Offred's Daylist - Josie Barsky

Dear God - XTC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p554R-Jq43A

In chapter 30 Offred says a big prayer where she’s pleading to God to make life better, to bring everything back to normal. It’s pretty understood throughout the text that Offred doesn’t have a strong relationship with God or religion even though she’s being forced into it by society. On page 195 she says, “I feel unreal, talking to you. You like this. I feel as if I’m talking to a wall… Oh God. It’s no joke. Oh God oh God. How can I keep on living?” Offred’s prayer reminded me of multiple lines in “Dear God”. The song begins by saying, “Dear God, sorry to disturb you, but - I feel that I should be heard loud and clear -We all need a big reduction in the amount of tears” and then as it continues it says “Dear God, I can’t believe in-I don’t believe in-”. Both the song and Offred are telling God that the world is in danger, and even though they don’t seem to have a huge relationship with religion they need something to believe in. The one thing that’s keeping Offred together is hope, hope that one day everything will get better, that maybe she will find Luke and her daughter, and that her life can return to the way it was supposed to be.

Dress - Taylor Swift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNEoPctNIUE “Our secret moments in a crowded room - They got no idea about me and you”. This song is about a secret relationship and making the most of the moments they have together. This can be representative of Offred’s relationship with Nick. Nick is the only guardian Offred refers to by name, implying that the two have a relationship beyond what Offred is telling readers. Readers are aware that they have an attraction to each other though, because on page 98 the two run into each other and she says, “He puts his hand on my arm, pulls me against him, his mouth on mine, what else comes from such denial? Without a word.” The kiss was out of nowhere and shocked readers, especially since afterward Nick tells Offred the commander wants to meet her. “Dress” is a great representation of the small thrill that comes from a secret relationship, knowing that everything could go wrong but taking advantage of the moments anyway.

But Not Kiss - Faye Webster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cIe5OSj8d4 “I want to see you in my dreams, but then forget - we’re meant to be, but not yet - you’re all that I have, but can’t get”. This is a song about longing for something you once had and how you hope it makes a return to your life, but at the same time you know it’s not possible. Offred experiences this feeling often, especially when she is reminiscing about people of her past. Luke in particular is someone she reflects on often when we get flashbacks to life pre-Gilead. On page 200 Offred says something similar to what Faye Webster talks about in the song. “I’d like to have Luke here…so I could have a fight with him… These days I script whole fights, in my head, and the reconciliations afterward too.” She imagines these things because she knows her relationship with Luke is no longer feasible and she doesn’t know where he is, but she still wishes she could be with him.

I Know The End - Phoebe Bridgers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC6mEJ5i5y8 “I Know The End” is very representative of “The Handmaid’s Tale” as a whole. This song is about losing hope and leaving your past behind. The song starts off by saying, “Close my eyes and fantasize - three clicks and I’m home”. This reminds me of when Offred is imagining her past life when she goes to sleep, on page 37 she says, “But the night is my time out. Where should I go? Somewhere good.” Then she continues to tell readers flashbacks of her previous life and these flashbacks are what give her normalcy and hope. But as the song and the book progresses we see this hope fade away. “I turned around, there was nothing there - Yeah I guess the end is here.” For example, Moira was a big sign of hope but in chapter 37 Offred finds Moria at the hotel. The two reconnect and Moira tells the story about how she had almost escaped and gotten out of Gilead. Unfortunately, Moira ended up at the hotel seemingly stuck. Then on page 250, Offred says, “I’d like to tell a story about how Moira escaped, for good this time…But as far as I know, that didn’t happen…because I never saw her again. With this, it looks like Offred’s hope is gone, because if Moria couldn’t make it out how could she?

hope ur ok - Olivia Rodrigo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLlsmB1D4Q0 “His parents cared more about the Bible - Than being good to their own child” This song is about parents not being accepting of their child because they do not want a “traditional relationship” which is very similar to Gilead and how they treat their citizens. Gilead strongly believes in “traditional marriage” and it’s a big theme throughout the book. However, traditional marriage in Gilead isn’t at all similar to how it’s viewed in the real world. Gilead uses the bible to explain the use of the handmaids as a part of a three-person marriage, so that way they can have children. At the beginning of the book, Atwood leaves a quote from Genesis 30:1-3 that reads “Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bare upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.” The government has forced its non-sterile women to do this simply because it’s in the bible. They don’t care about the well-being of the women because they care more about living in the “traditional” way, just as the parents do in “hope ur ok”.