The Handmaid's tale: Ignorance is bliss (Application)

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale. pages 100-200

"What could she have been thinking about? Not much, I guess; not back then, not at the time. She was thinking about how not to think. The times were abnormal. She took pride in her appearance. She did not believe he was a monster. He was not a monster, to her. Probably he had some endearing trait: he whistled, off key, in the shower, he had a yen for truffles, he called his dog Liebchen and made it sit up for little pieces of raw steak...All this she would have believed, because otherwise how would she go on living?" (Atwood 138)

In this quote, the protagonist, Ofglen reflects on a documentary that she saw when she was young.

This quote was chosen because its relevance in regards to the "ignorance is bliss" proverb. The concept in the quote shows how the "ignorance is bliss" proverb applies to a situation, such as the one in the novel.

The cliché "Ignorance is Bliss" saying, expresses the fact that in order for one to live in a state of bliss, one must learn to ignore, or block out certain truths that would otherwise awaken them from their reverie. The truths that they must block out is what are known as ugly truths; truths that can shatter their idealistic image of a person or a situation.

In the case of the woman portrayed in this quote, she must ignore the fact that her boyfriend works for one of the camps where the Jews are held prior to being killed. By ignoring this major detail from her boyfriend's life, she focuses on other positive characteristics which he possesses. Characteristics that she finds adorable, such as the way he whistles in the shower, or plays around with his dog, or simply the fact that he's nice to her. This is merely a technique that she uses in order to detract her attention, and therefore, be capable of continuing to live. The reason why she focuses on the positive aspects, is because the only way that one will feel like life is worth living, is if they feel like there's something worth living for. And in her case, she is making herself believe that their relationship is something that is worth being alive for.