Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Fakes

       "The Fall was a fall from innocence to Knowledge." The Fall is portrayed as two versatile thoughts in this chapter as the Handmaid is explaining her prayer in almost a vain like manner. It's vain because of the ingenuine characteristics of her prayers to God. How do we know its not authentic? Her initial statement "tonight I will say my prayers" suggests an old habit or routine thing for her, like a duty she is forced to do or feel obligated to do. The authorities over her in the house require all the handmaids to pray in a rather strict manner. I know that, as a Christian myself, I must come humbly before God when I pray with an open heart unto Him, ready to receive anything He has to say or do unto me. And when I pray, I try not to be selfish and give more thanks and praise and Honor to God more than I request of things from Him.  Yet here in the passage, this particular Handmaid- as we know of for sure, prays vainly and thoughtlessly as she asks for absurd and unusual things.

        "What we prayer for was emptiness, so we would be worthy to be filled: with grace, with love, with self-denial, semen and babies." I could assume that most people who righteously pray don't naturally (spiritually) pray for these things. What she prays for though further emphasizes the ignorance of Gilead and their dehumanized people. The Fall (ultimate) was with the creation in the beginning of time in the Book of Genesis of the Bible, when Adam and Eve first sinned against God. From then, they moved from eternal life to knowledge of good and evil, their innocence being stripped from them.

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