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The Handmaid's Tale Theme

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What would you do if your life was radically changed? Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale describes such an event. In this book, the main character Fred experiences many terrible events after the United States government falls and is replaced with The Republic of Gilead. Theme is an important aspect of writing in all works of literature. The Handmaid’s Tale is no exception to this trend of themes in stories. As such The Handmaid’s Tale features many themes. Three such themes in this book are identity, struggle, and resistance. Identity plays a major theme in The Handmaid’s Tale. This book explores many different themes and uses them to send many different messages. The theme of identity plays a major part in The Handmaid’s Tale. …show more content…

One of the key quotes of resistance in the quote “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” (“Atwood 52”). This Latin phrase means don’t let the bastards grind you down, and is written by the handmaiden that lived in the room before Offred. Not letting the commander and society, the bastards, grin you down is a sign of resistance as it is can be interpreted to mean resisting the attempts that the government might make to make you bend to their will. Also, the fact that Fred can read in the first place is a sign of resistance as handmaidens are not supposed to be able to read. By reading things such as the pillow with the word faith on it, she is also resisting the government by reading. In addition, on a deeper level by telling her story and her past she is resisting. This can be seen in the quote “If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending” (“Atwood 39”). In this quote, she is conveying resistance as she is in control and not the government. She is also empowering herself, which is also a form of resistance against the government as they do not want women to have power. In addition, Fred shows resistance by idealizing her friend Moira for escaping the Red Center. This is shown when Fred says that “Moira marched straight out the front door, with the bearing of a person who knew where she was going…and disappeared” (“Atwood 132”). This shows resistance because not only does Moira threaten an Aunt and steal her pass and clothes, but she walks out the front door in front of the guardians and leaves. This shows that Moira is her own boss and will do anything to get out and defy the government. It is these values that Fred idealizes and through the idealization if these individualist values she shows resistance. Fred is not the only person to idealize Moira, Fred explains that many of the handmaids idealize Moira. By doing this all the handmaids show resistance to the government by

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Furthermore, her decision to join the resistance reveals her strong moral compass and her unwavering commitment to justice. She is willing to put herself in harm's way to fight for what she believes is right. This decision also highlights Marie-Laure's ability to adapt and evolve in the face of adversity, which is a crucial trait for survival in times of

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Moira, from The Handmaid’s Tale, continually attempts to rebel resulted in her compliance. While Penelope, never stops fighting against the ideologies of her society resulting in her increase defiance. Though both totalitarian governments attempted to subjugate the characters through manipulative propaganda and the appearance of deliverance, the characters’ reaction differed in that one became compliant while the other remained

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Instead her personality makes the male characters change to accommodate to her, they realize that she is not

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In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the protagonist, Offred, expresses her wish that her “story [is] different,” that it is “happier,” or at least “more active, less hesitant, less distracted” than it is ultimately portrayed (267). However, as her story is told, these characteristics are evident in the way she talks and acts, especially around those with authority. Hesitant to express her true thoughts and feelings, and distracted by memories from her previous life, Offred attempts to piece together her role in the society that has taken her freedom. The result is a compilation of moments, of memories, both from her present, her past, and even speculation about her future.

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In face of severe situation, people often feel relief when they think of happier, simpler times in order to alleviate the severity. In the fiction novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, a theocracy government controls every aspect of life in order to produce the best result of its plans. At the beginning of chapter 12, Offred takes a required, but luxurious bath because she can take off the burdensome wings and veils. While she bathes, Offred remembers her daughter from the past and a time with her family. Atwood compares Offred’s past and present through imagery, tone, similes, and symbolism combined with parallel structure to highlight the vulnerability of women to their surroundings.

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Forced by her family to work in her sisters sewing factory, Ana then realizes the strength of women and the capabilities

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Regina Carla L. Silva 2015-01293 The Handmaid’s Tale The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead which is formerly the United States of America. The name comes from a place from the Bible. It is a totalitarian, theocratic government.

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In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Offred has a continuous search for justice for her daughter, in a society in which her idea of justice is starts as one concept and changes to one that she never expected. Margaret Atwood writes Offred as a character who was at once strong-willed, and who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Her strength is dimmed at first, when her daughter and husband are first taken from her. Her strength, however comes back in full force when she finds the opportunity to get justice for her daughter. Offred uses the motivation of her daughter to spur a rebellious side of her that disappeared when the new leaders came into power.

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There are two ways people will react to when their freedom is taken away. They will either accept it or rebel against it, which is what a lot of the female characters in Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale accomplished. Shown through Offred’s repetition of certain events, Moira’s tone of being a fighter, and Serena Joy’s desperation, the reader can see that lack of freedom leads to rebellion. Offred, the novel’s narrator, now lives in a world where women are powerless. She has had her freedom taken away, and at times follows the rules, but ends up rebelling in many powerful ways.

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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.

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“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.”- William Gaddis. People take advantage of power when it is entrusted to them because of their own greed, which as a result lead to societal deterioration. In the story, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, the higher-ups from Gilead abuse the power that is given to them, ruining the life of the citizens in the society. This was the cause for the need of higher birth rates and fixing conflicts in the world, but this was handled immorally.

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By stripping the society of identity, the government is asking for rebellion. Moira is one of the biggest rebels in this story. Her free spirit and independence could not be taken away easily. After overpowering Aunt Elizabeth and escaping the Red Center, Moira was now a rebel and would face punishment if found. “Moira had power now, she'd been set loose, she'd set herself loose.

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Rebellion in The Handmaid’s Tale Imagine not being able to do what you used to do because some actions are forbidden in this new society. In the Handmaid's Tale, Gilead is a dystopian society where people are limited to certain actions. Throughout the story, Offred’s actions are rebellious because she has broken so many rules. Atwood demonstrates that restricted expression leads to rebellion by showing the Commanders and Offred’s affair developing throughout time and the actions of both characters.

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In the 1980s, United States was experiencing the rise of conservatism. Under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, conservative religious groups were gaining popularity. In response to the social and political landscape, Canadian author Margaret Atwood published a fictional novel The Handmaid’s Tale in 1986; a genre of dystopian novels. The storyline projects an imaginary futuristic world where society lives under oppression and illusion of a utopian society maintained through totalitarian control. Dystopian novels often focus on current social government trends and show an exaggeration of what happens if the trends are taken too far.

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Albert Camus once said, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” In this quotation, Camus brings about an important interpretation of how the way of surviving in a world without freedom is to rebel. Once you are completely free your existence is considered an act of rebellion. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, freedom is taken away from both men and women but mostly women. The novel reveals that lack of freedom leads to rebellion and breaking rules as shown through the symbol of the match, the use of flashbacks, and the characterization of men.

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