Gender Roles In The Handmaid's Tale

173 Words1 Pages
In the dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood illustrates the consequences of suppressive gender roles and norms. Set in the 1990s, The Handmaid’s Tale takes the reader through the life of a woman serving as a handmaid for her final time. Through Offred’s narration, the rise of the Gileadean society and downfall of the American society is revealed. Offred’s responsibility as a fertile woman in Gilead is to be a handmaid and her only purpose is to conceive children. Offred soon gets comfortable in the new society because of her new commander which ultimately leads to her downfall. While this society is controlled well, there are many people that rebel against it, including those who created it. However, in order to bring