THE HANDMAID'S TALE, Part B

“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” (Atwood 52).

Translated as meaning “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”, this is one of the most powerful messages in The Handmaid’s Tale. Etched into a cabinet in Offred’s room by its previous inhabitant, she runs her hand over the words countless times, familiarizing herself with them thoroughly. Though she is unaware of its meaning, she understands its importance; why else risk being caught? This is a message of survival; an encouragement to keep fighting even when all the odds are stacked against you.

During one of Offred’s Scrabble games with the Commander, she mentions this phrase to him, hoping for a translation. He simply laughs at her question, and answers her in a mocking tone. The Commander’s utter disregard for the gravity of this message only enhances its meaning. He is one of the men in charge of Gilead, and therefore cannot understand the purpose of this message. To the Commander, Gilead is a society that bears no problems for him, so therefore bears no problems at all.

Offred stays true to the inscription, attempting to defy Gilead during any opportunity that arises. One of the ways in which she accomplishes this goal is by keeping unused butter in her shoes. She uses this butter as a makeshift face cream to keep her skin moisturized. Though this may seem like an innocent task, this exemplifies vanity, which is unnecessary for Handmaids, and anything that is useless in Gilead is unquestionably terminated.

Although the phrase “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” may seem like a revolutionist message praising anarchy, its meaning goes much further. Offred, along with all the other Handmaids, is shunned away from society; she has nothing to hope for in this world except to conceive in order to survive. Yet this resounding message brings new hope to her; it gives her reason to fight for her life. In a world where nothing belongs to the Handmaids, or women in general, this small, scrappy etching bears all the importance in her life.