Rebellion in Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale'

How does Margaret Atwood present rebellion in the first eight chapters?

Atwood presents rebellion in a variety of ways. There is more than just the physical act of rebellion revealed in the novel. The ‘acts’ tend to be more discreet and in Gilead, something as little as thinking against the regime would be seen as punishable. In fact, most of the rebellious attitude in Offred comes out when she is reminiscing, for example in the ‘Night’ chapters. In these chapters, Offred longs to do the things that have been taken away. Seeing her child, her husband and having her own freedom are mentioned frequently. This is understandable seeing as the novel is Offred’s personal account of her life in Gilead, rather like an audio diary. Therefore, much of the novel is a transcript of Offred’s thoughts, ideas and feelings. There is another possible reason as to why Offred does not commit any actual physical acts of rebellion in her posting at the Commander’s house, or, for t...