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The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

1066 Words5 Pages

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood takes place in the Republic of Gilead, which is in the present day United States. The change in government control happened about three years before the book took place. The narrator, Offred, experienced going from a democratic government to a totalitarian government first hand. The social structure in The Handmaid’s Tale is an effective way of controlling women because the new government regime stripped away all of women's rights, rearranged society's structure, and ultimately made everyone unhappy. Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred explains what the change was like. While living in the democracy, women had rights. They were guaranteed the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression, and the freedom …show more content…

The most powerful class of women is the Wives, they are married to a Commander and have authority over the Handmaids, Marthas, and Guardians. They live in a house with the Commander and spend much of their time in the garden or sitting down working on a knitting project. Wives often talk badly about their Handmaids out of either jealousy or hatred. The next most powerful is the Aunts, it’s their job to indoctrinate the Handmaids into their roles in society. The Aunts are firm believers in the new regime and control every aspect of the Handmaid's lives. They set up clear rules about where Handmaids can go and what they can eat. Aunts are also the only women who are allowed to be violent. They can beat the Handmaids when they do something wrong; such as trying to escape or spending too much time in the bathroom. The Handmaid's purpose is to birth children for the Commander and his Wife to raise. The Handmaid's get transferred between the Commanders to reproduce as much as possible, since most other women are infertile. Offred, the main character, is a Handmaid. She tries to break the rules and get together with Nick, a low-ranking Guardian. She has some freedom as she doesn’t get caught, but she has to be

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