The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

The dystopian world of Gilead, as depicted in Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaids Tale is a frightening and oppressive society where women are treated as subordinate creatures whose only purpose is to bear children. The Gileadean regime has a unique approach to reproduction, where women who are capable of procreating are called "Handmaids." The title itself reveals a great deal about the status of women in society and is just one of the many ways in which the regime seeks to control and subjugate women. Through their experiences, we gain insight into the ways in which women are stripped of their rights and freedoms, reduced to their reproductive functions, and brainwashed with a patriarchal ideology that justifies their oppression. Their

The title of Handmaids also reveals the social status of women in Gilead. The women are divided into several categories based on their social status, with the Handmaids serving as the most oppressed class of women. Women who are infertile or too old to bear children are cast aside, while women who are able to procreate are elevated to the status of handmaids. However, even within this class, handmaids are still considered to be inferior to men and are subject to intense scrutiny and control. They are assigned to high-ranking men as reproductive vessels and are forced to undergo a monthly dehumanizing ritual called 'the ceremony', where they are forced to have sex by their assigned male partner in hopes of procreation. This ceremony is carried out in the presence of the man's wife, who holds the Handmaid's arms as she is violated. This ritual is not only a violation of the Handmaid's body but also a reminder of their subjugation and powerlessness. Their sole purpose is to bear children for the ruling class, but they have no say in who they are paired with or how many children they must produce. They have no rights, no agency, or autonomy, over their own bodies. They are stripped of their individuality and are reduced to nothing more than their reproductive capacity. The Handmaids are forced to wear red robes that covers their bodies from head to toe, and white-winged bonnets which

The title of Handmaids is derived from the story of Rachel and Jacob in the book of Genesis. (or the term “handmaids” has biblical connotations that’s derived from…) In the bible, Rachel who is unable to conceive a child, gives her handmaid Bilhah to her husband Jacob as a surrogate mother - someone that could bear children on her behalf. Bilhah bore two sons for Jacob, and Rachel claimed them as her own. This biblical reference is used as a justification for the Handmaid system in Gilead, to fulfilling God's will and to ensure the survival of the population. The government wants to create an image that the Handmaids are performing an act of religious sacrifice, whereby they are helping to bring forth the next generation of God's children. The fertile women are assigned to the ruling class, which is made up of powerful men that believe women are inferior and incapable of serving any purpose other than to fulfill their biological function, are used as surrogates for infertile wives and are expected to bear children for them. This is due to the fact that the regime is founded on a strict interpretation of Christian doctrine that prioritizes male authority and female subservience. It is therefore not surprising that the regime would choose a name for women that emphasizes their role as passive vessels for male reproduction. Handmaids are treated as nothing more than