ipl-logo

The Handmaid's Tale Essay

392 Words2 Pages

Introduction “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian fiction novel written in 1985 by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, who used this novel to express her views on the Second-Wave Feminism movement and the changes in America that were occurring at the time she wrote this novel. Set in the futuristic society of Gilead, “The Handmaid’s Tale” follows the life of the protagonist and narrator Offred, a Handmaid whose only function in this totalitarian patriarchy is to act as a surrogate mother for those ranked higher than her in the social hierarchy. Through Offred and the other characters around her, Atwood depicts the consequences of the reversal of female rights, as well as exploring the power dynamics that existed between men and women of different class within this dystopia through the characterization and juxtaposition of behaviour between Offred, Serena Joy and Aunt Lydia. Atwood herself has described her novel as “an extrapolation of real and present dangers in today’s society”, so many have seen this novel as a cautionary tale, warning against the consequences of the conservative revival in the West after the election of Ronald Reagan in the United States in 1984. Today, “The Handmaid’s Tale” has resurfaced due to similar issues, and is still one of the only novels in the world to thoroughly explore the overlap between power, politics and …show more content…

However, Atwood does explore the power of women that women hold within this patriarchal society, as well as the disunity between women that results from this. Throughout the novel, she emphasises the presence of feminine power in the patriarchy through the strong characterization of three major characters of different social classes – Serena Joy (representing the Wives), Aunt Lydia (representing the Aunts) and Offred (representing the

Show More
Related
1487 Words | 6 Pages

In 1943 Allied forces had seen some success in North Africa against the Axis forces. Allied commanders were at odds whether to continue the Mediterranean campaign or execute a cross channel invasion. By January of 1943, Allied commanders seemed content just to keep pressing Axis forces in the Mediterranean, Sicily would be next. Operation Husky, the Allied code name for the invasion of Sicily, eventually led to Allied victory. However, the victory was in spite of numerous Joint Command and Control and function integration deficiencies.

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

How the government runs its citizens shapes the human condition. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel about how women are treated after a group of religious rebels overthrow the government and established a new government. This government takes charge of everything and change the rules, and some foundations that people base their lives on are broken by this government. Through that, we are able to see the main character breaking down as well. The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel that is written in fragments, it does not give a full retailing of the handmaid narrator’s life.

Read More
380 Words | 2 Pages

Blood was trickling between Hal’s empty, lifeless eyes; the strong smell of diesel filled the air and the heat from the flames kissed his skin. Moran pictured his partner by the truck, the helplessness he felt, the desperate urge to save him; ‘Dixon was right, Hal would have wanted me to save myself. Sometimes you can’t be saved; it’s the way it is!’ Searing pain in his legs came into to sharp focus and he opened his eyes, it was too late and Moran knew it.

Read More
1239 Words | 5 Pages

In ‘1984’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, the destruction of the individual is due to a combination of the destruction of independence, language and totalitarian monopolistic control. Complete collectivism, despite separate political beliefs, is presented throughout dictatorial societal jurisdiction as being the predominant way to maintain eternal power. The regimes seek to control individuals and therefore engage in continuing reconnaissance or surveillance of the populace. The mind is the most individual source of power to any person and totalitarianism aims to create complete orthodoxy by controlling and manipulating the mind. Both Orwell in ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’ and Atwood in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ are examples of how dystopian literature presents

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

(Attwood.63) In the social construct of the narrator’s household, the wife is the woman with the most power, she controls most of the house activities with the commander (husband) away. When the narrator first comes in there is an establishment of a hierarchy. The wife has never questioned her husband for having multiple affairs and having total control over her however she does feel the threat of the narrator and she aims her authority towards the narrator; thus contributing to the sexist system that keeps women under domination.

Read More
952 Words | 4 Pages

In Margaret Atwood’s novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Moira is depicted as the symbol for resistance to authority and represents hope to the Handmaids. Atwood presents her as a polar opposite to Offred. She is independent, strong-willed, and outspoken. Conversely, the pair can be argued to be doubles in the fact that they both ‘resist’ to the oppressive Republic in Gilead.

Read More
1415 Words | 6 Pages

A Disappearing Act or A New Beginning When starting a new chapter in your life, something new appeals to the senses. Either it’s buying something that has been thoroughly thought about or moving to a new town or state to feel refreshed. While some people want to start a new life, others just want to disappear. Due to situations in their personal life, the only option they seem to have is to leave and have a normal life.

Read More
1482 Words | 6 Pages

In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood demonstrates a quizzical protagonist, Offred, in a dystopian, totalitarian society where fertile women are only a mere vessel for child birth. Every month during Offred’s menstrual cycle her Commander, Fred, and his wife Serena Joy perform detached intercourse while Serena holds Offred’s hands. The handmaids of the Republic of Gilead are not allowed to use their mind for knowledge nor take part in formal society. They are but the vacuous-minded property to their Commanders and their infertile wives. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred discloses the day to day moments and her commicalOffred had once lived in a world where she was her own person with a job and a home with a family of her own but now she lives under unfortunate circumstances that disable her from being a true, soulful human.

Read More
1620 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout history, women have often been subjected to prejudice and an inferior status to men. Due to sexist ideologies of men believing that women are not capable of controlling their own lives, women have often been reduced to the status of property. This concept is prominent in many pieces of literature to demonstrate the struggles women have to go through in a predominantly, male structured world. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, the author illustrates a woman’s battle in an extreme society ruled by men to express the misogyny occurring in the time period when it was written, 1894. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia summarizes Atwood’s story as one that “depicts one woman’s chilling struggle to survive in a society ruled by misogynistic fascism, by which women are reduced to the condition of property.”

Read More
1035 Words | 5 Pages

This year is the 30th anniversary of the publication of Margaret Atwood 's dystopian classic, The Handmaid 's Tale. The novel is told from a first person account of a young woman, Offred. In an age of declining births, she is forced to become a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, the imagined future in the United States. The Handmaids are to provide children by the substitution of infertile women of a higher social status. Through the creation of different characteristics of female characters – ones who are submissive yet rebellious, and like to take advantage of their power - Margaret Atwood portray themes of love, theocracy, rebellion, and gender roles.

Read More
857 Words | 4 Pages

These texts demonstrate the societal issues involving oppression of women, women’s sexual role and their status. The Handmaid’s Tale depicts the rigid societal structure whereby women are forced to serve in various aspects and functions in the society. The boundaries of the context set are in Gilead, a totalitarian state dominated by Christian fundamentalists, indicating that Gilead enforces conformity among its citizens. In a simply put manner, one’s social position is fixed. The permanent social statuses are clearly evident from the colour-coding of the women wherein “some [are] in red, some in dull green of

Read More
1462 Words | 6 Pages

Through the character of Offred and the other handmaids, the novel portrays a society that seeks to control women's bodies, minds, and voices. However, the characters' unwavering determination and perseverance in the face of this oppression inspire readers to resist and fight for a better future. The relevance of the novel to modern society lies in its exploration of the political, economic, and social factors that give rise to totalitarianism and oppression. By examining these structures and systems, the novel offers insights into the root causes of these issues and invites readers to think critically about the world around

Read More
1122 Words | 5 Pages

Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, argues that women are instruments of the patriarchy, that women know this, and that women allow the system of oppression to live on. Her fictions ask, “What stories do women tell about themselves? What happens when their stories run counter to literary conventions or society’s expectations?” (Lecker 1). The Handmaid’s Tale is told through the protagonist, Offred, and allows readers to follow through her life as a handmaid while looking back on how life used to be prior to the societal changes.

Read More
649 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a story about a society set in a future world where women’s rights have been revoked. Many values change with this new regime of controlled women and strict laws. Despite the changes in the world it maintains many conservative, religious beliefs while also containing liberal, feminist beliefs simultaneously. Society in the futuristic world of Gilead is structured heavily off of readings from the Bible and traditional views of gender that have been in place for a long time. An example of the Bible being an important part of society is the idea of the Handmaids came from a passage in the Bible about two women, Rachel and Leah.

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout chapter four Atwood describes the woman 's loss of identity and how ashamed they are at life. “I drop my head and turn so that the white wings hide my face, and keep walking” Offred is nearly humiliated and embarrassed about the life she is currently living. The handmaid’s are not allowed to find in full-indicates this shows how controlled they are. “A shape like mine, a nondescript woman” women are all the same, such as, they all have the same task in hand, they feel as if there idently has been strpied from them. In the society handmaids live in they could just “simply be replaced” as is if no one would notice.

Read More

More about The Handmaid's Tale Essay

Related Topics

Open Document