Offred also internalizes these expectations as her own. This creates the motif of the feelings of failure she feels as a result of not becoming pregnant. She says, “each month I watch for blood, fearfully, for when it comes it means failure. I have failed once again to fulfill the expectations of others, which have become my own.” As a Handmaid, Offred’s sole purpose is to birth a healthy child. With each month she is unsuccessful, Offred becomes continuously more distressed, as she says, “I see despair coming towards me like a famine. To feel that empty, again, again… continuing on and on, marking time” The only motivation for Offred to have a child is to ensure her safety for the future, however she creates an emotional attachment to the idea, and feels it is a personal failure when she is not pregnant. As further evidence of the sexism she internalizes, Offred now sees herself as just a vessel for children, and when she fails in this respect, it causes emotional
Offred also internalizes these expectations as her own. This creates the motif of the feelings of failure she feels as a result of not becoming pregnant. She says, “each month I watch for blood, fearfully, for when it comes it means failure. I have failed once again to fulfill the expectations of others, which have become my own.” As a Handmaid, Offred’s sole purpose is to birth a healthy child. With each month she is unsuccessful, Offred becomes continuously more distressed, as she says, “I see despair coming towards me like a famine. To feel that empty, again, again… continuing on and on, marking time” The only motivation for Offred to have a child is to ensure her safety for the future, however she creates an emotional attachment to the idea, and feels it is a personal failure when she is not pregnant. As further evidence of the sexism she internalizes, Offred now sees herself as just a vessel for children, and when she fails in this respect, it causes emotional