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Hope In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

1334 Words6 Pages

In a world of war and oppression, exposure to danger is what divides one from an image of hope. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, hope is not found. The world of Gilead is an extreme patriarchal society. Women are victims to the political structure that requires the control of their freedom to torture and murder for disobedience of laws and religion to satisfy the men in charge. Offred, the protagonist handmaid, demonstrates the forced purpose of the fertile women class to produce babies as slaves in the Republic of Gilead. Through the voice of Offred, she finds ways to achieve freedom after the revolution from pre-Gilead by having an affair with the Commander, meeting her friend in the club, and exploring buried memories …show more content…

The Commander proposes a risky idea to take Offred to the club outside of the gates. At the club, Offred says “Then I see her, Moira. She’s standing with two other woman, over near the fountain. I have to look hard, again, to make sure it’s her; I do this in pulses, quick flicker of the eyes, so no one will notice.” (Page 300). Under the circumstances of the Republic of Gilead, women are separated from their loved ones when entering the community. Moira is Offred’s friend from pre-Gilead, therefore, meeting her in the club makes her feel just as free as she did before. This is beneficial for Offred since Moira has disappeared from Gilead and this may be her only chance to catch up with an old friend that she trusts. She is taking the risk of getting caught, however, she desires the freedom she is getting. As Moira notices Offred’s presence in the club, Offred says “This time her eyes snag on me. She sees me. She knows enough not to react … Our old signal. I have 5 minutes to get to the women’s washroom” (Atwood 301). Offred is able to connect back to the life she had before, even if Gilead banned it from her by oppression. As they meet at the club, she is able to break free from her everyday life as a sex slave and instead, enjoy time with her friend. Offred feels comfort when she says “ … and Moira hugs me … I still can’t believe it’s her.” (Atwood 304-305). Women in Gilead are not encouraged to take care of themselves other than what will help them conceive a baby. Offred’s meeting with Moira gives her a sense of safeness because Moira is a familiar face from her past. Offred feels free safe and comfortable around Moira, especially after Offred’s devastating loss of Luke and her daughter. Offred rebels against oppression by taking a risk when she meets with Moira in the club in order to obtain

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(Atwood 187). Although Handmaids experience oppression by the Gilead regime, Atwood emphasizes the importance of unity and collaboration in the face of difficulties. The government of Gilead presents how hypocritical their society is toward women’s rights since the government uses a form of manipulation to make the Handmaid’s circumstances more tolerable. Additionally, Offred expresses how women do not have a right to their bodies because of the power others have over them as Offred states “I am abject” (Atwood 331). Offred expresses the removal of her individuality, autonomy, and basic human rights.

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In the novel, The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood shows the significance of Offred's role as a rebel by highlighting her transition from powerless to powerful. She makes this transition by investing in specific relationships which build up her societal standing and increase her power. Offred shares information with individuals in order to gain power over them, and in all things she has a specific motive before acting. Offred is seen manipulating people through building seemingly deep relationships, while making some mistakes on the way with the Commander, Serena Joy, and Nick.

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Just like Hamlet, Offred was also unable to trust anyone other than her best friend, Moira because of the situation she was placed in. Since Offred was a handmaid nearly all of her human rights were taken away, because of this she was unable to build relationships of trust with other people. She had lost all connections with people she loved, with the exception of Moira. Gilead, a world where all the citizens are obligated to obey those in power, none of the people had any meaningful relationships such as friendship or companionship. As shown by Offred 's statement: "We aren 't supposed to form friendships, loyalties, among one another" (Atwood 353), people were expected to not create new relationships.

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I stand alone I’ve got some things going on regarding my daughter today. She means the world to me and I am her best advocate. I will do anything for her without question. There are two meetings in one day for me, but it’s alright because it’s what I do.

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Gilead values obedience to their core beliefs and use many tactics to maintain it. The citizens often spy on one another and Eyes are spread throughout the society. Offred’s depression and fear is what controls the way she behaves even around Ofglen, who later on became one of her closest companions. “She may be a real believer, a Handmaid in more than name. I can’t take the risk.

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I want to be here, with Nick, where I can get at him” (Atwood 338). This demonstrates how tangled her feelings are and the true internal conflict she faces. Deciding between Nick and Luke deeply conflicts Offred, however it allows her to move on from her past with Luke and move forward potentially with Nick. Throughout the novel, Offred’s inner thoughts about Gilead go back and forth from rebelling against society and giving in to the society. At a low point for Offred, she thinks, “I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will…..

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She is used by Commander for sex and companionship and had an affair with Nick (higher preganancy chance). Most of her actions are being forced “Which of us is it worse for, her or me?”(151) meant the sex between the narrator and commander is unbearable to the point of watching your husband having sex with another women right infront of you. Her only defiance done totally by herself is “I will use the butter later that night.” (113), everything else including escaping the Gilead, having an affair with Commander, having an affair with Nick and leaving the Commanders house are all stimulated by others. Offred represent those who does not stand against oppresion, being pushed around and used for sex.

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Then the man said “Sorry, … This number’s not valid.” (Atwood 175) Offred wasn’t even the slightest bit aware of what was going on until later that day. She spoke to Moira about everything and she told her that it was a new law stating all of the women’s assets would be given to their male next of

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“You wanted a women 's culture. Well, now there is one. It isn’t what you meant, but it exists. Be thankful for small mercies.” (Atwood 124) Offred is looking back on her past life to a story her mother once told her.

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It is narrated by the protagonist, Offred who is a handmaid forced into sexual servitude. Facing a plunging birth rate, the fundamentalist regime treats women as property of the state. Handmaids are the few of the remaining fertile women and their sole purpose is to help the government into re-populating their society, where a lot of people are left sterile. The Handmaid’s Tale deals with the theme of women in subjugation to misogyny in a patriarchal society, primarily. It shows the struggle that women have to go through in that society, as a Handmaid or as not being able to be one.

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Works of literature often portray ideas relating to Marxist theory, this is why in a dystopian society, class distinctions dominate the social climate, using Marxist ideologies as a tool to define the lives of the narrator and those around her. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, ideologies from Marxist theory dominate the society in which Offred, the narrator, lives in, evidenced by the strict class systems and limited interaction between them. In writing the novel, Atwood makes a point to create a world that could exist using technology and ideas already accessible in today’s society, meaning the events that take place in The Handmaid’s Tale could happen in present day. Offred lives in a reality where class distinctions dominate society, and women, especially fertile women. These women are displaced downwards, although there are those women who attempt to resist the grip of society.

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Offred records tapes, telling the story of her time in Gilead. These tapes, while they do not say whether or not she was united with her daughter, do help lead to Gilead’s collapse. Offred found justice for both herself and her daughter in a way she never expected; she was able to help make sure no women or child went through what she did. This search for justice her goal throughout the novel, and while she was successful, it was in a way in which she never expected. Before her escape from Gilead, Offred saw justice with different eyes; justice to her was being reunited with her daughter and the idea of bringing the state of Gilead never seemed to cross her mind, until she began to realize just how deep Mayday ran.

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In this written text, the emphasis will be on Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale and as well as the way Atwood portrays women and how it can be argued to show the oppression of women. The main purpose is to analyze the way women are treated throughout this book and depict why they are represented this way in the society in Gilead. Then, comparatively, observe the men’s domination over women and how they govern this society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are stripped of their rights, suffer many inequalities and are objectified, controlled by men and only valued for their reproductive qualities. The Gilead society is divided in multiple social group.

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1462 Words | 6 Pages

Despite being stripped of her identity and forced into a subservient role as a Handmaid, Offred remains determined to survive and find her daughter. This is evident when Offred says, "I'll say anything they like, I'll incriminate anyone. Just don't send me to the colonies. I'll do anything," (Atwood 72). This willingness to do whatever it takes to survive demonstrates Offred's resilience in the face of Gilead's oppressive conditions.

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