Nick

Nick

Character
1. Nick is represented as suspicious as shown by the conjunctions "or" and "but and the comma in "He’s too casual, he’s not servile enough. It may be stupidity, but I don’t think so. Smells fishy, they used to say; or, I smell a rat" highlighting Offred contradictory opinions towards Nick, however it could be this mystery that attracts Offred to Nick as he provides her with a way to rebel against Gilead
2. He is presented as an untrustworthy character and the audience is unsure whether or not to trust Nick with Offred. Although Offred reveals many secrets to Nick, her doesn't reciprocate these secrets as Offred says "He barely asks questions...he watched my face" showing maybe how is in't as committed to their relationship as Offred. It is only at the very end of the novel that he says "trust me".
3. Some interpretations of Nick suggest he is an Eye and it there to catch out rebels like Offred. As Offred arrives at the house, "he winks" at her, this could be a test to see how she reacts and if she responds to this treasonous act
4. He is presented as having a lack of conformity with a "tilted cap at a jaunty angle" and a "cigarette stuck in the corner of his mouth". The adjective "jaunty" connotes expressive personality and self-confidence suggesting that Nick is trying to create an identity that Gilead has tried to take away. The "cigarette" suggests that he has links to the underground networks as they're only available on the black market which suggests he has lack of respect for the Gileadean regime
Relationship between Offred and Nick
1. At the end of the novel, when Offred is particularly craving companionship, Nick provides a partner for her to confide in
2. She only tells Nick her real name, she doesn't even divulge this with the reader, page 282 "I tell him my name, and therefore I feel my own". The possessive pronoun shows how she wants to take back control of her own body and stop being only known through the label of a "Handmaid" that she is given
3. She knows the risks associated with a relationship such as this one through the proxemic body language "we push each other away, not far". This shows that although they know morally that this behaviour is treacherous and forbidden, they cannot help but be together as they satisfy each others needs for companionship
4. Although Nick doesn't replace the role of Luke in Offred's life, it gives her a reason to keep living and fighting for a better life. The spacial deixis "I want to be here, with Nick" shows how she no longer has a desire to risk everything in escaping Gilead, as she has a reason to live for the day. Also the modal verb "want" creates a boulomaic modality which highlights her desire for Nick

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	Created by Beth Muckle over 7 years ago