Journal 1, Option 1Erica Joan Dymond, author of "Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale" (2003), says the oyster/pearl relationship theme is the most prevalent in book and drives the plot. Dymond uses myriad concrete details and quotes from the text, using them to analyze the meaning of this theme and this oyster/pearl relationship. Erica Dymond's aim is to explain the prevalence and significance of this theme in the novel in order to show its importance to readers of the book who may have overlooked this crucial aspect. Dymond directs this criticism at those who have read The Handmaid's Tale and have not recognized the significance of the oyster and the pearl. Its tone is academic, but not overly so to allow for a wider audience. Erica Dymond's critical essay carefully describes the weight and symbolism Atwood places on the oyster/pearl relationship in the book. Using extensive factual detail, he creates the ethos and shows his in-depth knowledge of the book. References to oysters and pearls may go unnoticed by those who aren't looking for them as they are lightly scattered throughout the book, and although no emphasis is placed on them, they have great significance. Journal 2, Option 2 The gender roles assigned in The Handmaid's Tales are hyperbole of the traditional roles played by the sexes. In Gilead, women stay at home and men run important things like the government, which includes business and the military. Role assignments and their rigidity seem legitimate to most of Gilead's population, and to them they are the accepted result of the physical differences between men and women. Almost all women in the population and many men have been sterilized due to...... middle of paper......r women in society, but she longs for her freedom and the life she wants once she lives . Because she was initially caught trying to escape to Canada, she is afraid to try to escape again. When the Commander first shows interest in Offred, he, to her surprise, wants a friendship from her and not just a sexual relationship. He hides with her and they play board games, which is doubly forbidden since women are strictly forbidden to read, and normal friendships between men and handmaids are also forbidden. The Commander's wife cannot have children, so his relationship with her should be only sexual and only for the good and existence of the population. Offred is happy to rebel against the rules of Gilead and happy to do so with the Commander. He gives her forbidden gifts and asks for romantic gestures that suggest his true feelings towards her.