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The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

556 Words3 Pages

The award-winning novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood depicts the malversation of a totalitarian society. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a speculative fiction, reflecting the possibility of modern society's flaws. However, Atwood successfully conveys a sense of hope through the characters', Offred and Moira, acts of rebellion. The Handmaid's Tale make a clear point that society like Gilead will cease to exist. The totalitarian society will be overthrown, expressing that an extremist society will not be able to remain. From a feminist reader's perspective, this is optimistic as the society dominated by men collapses, overthrowing the patriarchal world. Although the society cripples, the protagonists live and gains individuality. …show more content…

Despite this, there are some character in the novel who proposes a sense of optimism by toppling the norms of a dystopian narrative. The protagonist, Offred, is being forced to get impregnated by stranger. Despite this, Offred soon discovers her abilities to seduce and manipulate men. This offers readers a ray of optimism and hope for a better ending for the women in Gilead. Women's fertility is highly valuable in Gilead as they are facing a crisis in human population. Hence, not all men were given the privilege of having a handmaid. Using this as her advantage, Offred's simple acts like raising her 'head a little' can make a man blush and 'turns

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The Handmaids must submit to their Commanders as they hold the dominant role. The Handmaids are also sacrificing their bodies and fertility to their Commander and his wife in order to give them a child. They have all been renamed with names that signify the Commanders they serve: Offred, Ofglen, Ofcharles, Ofwarren, etc. These names show the Commanders’ possession of the Handmaids. In The Handmaid’s Tale, sex symbolizes the Handmaid’s sacrifice and submission and the Commanders domination and control over the Handmaids in

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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.

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The Handmaid’s Tale. Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them, vol. 5. Civil Rights Movements to Future Times (1960-2000), Gale, 1997, pp.

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The Handmaid's Tale By Offred

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The commander can do whatever he wants with a handmaid. Atwood provides us with an example of this later on in the book when he dresses her up and takes her out because he wants to have sex with her. (1998:230). This issue goes beyond the commander when Atwood encounters Offred with a doctor who claims he is trying to “help” her by having sex with her. (1998:59).

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The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

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Like the setting, a dystopian republic similar to that of Puritan New England, the storytelling is a mix between past and future. Rather than having the events occur in chronological order, Atwood’s treatment of time in The Handmaid’s Tale adds to the storytelling by providing Offred a means of escape from reality. Atwood uses flashback, historical notes, and imagining others’ present as narrative techniques. Offred attempts to go through present events from others’ points of views.

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The subjugation of women is evident in the Gilead system as each Commander is given a handmaid whose name is “Of” the Commander’s name. Handmaids have no identity of their own and are similar to sex slaves at the mercy of

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(Atwood 14). The handmaids were expected to essentially have no life or relationships, their only objective was to produce as many children as they could with their assigned commander. Handmiads and the other women did tend to disobey that standard by secretly making connections with other people. It was challenging for them to not create relationships with others, especially since they were with each other at all times and had shared trauma. On top of that, they needed to have something to kill the extra time that they had and socializing would be the easiest, but also the most dangerous way to do so.

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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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Through her narrative, Atwood encourages readers to reflect on the power dynamics present in their own lives and take action towards creating a more just and equitable society. “But we are very far from that moment,” she continued. “Right now, it is both the best of times and the worst of times for women. We have not seen such blatant pushback against women for a very long

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The Commander In The Handmaid's Tale

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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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The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

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Attuning to the law is a key to surviving the Gilead’s but to be able to hold onto her personality it leads her to subtle rebellion. She feels as if she is free and in control when she breaches subtle codes “There’s something delightful about it, something naughty, secretive, forbidden, thrilling” ( Atwood 222). The rush of all sort of emotions she feels gives her a glimpse of past freedom and happiness, the glimpse of her past life helps her to maintain her indualitly and allows her to stay intact to her identity. Some of the mischief she has done is “Offred also risks physical harm when she steals a few minutes during bathroom breaks to speak to Moira” (Perkins). The few minutes in the bathroom allows her a moment of remembering her relationship with Moira and reconnecting to her past life.

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Rebellion; the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention. The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood is a novel. The novel takes place in Gilead a dystopian society. Everyone in Gilead has an important role to play within the society, however, it seems as if none of the characters seem content with their role, due to the restrictions they face. In the novel, the lack of freedom leads to rebellion as shown by the characterization, interior dialogue, flashbacks, and foreshadowing.

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Oppression Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

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Handmaids are fertile women who are to be impregnated by the Commander or Angel they are assigned to.

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Femininity In The Handmaid's Tale

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Throughout the novel, aphorisms play a large role in depicting the role of women as subservient to their male counterparts. By altering distinct aphorisms from the Bible and then locking it away from women, the male leaders of Gilead use the Bible to impose their rules and views. These modified sayings are instrumental in the effort of the subjugation and indoctrination of Handmaid’s. Although Offred resists conforming to such brainwashing, her constant references to Aunt Lydia's precepts are indication of the success of such tactics. One saying in particular, “Modesty is invisibility” (Atwood 28), is so indoctrinated in Offred that she conforms to the doctrines and rules of Gilead without hesitation.

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The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

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Imagine a nation in which its government commands by a religion where women are separated into different titles and must conceive children for their commander. Their rights from before this regime, and anything deemed unholy by the government, are a thing of the past. This situation is the one represent in the Republic of Gilead, where the rules of society and its traditions are not taken lightly if broken. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that an oppressive government leads to the inevitable neglect and remiss of the rules through Offred’s characterization, irony, and flashbacks. Offred 's character development can show that her actions change .

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