ipl-logo

Why Is The Handmaid's Tale A Dystopia

493 Words2 Pages

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilead, which has replaced the United States of America, is a dystopia. In fact, the degradation of the environment with a huge impact on humans’ health and their ability to reproduce; the low birth rates and the shrinking of the population has weakened the government. Taking advantage of the situation, a group of radicals Christians has seized the power through a coup and installed a totalitarian regime. In Gilead, women are deprived of almost every right they once had in the United States; they are not allowed to read, talk without permission and cannot even think about working. They are reduced to the reproductive function and are only valued if they can still give birth. What happens to women in Gilead is what can happen in a society if the people in charge are left with too much power over the rest of the population. …show more content…

In fact, whether they are wives or servants, called Marthas, their situation is often just slightly different from those of the handmaids. Men in Gilead had no consideration for women in general and specifically for handmaids. The latest are women who have been brainwashed, conditioned to obey and stripped off their original names to be assigned new ones related to the name of the commander they will serve. The Gilead society is apparently very religious and all the laws seems to be inspired by holy texts. In the same time, high ranked officials like the commander regularly visit places packed with alcohol and prostitutes like “Jezebel”. This tells us a lot about their level of hypocrisy. A big lesson that we can take from this novel is that the fight never stops; it does not matter how big and powerful is the opponent, we should be able to find a way to fight back when we feel that something wrong is

Show More
Related

  • The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, And The Edible Woman

    660 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel tells the story of Offred, a ‘handmaid’ in the patriarchal and theocratic dystopia, known as ‘the Republic of Gilead’. In Gilead, women have no rights, and are property of the state. As fertility rates have drastically reduced, fertile women are captured, indoctrinated into the deeply misogynistic ways of Gilead, and are given to men in high positions of power, in order for them to be raped once a month. The story is told from the perspective of Offred, around three years after the creation of Gilead. At the end of the story, it is apparent that Offred escaped Gilead through the ‘Underground Female Road’, and recorded her story on tapes.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Judeo-Christian Ideals In The Handmaid's Tale

    269 Words  | 2 Pages

    Does Margaret Atwood portrayal of the Judeo-Christian ideals in The Handmaid’s Tale amplify the assertion that females are evil and thereby igniting a prestigious framework for men? Throughout the unbalanced gender status developed in Gilead, was this way of life developed because of the interaction between Adam and Eve’s? Could Eve’s act of picking up the apple from the forbidden tree stand as the reason why such an inequity is present and why Gilead society is formed the way it is? If so, is Gilead society a form of punishment for all future females due to Eve’s act in tempting Adam to sin? Did Atwood account for utilizing Eve’s mistake in allowing Gilead to justify that in keeping handmaids isolated, it will lessen the possibility of more

    Read More

  • Symbolism In How To Read Literature Like A Professor

    643 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Handmaids must submit to their Commanders as they hold the dominant role. The Handmaids are also sacrificing their bodies and fertility to their Commander and his wife in order to give them a child. They have all been renamed with names that signify the Commanders they serve: Offred, Ofglen, Ofcharles, Ofwarren, etc. These names show the Commanders’ possession of the Handmaids. In The Handmaid’s Tale, sex symbolizes the Handmaid’s sacrifice and submission and the Commanders domination and control over the Handmaids in

    Read More

  • Birth Reproduction In Handmaid's Tale

    93 Words  | 1 Pages

    1. Do you think Handmaids Tail can compare to our society in the aspect that many women are not able to truly be themselves or use their bodies in any way they wish to? 2. How would you view and live in a society if you were a Handmaid or a wife? 3.

    Read More

  • Aunt Lydia In The Handmaid's Tale

    694 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel "The Handmaid's Tale," the character of Aunt Lydia holds an ideal view of the world that shapes her actions and beliefs. Aunt Lydia is a high-ranking member of the Gilead regime, tasked with training and indoctrinating Handmaids to fulfill their reproductive duties. Her idealism is characterized by her absolute loyalty to Gilead's ideology, her belief in the importance of her role in maintaining order, and her conviction that the current system is the only way to prevent societal collapse. Aunt Lydia's idealism is both positive and negative in its consequences. On the positive side, her commitment to Gilead's ideology allows her to find meaning and purpose in her role as an enforcer of the regime's rules.

    Read More

  • Inequality Depicted In The Handmaid's Tale

    1653 Words  | 7 Pages

    This part of the U.S. has been taking over by Christian fundamentalists who have modeled their new governmental system after the tale of Rachel and her handmaiden. They believe that by doing this will help ensure a future for not only the people of Gilead but the whole world; as infertility seems to be a national problem. The government's point of view is that people who are capable of reproducing have a duty to society to reproduce, and if not it could result in a collapse of the society. In this “utopia” handmaids have the “privilege” of being responsible for their role in society, which is being the only people who can “ensure the survival of mankind”. They are the “lucky ones” that get to be raped once a month for the benefit of society.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Satire In The Handmaid's Tale

    1472 Words  | 6 Pages

    Atwood connects the political events to show how Gilead gained control and keeps their control by establishing fear into the women. Gilead stays in control by limiting speech to religious references, keeping the women from talking about the oppression they are suffering. Additionally, women are blamed for the social issues that were present in a pre-Gilead society such as rape, abortion and adultery. Women get the blame for the issues and men do not suffer consequences since it is in their nature to cheat. Atwood uses allusions to the Old Testament and historical events to satirize the oppression of women in political, religious and social

    Read More

  • Dehumanization In The Handmaid's Tale

    783 Words  | 4 Pages

    “No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body”. When Margaret Sanger spoke these words, she was expressing her belief on a woman’s right to have an abortion. This quote, however, speaks to the fact that women are oppressed on more than just abortions. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Atwood portrays the dehumanization of sexuality through both the characters and events within the novel, therefore proving that women will always be considered less than men will. Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1939.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Frankenstein And The Handmaid's Tale

    1593 Words  | 7 Pages

    The suffocating society of Gilead is presented where individualism is completely taken away from them, and what it means to be human has been completely eroded away from what we know today. To be human today means, to be honest, affectionate, caring, understanding and to have passions. However, being too passionate for something only leads to chaos as seen through Victor 's overpowering desire for knowledge that led to chaotic results. Offred 's identity and individualism have been completely stripped away from her as he legal rights, name and clothes have been destroyed. She 's just another cog in a machine as she is labeled as a handmaid, only valued for her "viable ovaries".

    Read More

  • Theme Of Symbolism In The Handmaid's Tale

    1321 Words  | 6 Pages

    This is an oppressive society, which controls the life of all its citizens, and especially the life of women. As a result of a decline in birth rates, the government decided to designate some fertile women to men of the high society, in order to have children for them and their wives. The novel is a clear example of a dystopian world, in which people have no freedom; individuality is erased, and those who are against the ruling class are murdered. The author presents various themes throughout the novel, using different motifs and symbols.

    Read More

  • Political Issues In The Handmaid's Tale

    988 Words  | 4 Pages

    The subjugation of women is evident in the Gilead system as each Commander is given a handmaid whose name is “Of” the Commander’s name. Handmaids have no identity of their own and are similar to sex slaves at the mercy of

    Read More

  • Theme Of Marxism In The Handmaid's Tale

    2035 Words  | 9 Pages

    Works of literature often portray ideas relating to Marxist theory, this is why in a dystopian society, class distinctions dominate the social climate, using Marxist ideologies as a tool to define the lives of the narrator and those around her. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, ideologies from Marxist theory dominate the society in which Offred, the narrator, lives in, evidenced by the strict class systems and limited interaction between them. In writing the novel, Atwood makes a point to create a world that could exist using technology and ideas already accessible in today’s society, meaning the events that take place in The Handmaid’s Tale could happen in present day. Offred lives in a reality where class distinctions dominate society, and women, especially fertile women. These women are displaced downwards, although there are those women who attempt to resist the grip of society.

    Read More

  • Hypocrisy In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    327 Words  | 2 Pages

    Capturing all the power from women such as their identity, job and family make them vulnerable. The high ranking people of Gilead then takes advantage of their weakness and force them to make babies by hanging example on the wall which is a threat. When two souls aren’t connected while having sex, it considered a type of rape because sex not being freely given but demanded.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    996 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this written text, the emphasis will be on Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale and as well as the way Atwood portrays women and how it can be argued to show the oppression of women. The main purpose is to analyze the way women are treated throughout this book and depict why they are represented this way in the society in Gilead. Then, comparatively, observe the men’s domination over women and how they govern this society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are stripped of their rights, suffer many inequalities and are objectified, controlled by men and only valued for their reproductive qualities. The Gilead society is divided in multiple social group.

    Read More

  • Comparing Gilead's Vocabulary Between Men And Women

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    In terms of language, Gilead creates an official vocabulary within the society that ignores the natural order of a normal society in order to serve the needs of the new society’s elite such as the commander and the wifes. Having made it illegal for women to hold jobs and being restricted from ‘love’, Gilead creates a system of titles. Men are defined by their military rank whereas women are defined solely by their gender roles as Wives, Handmaids, or Marthas. Stripping them of permanent individual names strips them of their individuality, or tries to. Feminists and deformed babies are treated as subhuman, denoted by the terms “Unwomen” and “Unbabies.”

    Read More

More about Why Is The Handmaid's Tale A Dystopia

Open Document