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Corruption In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

1671 Words7 Pages

Corruption is used by people in a position of power, for personal gain. Corruption undermines societies and diminishes trust. Religious corruption is the manipulation of religious teaching and religious values to fit the aspirations of a nation or society. Corruption in a society can take advantage of minorities, lower-class citizens, and those viewed as weaker members of society, and can therefore lead to the oppression of these groups of people. Margaret Attwood’s novel, which takes place in a dystopian society, is centred around religion, more specifically, the corruption of religion. Throughout the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, there is a corruption of religious values within the society of Gilead, which contributes to the justification of …show more content…

During prayer time, Offred silently prays, “Oh God, obliterate me. Make me fruitful. Mortify my flesh, that I may be multiplied. Let me be fulfilled” (Atwood 225). Offred was not begging to any person on Earth, but rather to God. Offred prays to God to ‘be multiplied’ because the corrupted religious values brainwash these women into believing that God is the one responsible for these oppressive laws. This is because the church and government are one in the Gilead society, so God is the leader. It is precisely due to how there is no head of the society, other than God, that the laws and rules surrounding women are justified as God’s will. The use of the phrase ‘obliterate me’ emphasizes how society teaches these women that religion is about sacrifice, therefore it is right that they are forced to destroy their bodies for their religion. In reality, it is not religion they are doing it for, but rather corrupted religious values. Additionally, the use of the metaphor ‘make me fruitful’ contributes to how the Handmaids want to become pregnant and fulfill their role in society because this role has been justified to them through religion. Some of them truly believe that they will be fulfilling their spiritual duties if they bear children, rather than obeying the oppressive laws that use them for their bodies’ reproductive capabilities. Moreover, during the nighttime prayers, Offred explains that the Handmaids pray to become pregnant: “What we prayed for was emptiness, so we would be worthy to be filled: with grace, love, with self-denial, semen and babies” (Atwood 224). It is quite apparent that the Handmaids have been manipulated into believing that their worth is based on their ability to bear children because then they will be ‘worthy’. Also, the fact that the Handmaids ‘prayed’ shows that the Handmaids are following the spiritual

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