Nolite te bastardes carborundorum

I was so curious about what "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" (69) meant that I looked it up: apparently it means "Don’t let the bastards grind you down" (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nolite_te_bastardes_carborundorum). Throughout the book, the "bastards"—the invisible "they" controlling and manipulating the society—have the upper hand. The existences of the women like Offred, who are victims to their despotic system, seem hopeless. The women are beaten down at every turn: Moira tries to escape from the "institution" but is caught and her feet are mutilated; Offred loses her daughter and Luke; she is forced to consummate with the Commander even though she would rather do anything but this; she longs to read, to do this thing she "squandered" (114) so back in the days of freedom, but knows she cannot. Yet, it appears that despite this, there is still some hope for these women, as revealed in the aforementioned quotation. There are still ways to beat the system: just the fact that a woman had written a message on the floor, which was illegal, and gotten away with it is cause for rejoicing; furthermore, that it had not been discovered and washed away--that it was almost waiting for Offred to read it--, seems indicative that ways exist to circumvent the corrupt system enslaving her. The cushion she has, on which reads the word "faith," is also representative of this fact. Again, not only are there not supposed to be words around for the women to read, but that the cushion had stitched on it this particular word seems to convey that with faith, the women may be able to overcome their circumstances. It is these transgressions and the inspiration they bring that allows Offred to get through the day; that, and the memories of the past, though sometimes these memories are too painful for her to bear. The overwhelming desire to steal something that possessed Offred conveyed the necessity for her to have some sort of power, a power that would make her feel like she was in control and that she could, in fact, get around the system. She needs to know that in some small way she has freedom and can above her situation. Towards the end of this section, when Offred encounters Nick in the sitting room in the middle of the night, this rendezvous is also symbolic of the limbo that Offred is in: half of her wants nothing more than to succumb to her undeniable passions; half of her is bound by the rules and her fear of the consequences if they were to be caught. Perhaps, however, the encounter is foreshadowing something more to come in the future, a glimmer of hope that Offred will keep from "let[ting] the bastards grind [her] down."