Pen is Envy

"The pen between my fingers is sensuous. . . Pen is envy. . ." (pg. 69)

Sigmand Freud was a man of a unique perception of women. Throughout the novel, Atwood includes some of his theories to let the reader decided whether he or she sees eye to eye with Freud. One of Freud's most common theories was "Pen is envy" translated to "Penis envy." This theory was about woman's affection towards men. In 1933 Sigmand Freud spoke about how he believed when girls were 3-5 years old they distanced themselves from their mother, and started building a stronger relationship with their father. Freud also stated that he relived women would always resent their mothers for not having the same anatomy as males. Atwood included this piece of information in her novel to show the empowerment of the male gender.

http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_women.htm