Freedom from Sex. Is it Possible?

In the previous post, I talked about freedom of choice, and where that comes from. But is it possible that this freedom can come from sex, and eventually lead to power. In The Handmaid's Tale, sex is a very apparent theme. In the "ceremony", for instance, the Wife is with the Commander and Offred while they are having sex. In past and today, sex has been an act of being together, completely as one. And here, they try and keep this feeling by having the Wife be there, so she can somewhat be apart of the act of making her baby. Not only this, but the Commander completely controls the situation. This is his ultimate power, sex. But does this transfer to the women, making them want this exact power?

This brings up the issue of prostitution. Sex can be emotional, passionate, and thrilling, but most of all, it is powerful. The choice of having sex or not is a woman's greatest possession. With prostitution, women choose to use this power to improve their economic lives, but at the same time, their moral code is disintegrated. In my opinion, it is morally wrong to do this. I understand that some people live harsh lives and may not think they have another option, but I believe that they do. 

But the real question is, can freedom come from the power of sex? Through sex, can you be free from all rules, and be free to just be yourself. Sex always comes with something attached to it. No matter how much you try and make it not emotional, as the people do in The Handmaid’s Tale, you can’t avoid the tags that come along with it. Even in sex, in the novel, there are rules that Offred cant avoid. Sex cannot be an escape in your life. And I believe that if you try and use it as an escape, you will get hurt.

This brings up another issue in the novel, love. With the Commander’s relationship with Offred, I find that he misses the loving touches and talks between and husband and wife. Marriage is now a machine, made to make babies. But this causes people to not really look for love anymore. It is almost as if they choose not to love, because with love, there are ups and downs. It is better to not love and be safe, than to love and have turbulence through your life. But I believe that this is just being afraid of what you want to feel. Fear is a strong thing, especially in reference to sex and love. But you cannot let fear control your life. You must be in control.