Explain the significance of Identity in the HMT & FR
Meep Mopette 36/40 (18/20 AO1 & AO2. 18/20 AO3 & AO4)
Identity is significant in both novels as it shapes the characters and determines their actions,
both ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (THT) and ‘Frankenstein’ (FR) illustrate how one’s identity is
dependent on a mixture of both innate and external circumstances. It is the rejection of one’s
identity, or the lack thereof, which brings about the demise of the protagonists - Offred and
Victor Frankenstein.
Both novels show how a rejection of one’s individual identity is detrimental to the central
character and those around them. This is first seen in ‘FR’, McBratney argues that Shelley
creates ‘privileged narrators who contrast with the shunned, rejected yet fundamentally
altruistic Creature’. Victor Frankenstein, for example, is said to have a dual identity. On one
hand, he is seen as Victor, the son of the Frankenstein family destined to marry Elizabeth
and is surrounded by loving family and friends such as Clerval. Victor is privileged as he has
enjoyed a wonderful childhood which establishes his identity in the world. This is seen in ‘I
was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me’. This is
significant as both ‘guided’ and ‘silken cord’ belong to the same semantic field of heaven and
its powers, this suggests that Victor’s identity as the loved family member has been shaped
by the heavens. Furthermore, the use of ‘silken cord’ is significant as it ties his identity to his
birth. It is a metaphor linked to the umbilical cord of the womb. By calling it ‘silken’, Shelley
suggests that Victor’s enjoyable childhood and strong sense of identity is linked to his family
ties.
The same can be said about Offred, who experiences the same dual identities of Victor
Frankenstein. Offred relies on the memories of her family and loved ones to ground herself;
she believes that her current identity as Offred the Handmaid is one which is ‘not something
born’. Instead, she believes that ‘this is a reconstruction. All of it is a reconstruction’. The
repetition of ‘reconstruction’ is significant as it shows how she has to reinvent her identity in
order to stay alive. By telling readers that this is a reconstruction, she affirms Beran’s
argument that ‘Offred’s power is in language’. L5 AO1 Offred uses language to establish her
dual identities. Parallels can be drawn for characters such as Moira and Serena Joy, who
have had to reinvent their identities in the face of the Gileadean regime. Moira, for example,
is seen to be more subservient to Gilead now as she accepts her fate. This is seen in ‘what I
hear in her voice is indifference, a lack of volition’. This is similar to Serena Joy, who ‘doesn’t
make speeches anymore, she has become speechless’. This illustrates how Offred, Moira
and Serena Joy have all had to change their identities in order to survive in Gilead. This
changing of identity is prevalent within the setting of Gilead - Gilead was built on the
foundation of Harvard University. This suggests a threefold change in identity, Harvard
University was built on the grounds of a Puritan theological seminary and has now been
replaced to create Gilead. This suggests that Gilead leads to a forced rejection of one’s
identity and eventually forces characters and institutions to create multiple identities to
survive. T/F - a little more development required here to expand fully.
Therefore, both the Handmaid’s Tale and Frankenstein shows how identity can both ground
and destroy an individual. Victor Frankenstein’s identity as a loved and adored member of
the Frankenstein family leads to his complacency and negligence when creating the
Creature. Victor chooses to isolate himself from his family, rejecting his identity. This is seen
in ‘secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow creatures and rendered me unsocial’. This
deliberate rejection of his familial identity leads to his eventual downfall as he evolves to
become Dr. Frankenstein, the isolated and Gothic caricature of a mad scientist. Victor
Meep Mopette 36/40 (18/20 AO1 & AO2. 18/20 AO3 & AO4)
Identity is significant in both novels as it shapes the characters and determines their actions,
both ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (THT) and ‘Frankenstein’ (FR) illustrate how one’s identity is
dependent on a mixture of both innate and external circumstances. It is the rejection of one’s
identity, or the lack thereof, which brings about the demise of the protagonists - Offred and
Victor Frankenstein.
Both novels show how a rejection of one’s individual identity is detrimental to the central
character and those around them. This is first seen in ‘FR’, McBratney argues that Shelley
creates ‘privileged narrators who contrast with the shunned, rejected yet fundamentally
altruistic Creature’. Victor Frankenstein, for example, is said to have a dual identity. On one
hand, he is seen as Victor, the son of the Frankenstein family destined to marry Elizabeth
and is surrounded by loving family and friends such as Clerval. Victor is privileged as he has
enjoyed a wonderful childhood which establishes his identity in the world. This is seen in ‘I
was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me’. This is
significant as both ‘guided’ and ‘silken cord’ belong to the same semantic field of heaven and
its powers, this suggests that Victor’s identity as the loved family member has been shaped
by the heavens. Furthermore, the use of ‘silken cord’ is significant as it ties his identity to his
birth. It is a metaphor linked to the umbilical cord of the womb. By calling it ‘silken’, Shelley
suggests that Victor’s enjoyable childhood and strong sense of identity is linked to his family
ties.
The same can be said about Offred, who experiences the same dual identities of Victor
Frankenstein. Offred relies on the memories of her family and loved ones to ground herself;
she believes that her current identity as Offred the Handmaid is one which is ‘not something
born’. Instead, she believes that ‘this is a reconstruction. All of it is a reconstruction’. The
repetition of ‘reconstruction’ is significant as it shows how she has to reinvent her identity in
order to stay alive. By telling readers that this is a reconstruction, she affirms Beran’s
argument that ‘Offred’s power is in language’. L5 AO1 Offred uses language to establish her
dual identities. Parallels can be drawn for characters such as Moira and Serena Joy, who
have had to reinvent their identities in the face of the Gileadean regime. Moira, for example,
is seen to be more subservient to Gilead now as she accepts her fate. This is seen in ‘what I
hear in her voice is indifference, a lack of volition’. This is similar to Serena Joy, who ‘doesn’t
make speeches anymore, she has become speechless’. This illustrates how Offred, Moira
and Serena Joy have all had to change their identities in order to survive in Gilead. This
changing of identity is prevalent within the setting of Gilead - Gilead was built on the
foundation of Harvard University. This suggests a threefold change in identity, Harvard
University was built on the grounds of a Puritan theological seminary and has now been
replaced to create Gilead. This suggests that Gilead leads to a forced rejection of one’s
identity and eventually forces characters and institutions to create multiple identities to
survive. T/F - a little more development required here to expand fully.
Therefore, both the Handmaid’s Tale and Frankenstein shows how identity can both ground
and destroy an individual. Victor Frankenstein’s identity as a loved and adored member of
the Frankenstein family leads to his complacency and negligence when creating the
Creature. Victor chooses to isolate himself from his family, rejecting his identity. This is seen
in ‘secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow creatures and rendered me unsocial’. This
deliberate rejection of his familial identity leads to his eventual downfall as he evolves to
become Dr. Frankenstein, the isolated and Gothic caricature of a mad scientist. Victor
