"Characterization"

While reading the next few chapters in the book, the roles of several characters came to light. The narrator, Offred, is telling the story from her point of view. Offred is a very alert character, she notices little things. She is facing the obstacle of self love and self comfort. She is a gentle soul who needs a touch of self appreciation. She isn't comfortable in her own skin and can't even stand the look of herself naked. Her bare body reminds her of how she is ruled by her body and the looks of it in Gilead.Offred says, "my nakedness is strange to me already". She is uncomfortable in the fact her body has so much control over her life. She feels alone and craves comfort. She finds her comfort in her loneliness. She explains,"I step into the water, lie down, let it hold me"(62). She enjoys the feeling she gets from the water holding her because it gives her a sense of comfort. However, Aunt Lydia is a main character as well. She is an extremely cautious character. She potrays mother like qualities in regards to her protective instincts. For example, when the girls go to bathroom to wash, she explains to them that Cora, the hall monitor, sits outside while they go in for safety reasons. She exclaims, "Cora sits on a chair outside in the hall, to see that no one else goes in. In a bathroom, in a bathtub, you are vulnerable..."(62). However, she likes leaving the girls curious and wondering about certain things because although she warned the girls of the dangers that can come to them in the bathroom, "she didn't say to what"(62). The character wants the best for the girls and for them to stay alert and protected.