B.) "They look around, bright-eyed, cocking their heads to one side like robins" (Atwood 28).
This was most likely my favorite quote from The Handmaid's Tale because it was so simple but had such greater meaning. The way Atwood compares the Japanese tourists to robins is a symbol of the Japanese' freedom. The women are not tied down and forced into menial work or treated as servants; they are free to choose what they wear, who they marry, what they do..etc. There is nothing holding them down, no one has "clipped their wings", they are free to do as they please like a bird is free to take flight.
The American women, on the other hand, have had "their wings clipped". They are no longer free birds but are grounded by the government that keeps them down. The Japanese are 'bright-eyed and cocking their heads' because of how shocking and foreign the way of life is now in the United States. There is no longer equality or rights, we have progressed backwards, which must be very confusing to the completely independent Japanese.
Atwood also describes the tourists as 'twittering', another obvious symbol of the bird and free-will, whereas the American women hide their eyes in fear and shame. The stark contrast between cultures, in my opinion, was one of the most interesting scenes in the novel.
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Hey Me!!! long time no see. hahaha.
Anyway...
I LOVE this quote. When i first read it I could not help but laugh because the imagery is so good and I could see the picture so clearly. Then on further examination it becomes clear that their is a deeper meaning, as you said. I loved how you said "they are free to do as they please like a bird is free to take flight" This is so true. The problem with this society was that everyone was forced to act as they did and there was no freedom, which lead to its ultimate demise.
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