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Violence In The Handmaid's Tale

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Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" delves into the harrowing experiences of its protagonists within the dystopian society of Gilead, where violence and fear are omnipresent tools of control. Despite the oppressive regime's relentless efforts to subdue them, the protagonists manage to retain glimmers of human dignity and hope amidst their ordeal. Through the characters of Offred, Moira, and June, Atwood explores the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity, highlighting the capacity to endure and find solace in moments of defiance and solidarity. Gilead's totalitarian regime maintains its grip on power through the pervasive use of violence and fear. Offred, the novel's protagonist, is subjected to physical and …show more content…

Her attempted escape from the Red Center ends in capture and punishment, highlighting the regime's ruthless suppression of dissent. The constant threat of punishment serves as a potent deterrent, instilling fear in those who dare to defy the regime's authority. Despite the pervasive atmosphere of violence and fear, the protagonists in "The Handmaid's Tale" cling to their humanity and find moments of dignity and hope. Offred, through her inner monologue and memories of her past life, maintains a sense of self-awareness and agency, refusing to be entirely subsumed by the regime's control. Her clandestine interactions with other characters, particularly the Commander and Nick, provide fleeting moments of connection and intimacy, affirming her resilience in the face of dehumanization. Moira, though subjected to the regime's brutality, embodies a spirit of defiance and resilience. Her refusal to be broken by the regime's violence and her eventual escape from captivity serve as symbols of hope and resistance. Moira's determination to reclaim her agency and autonomy despite the odds underscores the indomitable nature of the human

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Throughout the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, the protagonist Offred expresses how exposed beliefs and practices by the Gilead government affect the lives of Handmaids, relaying

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In The Handmaid’s Tale, the oppression of women was the absolute first thing that stood out. The exposing of handmaids inabilities The women that were not able to produce babies such as Offred were sent to this Nazi type regimes called the colonies. There were Guardians or “secret police” watching all of the Handmaids at all times. The Republic of Gilead did something called “Men’s Salvaging”, which occurred when either men, but mostly women got penalized from doing something forbidden and they got hung and killed. Women weren’t able leave their households unless they were going shopping for food.

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the President of the United States and all of Congress, the United States is shaken at the center. Wars take after, and demolition follows. Out of the lethal waste dumps rises the Republic of Gilead. The forces that be, in the place where there is Gilead bring back the abuse of ladies that is a sign of severe religions and their social orders. This abuse is supported by people with significant influence as a way to guarantee the survival of mankind and the conservation of the beliefs of Gilead.

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However, the punishment innocent individuals experience catalyzes various forms of violence. In The Handmaid’s Tale violence done by the handmaids, especially Moira, is subtle and secretive, targeting institutions. Even though, Moira’s first escape is unsuccessful, upon her return she perpetrates a more violent attempt in order to achieve her goal. Moira fakes an emergency in the washroom and when she calls aunt Lydia for an examination, Lydia “felt something hard and sharp and possibly a metallic jab into her ribs from behind” (Atwood 130). Through the agony Moira endured, it causes rebellious behavior and thus, she devises a violent plot against the rules of the government.

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Fear is defined as the emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. The emotion of fear is present in everyone's lives and we all have a variety of fears that are unique to us. However, in the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood, the society the book takes place, Gilead, is structured in a way to create a fear into the people who reside there. The way this type of economy is shaped has multiple characteristics that lead it to believe that no change can be brought upon it to overcome any fear that it gives off. This literary text delves us into the setting of the book and begins to instate fear into us, the readers.

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Atwood clearly emphasizes this point through the inclusion of Offred 's inner thoughts; which in turn, help to illuminate to the reader the process of this deterioration. Atwood also shows how the Republic of Gilead uses totalitarianism tactics, which parallel those used in North Korea, in order to remain in control. In The Handmaid’s tale, a dystopian novel, Margaret Atwood uses imagery and allusion throughout the novel to illustrate how the republic of Gilead uses techniques to deteriorate one 's mind in order to maintain their power. Throughout the dystopian country

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Kyra Wright Ms. Milliner EES21QH05 October 19,2016 Novel Based Essay “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood is a novel that displays the life of women in Gilead . This novel shows how women of Gilead have no freedom. Atwood’s use of language symbolizes power .

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A patriarchal horror where women are forced into certain roles, Offred tells her story of how her life became a nightmare. Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, is a science fiction novel . The novel is based on Offred, a handmaid, who tells her life in the new society, Gilead. The novel reveals that a patriarchal society leads to oppression of women as shown through the characterization of Moira, plot elements, and the formation of Gilead.

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Maoism is a system of Marxism-Leninism developed by Mao Zedong, who adjusted standard Marxist precepts to Chinese circumstances. While preserving the central principles of Marxism, Maoism also addresses concerns not answered by Marxism-Leninism and it negates several conclusions of Marxism-Leninism. Marxism views all social conflict as driven by the economic struggle between classes. Marxism theorizes that human progress is caused when a more forward-thinking class subjugates a less advanced class.

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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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Thus, Atwood’s choice of making Moira’s tone of voice tenacious and even sarcastic, leads to the notion of Moira being an important symbol for rebellion amongst Handmaids. Moira is characterised by Offred in Chapter 22 as a “loose woman.” Offered contemplates what Moira would do after her attempted escape of the Red Centre: “At any moment there might be a shattering explosion, the glass of the windows would fall inwards, the doors would swing open… Moira had the power

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The Handmaid 's Tale is one of Margaret Atwood most famous novels written during the spring of 1984, when the Berlin wall was still standing. Atwood creates a dystopia, which mostly consists of gender gap and oppression. The Handmaid 's Tale effectively portrays the United States as the modern-day totalitarian society of Gilead, which was illustrated as perfect by using the book of Genesis. Although the authors ideas are inherently and completely fictional, several concepts throughout his book have common links to the past and present society which the author herself calls a speculative fiction. The author uses a totalitarian system which includes aspects of Soviet system, to describe, deprivation, repression and terror with the use of

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Imagine having no option other than breaking the government laws to survive. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood in the new society, Republic of Gilead, a strict government is established. Offred is ultimately trying to survive with the new laws that were implemented. Therefore, the quest for survival leads to breaking laws as expressed through the tone of Offred, foreshadowing Offred and her daughter attempted escape, and plot twist of Serena Joy.

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"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any. " - Alice Walker Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, explores a dystopian world where women are subjugated and forced into reproductive servitude. The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic society formed after a coup d'état in the United States. Atwood's work is heavily influenced by her own experiences as a feminist and her observations of historical and contemporary systems of oppression. The novel's themes of resilience and determination in the face of oppression are particularly relevant to contemporary society, where oppressive systems continue to exist.

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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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