Dystopia In The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, talks about the dystopian system, which is called Gilead Republic, that takes over the United States of America after a terroristic attack on the state. The Gilead Republic is a theocratic state made by a group of religious extremisms, who were calling themselves “the sons of Jacob”. They thought that America should become a better place, and be saved from all the sins that were happening during that time. The laws of this system are all based around Biblical philosophies. The reason they chose that name was because United states was going through an infertility crisis, and we know from the bible that Jacobs wife Rachel, was an infertile woman, so she let her husband Jacob have sex with another

When the dystopian system took over her country, she tried to escape with her husband Luke and her daughter but they were caught on the border. They took her daughter, shot her husband and took her to the Red center since she was a fertile woman. However, Offred was an intelligent woman, she did everything to protect herself from being killed and sent to the colonies, though life at the red center was not easy but as aunt Lydia said” Ordinary, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.” (atwood). After the Handmaid’s were fully trained by the aunts, each of them was sent to a commander’s house, and became his mistress and “instrument of pleasure”. Despite of the dangerousness of the system, rebellious acts still existed though it was limited. Offred’s aim was to stay alive in the system, yet she managed to resist the system in many ways, but her resistance did not threaten the system, “her small resistances were ineffective or counter-productive”. one of her very simple rebellious acts, was when she stole butter from the dining table to use it as hand lotion because cosmetics were not allowed anymore.” there’s a pat of butter on the side of the plate. I tear off a corner of the paper napkin, wrap the butter in it, take it to the cupboard and slip it into the toe of my right shoe… as I have done before” (Atwood 76), as night came and she went back to her room alone, she removed the butter from her shoes and applied it all over her face and hands. (Atwood 107). For Offred, this small act helped her retain her importance. Taking care of her skin, made her value her body and realize that her body is still hers. And this helped her to somehow maintain her pre-Gilead identity. Another rebellious act that helped Offred to get though her daily life, was through thinking and fantasizing. As Elisabeth Hansot stated “offred 's re-viewing of her past and present is