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Gender Roles In The Handmaid's Tale

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In the novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” published by Margaret Atwood in 1985, Atwood portrays a dystopian society in a theocratic and totalitarian state called the Republic of Gilead. The novel is narrated through Offred’s point of view, a handmaid who has been assigned to a prominent commander, named Commander Fred, and his wife, Serena Joy. In Gilead, Handmaids are coerced to bear children with their Commander. Offred's story is a tale of survival as she navigates the harsh and oppressive world of Gilead where women are stripped of their rights and freedoms. Atwood challenges the theme of gender roles by discussing political subjugation and the subjection of women to men through the eyes of a Handmaid. Atwood challenges the notion of gender roles in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” through political subjugation. Oppressive laws against women are passed to further denature the quality of the lives of the women in Gilead. On page 176 of …show more content…

I have to let you all go.” (Atwood, 176) A new law is passed stating that all women are to be suddenly unemployed and fired from all jobs. Women are no longer allowed to work outside of their homes, but instead, are now forced to focus on serving as housewives for their Commander. Offred then describes the manner in which her director discloses the news as “almost gently, as if we were wild animals, frogs he'd caught, in a jar…” In Gilead, women are treated inhumanely, like trivial, insignificant, and little animals, as described by Offred. The women in Gilead are treated like toy collectibles, which the men in this oppressive society can collect in a jar and play around with in whichever way they prefer. By imposing such laws, the men in Gilead get to enjoy a more desirable experience with the women. On page 178, Atwood reveals two

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