The Handmaid's Tale Essay

Women's Rights are Human Rights: A Feminist Study of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

Famous actress and activist, Emma Watson, once said, “If you stand for equality then you’re a feminist. Sorry to tell you”. Clearly, Emma Watson acknowledges the inequality and stereotypes related to being a woman. It is a commonly held view of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel revolving around political freedom and oppression. At first glance this seems to be true considering the propaganda used, restriction on freedom, and public executions for those who break the laws. When taking a closer look through a feminist study, one can distinctly see the inequity to women in this dystopian society. One aspect of the society in the novel that a feminist study

Offred thinks to herself about what the handmaids are doing while she is alone in the kitchen, “Cora might come in, from somewhere else in the house, carrying her bottle of lemon oil and her duster, and Rita would make coffee”(11). The handmaid's resemble stereotypical women, whose roles are strictly to clean, cook and take care of the house in general. It just so happens that they are all women, commonly made out to be homemakers. A feminist study condemns the author in the way she reinforces this feminist stereotype. Also, women in this society are forbidden to work, forced to be a part of the private sphere. Offred flashes back to when things were normal, and the dystopian era was just beginning. Her boss enters firing all the women, “We’re being fired? I said. I stood up. But why? Not fired, he said. Let go. You can’t work here anymore, it’s the law”(204). The women are being oppressed of work, forced into the private sphere, well the men exclusively take on the public sphere. A feminist study condemns the way women are oppressed and are given no opportunity to be a part of the public sphere. They are categorized based on gender, with no regards to their intellectual attributes. The women of this society have no choice at all, but are forced to inherit the private sphere of domesticity

First, Offred challenges the oppression of women in this society through her relationship with Nick. One night Offred is sitting at her open window when Nick emerges from the outside, “Nick. We look at eachother. I have no rose to toss, he has no lute. But it’s the same kind of hunger”(222). Offred is challenging the rules of the society by having this relationship with Nick. Through Nick she is rebelling, able to make her own choices and do what she wants to do with her relationships. A feminist study condones Offred and Nick’s relationship as it challenges the society's rules and Offred is choosing what she wants to do, holding a sort of power for once. This is a true relationship, Nick cares about Offred and is doing what he can to help her. Furthermore, Offred holds power and challenges physical stereotypes through her sneaky visits with the Commander. The commander is drunk while Offred is visiting, she explains to the reader, “Occasionally I try to put myself in his position. I do this as a tactic, to guess in advance how he may be moved to behave towards me. It’s difficult to believe I have power over him, of any sort, but I do”(242). Offred is no longer seen as an object of desire when she is with the commander alone. He has interest in Offred as a person, engaging in conversation,