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The Struggle Between Men And Women In The Handmaid's Tale

825 Words4 Pages

Imagine living in a world where roles are given, freedom is taken, and you must abide to the rules unjust to everyone. Would you fight back, or reluctantly follow these oppressive rules? Offred is an independent and emotional woman who is forced into labor. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, women are forced into certain labor based on their fertility and status in this new society. Both men and women have become oppressed for the sake of the country. Offred is a handmaid given the task to procreate with a Commander. She is one of many of the women who are basically imprisoned into labels and must abide by many limiting laws. She is given multiple options to break the rules by people who, even though they are blessed, also …show more content…

The Commander and his Wife have high social status and are the most blessed in this new society. They are given so much privileges, yet they still break rules. The Commander and his Wife hardly get affected by the new regime and its oppression towards everyone. Yet this oppression is the reason why they still break the rules. Serena is fed up with Offred being forced to have a child for her. She decides it is best to break the rules and tells Offred “ Maybe you should try another way?” (Atwood 205). She’s willing to break the rules and have Offred become pregnant. She does this because she is upset to have someone else birth their child. She, like other high class citizens, is displeased on these new rules. The Commander and his club members also feel this way. He meets with Offred in secret because “what he wants is intimacy” (Atwood 211). The Commander continues to meet Offred to read, play Scrabble and even go to Jezebel’s. He knows doing this would result in his dismissal of his position or even death for both of them. He continues to meet with Offred regardless. He ignores this because he yearns for something the past took away. The freedom to feel and experiment. This dystopia continues to greatly affect the society, regardless on who benefits or

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She is used by Commander for sex and companionship and had an affair with Nick (higher preganancy chance). Most of her actions are being forced “Which of us is it worse for, her or me?”(151) meant the sex between the narrator and commander is unbearable to the point of watching your husband having sex with another women right infront of you. Her only defiance done totally by herself is “I will use the butter later that night.” (113), everything else including escaping the Gilead, having an affair with Commander, having an affair with Nick and leaving the Commanders house are all stimulated by others. Offred represent those who does not stand against oppresion, being pushed around and used for sex.

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