ipl-logo

Handmaid's Tale Human Condition Essay

457 Words2 Pages

How the government runs its citizens shapes the human condition. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel about how women are treated after a group of religious rebels overthrow the government and established a new government. This government takes charge of everything and change the rules, and some foundations that people base their lives on are broken by this government. Through that, we are able to see the main character breaking down as well. The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel that is written in fragments, it does not give a full retailing of the handmaid narrator’s life. The main character and narrator, Offend even explains this in the novel,”I'm sorry there is so much pain in this story. I'm sorry it's in fragments like a body caught in the crossfire or pulled apart by force. But there is nothing I can do to change it” (Atwood). Offend is in a world where she is not thriving and this shows that she herself is becoming fragments …show more content…

The newly established government goes to great lengths to make sure that people are staying in line. The government, took African Americans out of society when they established themselves and forced them to live an unclear other land. Not a lot is given about where the African Americans are but in history, dividing a group of their people because of their skin color has not been good. This is seen today as well; no, the government is not forcing African Americans into another place but “African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population” (“Criminal Justice Fact Sheet”). And African-Americans are much more likely to be incarcerated than any other race of people. The current U.S. government is doing the same actions as the government in The Handmaid’s Tale. It's just to show now both governments are taking the same group of people and putting them into another location out of

Show More
Related

The Handmaid's Tale Misconceptions Towards Women

1310 Words | 6 Pages

In many ways, history can solely reinvent itself. Women's representation in modern times has shown development ever since, but there are still elements that contribute to societal misconceptions toward women. Margaret Atwood, the best-selling author of The Handmaid’s Tale, expresses the evolution and the possible fates to which women are subject. Through The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood portrays a representation of current anti-feminist viewpoints by reflecting current perspectives of pro-life stances, as well as recurring oppressions against women's economic growth and rights.

Read More

Atticus Finch Integrity Analysis

508 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch, the main character, shows integrity multiple times throughout the book. Three times where Atticus displayed integrity are when Atticus declares that he has to do Tom Robinson's case because if he did not it would shame him, Atticus explains to Scout why it is important not to humiliate people when a neighbor pays his debt without money, and Finally, Atticus shows integrity when he tells Aunt Alexandra that he trusts Calpurnia. When Atticus was appointed Tom Robinson’s case Atticus accepted it with dignity, he knew if any other lawyer was handed the case that they would do nothing to try and have tom win. Atticus proves his integrity while speaking to his daughter, Scout, “The main (reason) is, if I didn’t

Read More

Compare And Contrast World War Two Technological Advancements

1104 Words | 5 Pages

World War One and World War were separated by twenty-two years which is a short period of time. During these twenty-two years massive technological advancements occurred as countries were fueled by militarism and wanted to be the strongest nation in the world. In World War One dropping bombs was unprecise, and the barely hit the mark, in World War Two however dropping bombs could be done more precisely. It is the same with communication and war crafts. The biggest difference between World War One and World War Two was the technological advancements in weaponry, communication, and aerial and naval war crafts.

Read More

How Does Margaret Atwood Use Imagery In The Handmaid's Tale

896 Words | 4 Pages

In all forms of media, there are an immense amount of techniques an author makes use of to create vivid and meaningful experiences for their readers. Through the use of metaphor and symbolism, writers can evoke emotions, set the tone and convey complex themes and ideas otherwise impossible. Margaret Atwood’s crowning achievement The Handmaid’s Tale has become an iconic piece of feminist literature, exploring the horrors of a totalitarian society where women are reduced to their reproductive capabilities. It is a dark mirror, reflecting at us a distorted version of our world, a warning of the dangers of oppression and the power of resistance. It is evident that Atwood had a clear purpose when writing this novel: to expose the fragility of our

Read More

Isolation In The Handmaid's Tale

957 Words | 4 Pages

Atwood clearly emphasizes this point through the inclusion of Offred 's inner thoughts; which in turn, help to illuminate to the reader the process of this deterioration. Atwood also shows how the Republic of Gilead uses totalitarianism tactics, which parallel those used in North Korea, in order to remain in control. In The Handmaid’s tale, a dystopian novel, Margaret Atwood uses imagery and allusion throughout the novel to illustrate how the republic of Gilead uses techniques to deteriorate one 's mind in order to maintain their power. Throughout the dystopian country

Read More

The Religion Influences In The Handmaid's Tale

1562 Words | 7 Pages

From my personal research, the events in the novel were influenced by negative situations that involved the American society prior to the 1980’s. These negative aspects of Gilead’s religious society in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ were drawn from similar issues facing the American public prior to the 1980’ s. These issues were based on religious concepts that were thought to greatly improve the American population's standard of living. The main ideas that influenced the creation of certain events and

Read More

The Handmaid's Tale Essay

1223 Words | 5 Pages

The Handmaid’s Tale and the Environment The novel The Handmaid's Tale is a work of science fiction literature that details the intertwining of the global environment and human society. This is done through the breakdown of the environment by toxic human actions resulting in the breakdown of human society. As a result, there is no way to control or prevent the impact that the earth may have on humans and human society.

Read More

Satire In The Handmaid's Tale

1255 Words | 6 Pages

Davidson characterizes The Handmaid’s Tale as a work of speculative fiction, saying that Gilead “eerily resembles our present” (Davidson 4), but she also characterizes the novel as an allegory for past, present, and future regimes based in misogyny and racism. She includes parts of Atwood’s speech to back up her claim. “There is nothing in The Handmaid’s Tale, with the exception of one scene, that has not happened at some point in history. [...] I transposed to a different time and place, but the motifs are all historical motifs” (Atwood). By using events that have happened in the past, Atwood injects a sense of realism into her dystopia.

Read More

Theocratic Government In The Handmaid's Tale

1203 Words | 5 Pages

Regina Carla L. Silva 2015-01293 The Handmaid’s Tale The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead which is formerly the United States of America. The name comes from a place from the Bible. It is a totalitarian, theocratic government.

Read More

Rebellion In The Handmaid's Tale

801 Words | 4 Pages

There are two ways people will react to when their freedom is taken away. They will either accept it or rebel against it, which is what a lot of the female characters in Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale accomplished. Shown through Offred’s repetition of certain events, Moira’s tone of being a fighter, and Serena Joy’s desperation, the reader can see that lack of freedom leads to rebellion. Offred, the novel’s narrator, now lives in a world where women are powerless. She has had her freedom taken away, and at times follows the rules, but ends up rebelling in many powerful ways.

Read More

Totalitarianism In The Handmaid's Tale

1251 Words | 6 Pages

The Handmaid 's Tale is one of Margaret Atwood most famous novels written during the spring of 1984, when the Berlin wall was still standing. Atwood creates a dystopia, which mostly consists of gender gap and oppression. The Handmaid 's Tale effectively portrays the United States as the modern-day totalitarian society of Gilead, which was illustrated as perfect by using the book of Genesis. Although the authors ideas are inherently and completely fictional, several concepts throughout his book have common links to the past and present society which the author herself calls a speculative fiction. The author uses a totalitarian system which includes aspects of Soviet system, to describe, deprivation, repression and terror with the use of

Read More

Resilience In The Handmaid's Tale

1462 Words | 6 Pages

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any. " - Alice Walker Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, explores a dystopian world where women are subjugated and forced into reproductive servitude. The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic society formed after a coup d'état in the United States. Atwood's work is heavily influenced by her own experiences as a feminist and her observations of historical and contemporary systems of oppression. The novel's themes of resilience and determination in the face of oppression are particularly relevant to contemporary society, where oppressive systems continue to exist.

Read More

Examples Of Rebellion In The Handmaid's Tale

711 Words | 3 Pages

Rebellion in The Handmaid’s Tale Imagine not being able to do what you used to do because some actions are forbidden in this new society. In the Handmaid's Tale, Gilead is a dystopian society where people are limited to certain actions. Throughout the story, Offred’s actions are rebellious because she has broken so many rules. Atwood demonstrates that restricted expression leads to rebellion by showing the Commanders and Offred’s affair developing throughout time and the actions of both characters.

Read More

Political Issues In The Handmaid's Tale

988 Words | 4 Pages

In the 1980s, United States was experiencing the rise of conservatism. Under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, conservative religious groups were gaining popularity. In response to the social and political landscape, Canadian author Margaret Atwood published a fictional novel The Handmaid’s Tale in 1986; a genre of dystopian novels. The storyline projects an imaginary futuristic world where society lives under oppression and illusion of a utopian society maintained through totalitarian control. Dystopian novels often focus on current social government trends and show an exaggeration of what happens if the trends are taken too far.

Read More

Criticism In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

889 Words | 4 Pages

Gilead is ruled by fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In the opening chapters, the handmaid’s lives are presented as just property of the state. The start of chapter one begins with The Handmaid 's Tale, The novelist Margaret Atwood presents the life of handmaids as protagonist who live in such fear and solitude. The first chapter begins with the narrator describing the old gymnasium as being peaceful such as ‘Powdering the dancers with a

Read More

More about Handmaid's Tale Human Condition Essay

Related Topics

Open Document