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Similarities Between The Handmaid's Tale And The Prisoner Of Tehran

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Nowadays, most people live in democratic countries where they have fundamental freedom and rights. However, The Handmaid's Tale and Prisoner of Tehran describe the opposite side where both characters are imprisoned in their societies. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel which describes a society is ruled by a extreme religion. The setting changes from a democratic country to a dictatorship where people live in fear. The novel is told by the protagonist, Offred, who is a Handmaid, a baby-maker, and is only valued by her ability to reproduce. While Marina Nemat’s The Prisoner of Tehran is autobiographical, and contains her own experience during the Iranian Revolution. Marina, the protagonist, is arrested at the age of 16 …show more content…

The professor suggests that she has became the outsider in the outside world and cannot fit into the norm of the society. These evidences show that she has a high possibility of becoming the outcasts and feels disconnected with the outside world. In both novels, The two characters feel disconnected between themselves and their life before. In The Prisoner of Tehran, Marina lives in an environment where death and danger are everywhere. Marina's past and the changes in her life have isolated her from her family and friends, and put her into captivity within herself. She becomes awkward and weird around home. In contrast, in The Handmaid's Tale, Offred feels separate from her life before there are rights and freedom. Now she realizes how precious they are, and shows appreciation towards people who can enjoy the right and freedom within the society. Both Evin and Gilead have stripped of their true identity, the loved ones and their comfortable environment. However, after the two main characters have gone through these experiences, they cannot go back to who are they are and the way they used to be. The memories will forever remain in their mind and keep on reminding them. Although Marina has started a new life in Canada, she will remain emotionally trapped. Meanwhile, for Offred, although she accepts the reality and escapes, she still remains emotionally captive because of the past and memories. Both characters’s experiences never fade away, but will become their

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