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The Handmaid's Tale Identity Essay

850 Words4 Pages

How is identity, gender and freedom reflected in the novel: In "The Handmaid's Tale," the themes of identity, gender, and freedom are interwoven and closely tied together. The novel takes place in a dystopian world where the government of Gilead seeks to control and manipulate all aspects of people's lives, including their identities, gender roles, and freedom.
Identity is reflected in the novel through the ways in which the characters are stripped of their names, individual experiences, and self-image, and assigned new identities based on their reproductive function or social status. By removing the protagonist's name and referring to her as Offred, she is undervalued, and her individuality is forcibly removed from her. All handmaids in …show more content…

The novel also explores the ways in which the characters struggle to maintain their sense of self and resist the efforts of the regime to control and manipulate their identities.

Gender is a central theme in the novel, with the regime of Gilead using gender roles, expectations, and power dynamics to control and manipulate individuals in society. Women are stripped of their rights, autonomy, and identities, and are subjected to strict dress codes, rigid gender-based roles, and reproductive control. The duties assigned to men and women in Gilead are based on Biblical gender concepts. In Gilead, commanders are high-ranking males who can engage in politics, social affairs, and economics, while women hold more domestic or subordinate positions. According to The Handmaid's Tale, women's duties are divided into several identities, which are designed to symbolize different ideals of …show more content…

Each of the Commander, Luke, and Nick has a different relationship with Offred, depending on the degree of equality and power dynamics. The Commander represents manly principles. He is white, heterosexual, Christian, physically fit, masculine, and powerful. Sexism is one of the fundamental ways the Commander maintains his control. Throughout the narrative, he makes sexist remarks about women and frequently reinforces the notion that he is better due of his gender. He informs Offred, for example, in chapter 29, that "women can't add". Offred's husband, Luke, is sexist even though the two love each other. He is designed to contrast with the Commander and demonstrate that even modern males, who are not outright misogynists and may even identify as feminist supporters, may be oppressive to women. In chapter 8 Offred recalls watching Serena Joy's religious programs with Luke before Gilead gained to power: "Or Luke thought she was humorous. I merely pretended to believe it. She was rather intimidating. She was serious". Luke considers her "funny," indicating that he does not take her or her thoughts seriously. Looking a little further, he probably thinks she's humorous because he's aware that if what she was preaching about came true, he wouldn't be as impacted. Serena Joy, on the other hand, is described as

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