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How Does Margaret Atwood Use Power In The Handmaids Tale

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Margaret Atwood’s novel "The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian work of fiction that explores the themes of power and oppression through the concept of "biopower" introduced by Michel Foucault. In this essay, the novel will be analyzed through three main aspects of biopower: control over women's bodies, the collective identity of the Handmaids, and the use of power to reinforce patriarchal structures. Through a close analysis of the novel, it becomes clear that biopower is the driving force behind the government of Gilead and its control over the bodies and lives of women.
The novel is set in a dystopian society called Gilead, where women are divided into different classes based on their fertility. The fertile women, known as Handmaids, are assigned …show more content…

The Handmaids are stripped of their individual identities and forced to wear identical clothing that covers their bodies completely. Their bodies are reduced to their reproductive function, and they are referred to by the names of the men they are assigned to. The collective identity of the Handmaids is a reflection of the power structure that seeks to control and regulate their bodies. In "The Handmaid's tale," the regime of Gilead makes use of biopower to control and modify the bodies of girls. The handmaids are reduced to their biological feature as childbearers, and their fertility is cautiously monitored and managed. This biopolitical manipulate extends beyond reproductive strategies and into the everyday lives of the handmaids, who're forbidden from studying or writing, are concern to common medical examinations, and are denied autonomy over their personal bodies and picks. The concept of biopower, as advanced by using Michel Foucault, emphasizes the methods in which electricity operates through the law and manipulate of the frame. Biopower entails a focal point on the strategies of lifestyles itself, consisting of delivery, death, reproduction, and fitness. inside the context of "The Handmaid's tale," biopower is used to exert manipulate over girls's bodies and reproductive capacities. the novel evaluations the methods in which society often perspectives girls's bodies as assets or commodities, as opposed to as independent beings with their personal goals and desires. By using lowering the handmaids to their reproductive feature, Gilead is able to exercise entire manipulate over their bodies and lives. The handmaids are denied fundamental human rights, such as the right to physical autonomy and the right to make choices about their personal lives. but, the novel additionally highlights the methods in which girls resist this biopolitical

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