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How Does Atwood Embody Corruption In The Handmaid's Tale

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How does Atwood embody corruption through the portrayal of the Commander?’ in The Handmaid’s Tale Atwood's ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ illustrates the newly founded oppressive dictatorship of Gilead through the perspective of Offred, a handmaid who is exploited for breeding purposes to ensure the survival of the regime. Offred narrates her thoughts and observations surrounding Gilead and those around her as her relationship with her Commander develops and she uncovers his extensive corruption. Atwood embodies corruption through the characterisation of the Commander, a founder of the regimer, through his dialogue as he outlines justifications for corruption in Gilead, his actions as he visits the brothel Jezebels and attempts to seduce Offred, …show more content…

Offred’s tone is nonplussed and Atwood’s use of semblance makes her seem confident in her description as if she has made a similar one before indicating she recognizes this corruption from her life pre-Gilead. Atwood is suggesting that such corruption was pertinent before the regime took over but has transferred into the dictatorship of Gilead. The juxtaposition between “sitting room" and “subdued” suggest that like with his office, the Commander can leave evidence of his corruption in plain sight through the furnishing of his house but that he does not feel authorised to show it off. Atwood’s implication that people above the Commander or other forces demand some degree of discretion adds to the reader's understanding of the Commander as she is hinting he is a puppet of the state with limited influence. This is enforced by Atwood's use of the verb “trickled” and repetition of “years” in this metaphor as it implies the Commander’s corruption has been continuous and that it is a deeply embedded part of his character, a cycle that he has been unable or unwilling to escape which is synonymous with many political figures familiar to modern readers a which is why he can be interpreted as an embodiment of …show more content…

The Commander’s ease of speech suggests this is common knowledge amongst Gilead men, that their power allows them to dictate what is natural and what is not. Conversely, Atwood is subtly commenting on the weakness of these men, they give in to every urge and desire which leads to a society founded on corruption as their selfishness drives them to go to great lengths to have their needs met whether it be through the accumulation of material items such as magazines or unauthorised sex. Atwood enforces this through the chilling phrase spoken by Moira, a handmaid now forced to be a prostitute as punishment for her failed rebellion, as she says her outfit is “government issue”. This is the first and only time such widespread corruption is explicitly mentioned and demonstrates that Gilead was founded, and runs on corruption as the government breaks its own rules in order to fulfil the desires of men on the pretence of abiding to nature. With this quote, Atwood is highlighting the point that only men like Commanders can be corrupt, women are supposed to follow the rules and in truth they are not part of the regime for the purposes of procreation but to be used as a variable for male

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She is known as a vessel for reproduction having no control over her own body. This reflects her acknowledgement of the degrading and oppressive nature of her circumstances. In conclusion, the oppressive nature of Gilead results in women not being able to own properties, empower themselves, and control their

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Throughout the novel The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood portrays a world built upon the ideals of male leaders through the lens of a woman subject to the terrors that this world inflicts. In response to falling fertility rates and progressive ideologies, a group of powerful men are motivated to concoct a society based entirely upon their religious ideals to further both their reign over the female population and their success as leaders. Through the experience of a woman living at the expense of these ideas, Atwood communicates the negative consequences of idealism in the hands of a man, and the consequences of a religion-based idealistic world. Throughout the Handmaid's Tale, Atwood portrays a dystopian world by the name of Gilead, where

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The Commander and the Aunts claim that women are better protected in Gilead, where they are treated with respect and kept safe from violence. However, while Gilead claims to suppress sexual violence, it actually institutionalizes it. An example is Jezebel’s, the club that provides the Commanders with prostitutes to service the male elite. Another example is the Ceremony that compels Handmaids to have sex with their Commanders. Foster suggests, “...sex can be pleasure, sacrifice, submission, rebellion, resignation, supplication, domination, enlightenment, the whole works” (158).

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Offred is suspicious of what the handmaid 's did. She looks at their hands, and a clue is given to her when she sees “black gloves”(Atwood 275). She ponders what they could have possibly done to have warranted such action from the authorities. Her speculation shows how the society of Gilead functions. The government of Gilead wants the handmaids to see that the prisoners are being hanged, as their suspicion is how Gilead gains control of them.

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Offred initially feels a sense of loss due to her position as a fertile woman since the independence and individuality she once enjoyed has since been stripped from her by the Republic of Gilead. It is only through rebellion that Offred is able to slowly regain her sense of self and reject the role that Gilead forces her into. By rebellion, however, it is often more dangerous for the perpetrators than to the government’s grip on the people. Offred’s societal role as a handmaid in Gilead forces her to first obey, then causes her to question, which finally allows her to realize her

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She knows that there are laws, but she is so desperate that she is willing to break them by suggesting this to Offred, “Maybe you should try it another way”(Atwood 204). She encourages Offred to break the law and have sexual intercourse with another man and plant it as the commander’s child. Her desperation make her take desperate actions and how she achieves to rebel against the government. The Commander the one above all and on top of the official classification of Gilead-Men. He has power and in control of the household.

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Some of these methods include destroying identity through classification, objectification, and indoctrination. Most women of Gilead are sufficiently repressed that they seem to accept their assigned roles, at least outwardly resigned to their fate. Atwood uses gender roles in The Handmaid’s Tale to show the lengths to which misogynistic totalitarian governments will go, to protect their dictatorships. The Republic of Gilead is a hierarchical society which requires complete submission of women to men. By taking away women’s paid jobs, confiscating their property, draining their bank accounts, and giving them no recourse, the male leadership leaves women in a fully dependent and subservient position.

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Moreover, for Offred, recording her stories is the only way to send a message to the world outside Gilead in hope that one day it will be delivered. She does not try to be accurate about the history and society of dystopian Gilead, yet she is precise in describing her feelings and emotions, knowing that she is not alone: there are other handmaids with similar stories and there are her believed

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According to Alanna A. Callaway, Gilead’s entire power structure relies on the disunity of women. Although Gilead’s system oppresses women, it is the few women in power that make the caste system dangerous for Handmaids. The patriarchal power structure of Gilead needs women to regulate each other, suggesting that gynocentric misogyny, or women hating women, is far more dangerous than traditional misogyny (Callaway 2008). This being said, the genuine threat in Gilead is not from the men in power, but the

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It projects a patriarchy of elite white men who repress the majority of the population through sexist and racist policies. In this puritanical state, Commanders are political leaders and lawmakers who support and contribute to the rise of Gilead. Each Commander possesses a big house, a Wife, Marthas, a driver, and a Handmaid, epitomizing wealth and power. The Gilead society uses Biblical allusions to justify the role of the Commanders. During the Women’s Prayvaganzas, the Commander expresses, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve” (221) where Eve was made as a helper and to complement Adam as a servant rather than function as an equal.

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Atwood connects the political events to show how Gilead gained control and keeps their control by establishing fear into the women. Gilead stays in control by limiting speech to religious references, keeping the women from talking about the oppression they are suffering. Additionally, women are blamed for the social issues that were present in a pre-Gilead society such as rape, abortion and adultery. Women get the blame for the issues and men do not suffer consequences since it is in their nature to cheat. Atwood uses allusions to the Old Testament and historical events to satirize the oppression of women in political, religious and social

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