Examples Of Societal Norms In The Handmaid's Tale

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In Gilead, societal norms have become extreme in their modest ways; they call for polite practice, but will punish any misbehaviors with death. One example of this is The Wall. As Offred and Ofglen take their prescribed walk, they seem to continuously find themselves there. While society continues its “perfect” ways, former doctors and scientists are punished with death on The Wall for the rest to see. From the wall there are “bodies hanging, by the necks, their hands tied in front of them, their heads in white bags tipped sideways onto their shoulders” (Atwood 32). These criminals are hung in public in order to set an example. Radical views of that society has led to drastic punishment; the doctors’ and scientists’ “crimes are retroactive”

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