of her buttering her skin after having a bath is more of a self-care act rather than anything of rebellion. She’s also making herself look desirable as well, but I saw the act as a sort of nurturing herself as a mother would to her child. The nursing also struck me as a rebellion in that she’s giving herself positive attention when the world around her sees her as nothing more than a handmaid, prized for her uterus.
Womens Lit. Blog 