Leap of Faith

As junior year is ending and college is getting closer and closer I have started to realize that I am going to have to start doing many things on my own. Once I leave I will have to get a job, find an apartment, get a car, keep up with school work, maintain my social life etc. Sadly we can't exactly prepare yourself for the big step of adulthood and finally taking the leap of faith and leaving our parents. Of course some people can handle it better than others, and some people leave earlier than others. Although, sometimes it can be a bit of a shock for many of us and we might not be able to keep ourselves together and do what we need to do. In Jasmine, one of the characters Darrel is described as "looking lost these days, like a little boy" (7). He has just gotten the major responsibility of taking control of his fathers farm after he had passed away and hasn't been able to handle it well. Granted I was talking about going to college and taking the leap of faith, which is something you can prepare for. However, having a parent pass away and out of no where not be there any more is definitely something that no one can prepare themselves for. I have known a few people in my life which parents that are no longer here and some have taken everything well and moved on with their lives, and some have completely shut down and haven't been able to put themselves back together. It is hard to be on your own no matter what your age. I know people who are 16 who can take better care of themselves than some 30 year old's, it all depends on your past and the ability you have to make the best out of the situation you are put into and do what you can. It is also hard sometimes to keep your head on straight when they are people constantly pointing out your mistakes and bringing you down rather than encouraging you and helping you out.  During a conversation between Darrel and Bud "Bud almost snapped Darrel's head off" (11). He was judging the little things that he was doing and was not helping the young boy figure everything out with the 100 acres of land he suddenly has and has to take care of. The next time the main character sees Darrel his "eyes are red and unfocused and he unsteady on his feet" (22). He had been drinking to ease his thoughts about the situation he has been forced into "since his father died he's had not time for fun. No dates, no movies, not vacation weekends (23). Darrel has lost some years of his youth and is goig through a rough patch and because he is not getting the support he needs from someone like Bud who he seems to look up to, he doesn't know how to handle his new situation and has started going down the wrong path. My only hope for myself and other people that are freshman in college will have the support that they need and will be able to stir themselves on the right path and stray away from the rocky roads many people have driven themselves onto without even knowing it.

Moving

In Jasmine there is a lot of talk about immigration, being a foreigner, and moving around. I have been moving around the world since I was 5 and know how difficult and challenging it can be to enter a new town, community, and culture. Of course some places are easier than others to adjust to but there are many places that you always feel like an outsider and know matter how had you try, you can't fit in. In Jasmine one of the characters is talking about the Mexican Immigrants in America and says "I don't think they're bad people, you know. It's just that there's too many of them" (27). The character says herself that she doesn't think that the Mexicans are bad people and there is nothing wrong with them being around, but basically at some point enough is enough. It reminds me of when I used to live in Japan. There are a lot of US military bases through out Japan and most of the Japanese people are very friendly to the Americans because as the character from my book said were not bad people. I had a lot of Japanese friends though and they pretty much told me the same thing, that there is nothing wrong with the military soldiers that are living through out Japan and there very nice people but sometimes it seems like they are taking over certain parts of the city. I obviously don't know how things were before the military bases were made and how life used to be for the indigenous people, but I can imagine that things may have changed drastically since America gained control over certain parts of the country.
The main character of the book says "The border's like Swiss cheese and all the mice are squirming through the holes" (28). This brings me back to the earlier quote that so many people are trying to get to America that it seems like America naturally is the Swiss Cheese and everyone who is trying to come in either illegally or legally are the little mice and are just trying to find the spot of the "cheese" that is right for them. Through out my years of traveling I have always wondered the two different views between the commoners in a city and the tourists. Not really having a place to call home I don't exactly know what it is like to be a commoner but I know much about being a tourist. I liked these two passages from the book because it seemed to give a little perspective from the commoner and it's nice to be able to see a different side for a change.

Judging

In "The Handmaid's Tale" the two main characters of the book go to a "club" that has been secretly created in the society. At the club all of the men are in suits and all of the women are dressed in "outfits with feathers and glister, cut high up the thighs, low over the breasts" (246). We discussed in my English class if the women wearing the outfits make them empowering or if it is degrading. I think that in today's society wearing outfits like this can both me empowering and degrading depending on the context of the outfit and the women's reasoning for wearing it. For example, if you are wearing lingerie for your partner as a sensual gesture then some might say that the woman is in power, and is controlling the situation creating a scenario for her and her partner. Where as if you are wearing an outfit like that at a club some might find the woman very slutty or attention seeking, and others might just think she got really dressed up for the occasion and is comfortable enough with herself to wear such a promiscuous outfit out on the town. Although, in my opinion it always tends to be the woman judging and saying how she is such a slut rather than the men. In our society today, girls dress up for girls and we are always judging each other and making each other feel bad or not good enough. You would think that it would be the other way around and the men would be the ones judging and us girls would stand up for one another and try to defend each other. I wish the world were actually like this and it wasn't such a "girl eat girl" world. I mean don't get me wrong of course there are the men in the club that are judging what the girl is wearing and could be calling her even worse names than other girls do, but it is more of a common aspect between girls to bash on each other rather than men bagging on girls.
In the Handmaid's Tale almost all of the judging within the book comes with in the females. Mainly between the Marthas, Wives, and Handmaid's. Offred says "Nobody dies from lack of sex. It's the lack of love we die from" and "there's nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere" (113.) After reading this passage it made me think about how clearly most of the women in the book feel the same way, and seek to have that attention that they once had when life was "normal". However, even though they are all feeling the same and are going through the same thing they don't help each other out and instead take on the role they are assigned and judge each other based on their political role and the color of the dress they are wearing.
In the perfect world, since all of these women are assigned their roles and don't have much choice in who they become, you would think that it would either be each girl of herself or everyone girl for every girl. All of them know that they are only doing what they are told, and if it were up to them they would turn things around immediately.  However, there is nothing that they can do but abide by the rules and fulfill their duties.

Body Image and Sex

In my English class we are reading this books called "The Handmaid's Tale". A very large portion of the book is about sex and the entire point of the society in the book is about sexual reproduction and having babies. However, it is not a very romantic book and despite the amount of pleasure you would think all the characters have for being in this kind of society, the lack of pleasure, love, and companionship is abysmal. Sex has lost the aura that it has today, and has become an act of living and sustaining the human race rather than showing an amount of intimacy between people. In the book, they don't exactly go about sex in the same way as today either. It is an embarrassing and emotionless act between two people who have absolutely no feelings for each other, they both do their "duty" and leave. The main character in the novel Offred talks about her lack of self image, and how she doesn't even like looking at her naked body when she is bathing anymore because it has become shameful and taboo. She doesn't understand how in her previous life she was able to wear bikinis and actually show some skin. It reminds me of many girls today and how they are embarrassed of their bodies and develop eating disorders to achieve their idea of their "perfect" body. I have known so many people that have done many terrible things to themselves and have risked their health just to be able to fit in with society. Although, in the book they are not entirely trying to fit in with society rather being forced, they definitely have the aspect of being the best they can be and trying to be happy with who they are in some form.

Identity

Relationships do not exist in the book in "The Handmaid's Tale". There are not allowed to be friendships between the women in the society and each woman is assigned a role. In your role you do what is asked of you, and mind your own business. Even though there are marriages and mistresses, they are all formulated by the society and none of them are chosen because the actual feelings of the individuals in the society. It is a like a big movie production, everyone is assigned a role and expected to put on a mask,  act as best they can and make the director happy. Except in the book, when they put on their mask they never take it off. They also put on more than a mask they are assigned colors for who they are supposed to be. In the beginning of the book Offred is getting dressed and she has her "red gloves, red shoes, red cloak, and red dress" (18-19). With the mask on and the clothing with a specific color there is a name and a new identity that they are forced to follow. There are many people who put on masks even in our society and do as they are told and try to make everyone happy, when in reality they are depressed and unhappy themselves. Society is cruel and I would do anything to change how people think of each other, and stop the immense amount of judging that happens. A lot of judging in society isn't even about who people truly are it is about what they look like on the outside and what they pretend to be. Similarly to the handmaids tale when Offred says " the frown isn't personal; it's the red dress she disapproves of , and what is stands for" (20).  In this new society all of the women are judged on the color that they wear and the role that they have been assigned rather than who they truly are. Sadly are society is exactly the same in many ways, although we don't have specific colors that define who we are politically we do wear the clothes that we like and sometimes define our personality and many people base their opinions off of first glances and clothes tend to be something that is judged and talked about among everyone. I have to admit that I can look at what someone is wearing and make a comment about it, and after thinking about it and reading this book it puts things into perspective and I've learned not to judge other people from the outside and base my opinions on their personality and what I actually know about them.
I was at a restaurant the other night and I saw a guy with a tattoo on his arm that said "Only God Can Judge Me". I have never been able to forget that tatoo and I think it should be told to everyone, and maybe some people will change they way they view other people and stick to their own business. Another quote I've heard and never forgotten is "It's my life. Remember that when you talk about it". I love this quote and can't even express how true it really is and how much people need to realize how gossip and judging has no good outcome for anyone, let alone themselves or they people they are talking about.