#4- Handmaid's Tale

"I walk along the gravel path that divides the back lawn, neatly, like a hair parting. It has rained during the night; the grass to either side is damp, the air humid. Here and there are worms, evidence of the fertility of the soil, caught by the sun, half dead; flexible and pink, like lips" (17).

Atwood uses lips to symbolize sexuality, as they are used for kissing. This explains the simile used here to describe the fertility of the soil. The worms however are described as being "half dead" which relates to the Republic of Gilead since many of the women are not able to reproduce. The worms emerged during the night when it was cool and then were trapped when the sun came out in the morning. Similarly, the women were able to reproduce until the world was overrun with hazardous chemicals. The half dead worms are "evidence of the fertility of the soil" just as a few remaining fertile women are a sign that once, years ago, all women could bear children.

Work Cited:
"Lip." Wikipedia. 24 Aug. 2010. 28 Aug. 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip>.

Photo Credit:
"Protect Your Lips." SO Kiss & Makeup. 24 Jan. 2009. 30 Aug. 2010 <www.sokissandmakeup.com/protect-your-lips/>.