The Importance Of Fear In The Handmaid's Tale

Those who rebel often do so in hopes of changing the established order. The extent to which one rebels depends on the potential defeat and consequences. In 1984 by George Orwell, Winston and Julia have an external locus of control which ultimately leads to their neglect of the possible punishments by the society. On the contrary, Offred and the Commander in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood have a brighter attitude towards the future because both characters miss the human connections and family they once had. This strong sense of hope is what makes Offred and the Commander more considerate in their rebellious acts. Whereas in 1984 defiance against the established order was bold and daring as they had less hope, the characters in The Handmaid’s

Offred understands that she is like “a rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze,” therefore she is more careful about getting caught for her mischievous actions (Atwood 165). One of Offred’s secret possession is butter, which is insignificant in the great scheme of things, yet it’s valuable to Offred’s self-love and hopefulness. By hiding a tiny piece of butter and using it as lotion, Offred believes “that someday [she] will get out, that [she] will be touched again, in love or desire,” and perhaps there will be a day where she will feel beautiful and powerful again (Atwood 97). In The Handmaid’s Tale, the actions taken to obtain objects are more valuable than the actual material things. In the book, Offred did not steal the the dried flower because she was a flower enthusiast. The actual act of stealing reminded Offred “of what [she] once could do, how others saw [her],” and the sense of internal locus of control in her life (Atwood 97). In both the Oceania and Gilead societies censorship of literary works is in full swing. However, the government of Gilead does not only censor what people can read, but also who can read. Handmaids are prohibited from reading and the only thing Offred can read is the

Love creates loyalties, which the government might not have the power to control. Winston mentioned that the government’s “real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act” which restricted Winston before he had his sexual endeavours with Julia (Orwell 65). The power of human nature overwhelmed Winston, leading him to making rebellious statements with his relationship. Not only is sex itself illegal, the means which Winston and Julia took to perform the act is extremely bold. Both Winston and Julia had to illegally leave the city to meet up in the secluded woods and in Mr. Charrington’s apartment. The passion and lustfulness of the two characters was an act of rebellion. Winston describes his sexual act with Julia as a “blow struck against the Party” and “a political act,” implying that he not only did it for pleasure, but also to stand up against the current government system (Orwell 126). Before sleeping with Winston, Julia has slept with hundreds of other men which made Winston very intrigued. He believed that this passion and wrongdoing “was the force that would tear the Party to pieces,” and ultimately overthrow the heartless government system. Thus, Winston and Julia’s relationship was not merely a search