#15- Handmaid's Tale

"And the one on the pigeons, trained to peck a button that made a grain of corn appear. Three groups of them: the first got one grain per peck, the second one grain every other peck, the third was random. When the man in charge cut off the grain, the first group gave up quite soon, the second group a little later. The third group never gave up. They'd peck themselves to death, rather than quit" (70).

The third group of pigeons is similar to the Handmaids. Because there are never consistent results with producing offspring, the society would continue just as it is, even if something changed and made it impossible for the women to produce children (just as the man cut off the grain). By placing this metaphor in the book, Atwood is suggesting that the structure of the society of the Republic of Gilead could lead to the death of humanity. Just as the pigeons would "peck themselves to death" the society would continue trying the reproduce the way they already are - which would result in extinction - rather than attempt to find an alternative.

Photo Credit:
Gabriel, Christopher. "Lady Miller of the Pigeons." Christopher Gabriel. 12 Feb. 2008. 31 Aug. 2010 <http://cgabriel.com/2008/02/12/lady-millie-of-the-pigeons/>.