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What Is The Representation Of The Female Voice In The Handmaid's Tale

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How and why do narratives represent the female voice in differing contexts?

Narratives represent the female voice in differing contexts as the female voice ranges from multiple experiences, and though there are similarities in each female voice, one cannot cover one whole context or voice. Which is why female voices are represented in narratives in differing contexts so that each female voice is heard and understood in their respective contexts. This is done through the novel ‘Vox’ by Christina Dalcher, written in the 4th feminist wave in 2018 and the novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood, written in the 2nd feminist wave in 1985. Both of these novels represent the female voice but in differing contexts through how patriarchy is used …show more content…

This initiative is placed on women by men, where men get to speak freely and they are aware of the power of speech they have. For example, “I refuse to think they do understand, that they’re baiting her, teasing out words. But at eleven, they’re old enough to know. And they’ve seen what happens when we overuse words”, Jean’s sons are asking their sister questions about her school day, requiring a full response rather than a yes or no answer, knowing that she can't answer. The repetition of pronouns of ‘they’, expresses a tone of accusation even though Jean (the female protagonist) tries to ignore the accusations, showing how this patriarchy has driven a wedge in parent-child relationships. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ shows patriarchy and how it is used against the female voice through how the Gileadean society has placed women in roles of labourers and handmaids. For example, “He is demonstrating, to me, his mastery of the world. He’s breaking the rules, under …show more content…

In Vox, the women have been silenced by their counters and reduced to their role as a housewife or labourer. For example, “We've turned into necessary evils, objects to be fucked and not heard.”, Jean uses a metaphor and describes herself as an object for male pleasure and as a necessary evil, meaning she is something that is not desirable but has to be accepted, as they need women to fill the role of housework and motherhood for males. In ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, women have been reduced to objects for the sake of men where the women are either put to work as labourers, housewives or handmaids. For example, “There’s hardly any point in my thinking, is there? I say. What I think doesn’t matter. Which is the only reason he can tell me things.”, where the Commander is aware that Offred cannot make any changes to her life and uses her as an outlet for his thoughts on the society that he has contributed to making for women. The use of a rhetorical question and truncated sentences, show a train of thought and a strong defeated tone, showing us as readers how aware Offred is of her situation. Both ‘Vox’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ have shown how the female voice is reduced to merely an object for men similarly, as both females in each narrative are put to work in certain roles for the sake of men. Both narratives show the female voice in their different contexts of time and situations, showing

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Both texts ‘The Handmaids Tale’ and ‘The Bloody Chamber’ were written during the second wave of feminism which centralised the issue of ownership over women’s sexuality and reproductive rights and as a result, the oral contraceptive was created. As powerfully stated by Ariel Levy, ‘If we are really going to be sexually liberated, we need to make room for a range of options as wide as the variety of human desire.’ Margaret Atwood and Angela Carter both celebrate female sexuality as empowering to challenge the constraints of social pressure on attitudes of women. Both writers aim to expose the impact of patriarchy as it represses female sexual desire and aim to control it thus challenge contemporary perspectives of women by revealing the oppression

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The narrator's confinement and lack of control over her own body in the story symbolize the broader struggle faced by women in a society that seeks to restrict their reproductive autonomy. The mention of “women’s vocal distrust” shows the vocal resistance of women against oppressive systems, backing up the narrator's silent rebellion against the patriarchal

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More specifically, gender’s role on women and their positions in the world. Being a young woman, I fall into the intended audience of the book. The rhetoric in the book appeals to the young girls around the same age of the main character

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When analyzing the characters of the Handmaid's Tale and the Scarlet Letter through the feminist lense, sexism has become so internalized that women work to maintain the system through prejudice and belittling one another for not fulfilling orthodox gender roles.

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What would become of the world, if our current societal flaws, such as sexism, racism, and classism were ingrained and executed at a systematic level? This is exactly what The Handmaid’s Tale set out to explore. The novel, which claims to be speculative fiction, is set in the theocratic Republic of Gilead (formerly the USA), where birth rates are rapidly declining and women have been marginalized by the patriarchal regime, forbidden to read, write or love and valued only if they are able to procreate. They are separated into classes, including Wives, Marthas, Aunts, Unwomen, and Handmaids, distinguishable only by the color of their clothing. The Handmaids are renamed by combining ‘of’ and the name of the Commander that they have been assigned to, stripping them of any individuality.

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Handmaids are subjected to specific gender roles in the women community. Each women in the community has a certain job that most men assume is the woman 's job. Handmaids are for the use of reproduction and there is suppose to be no emotion or spiritual connection with these ladies. Martha’s who are used for cooking and cleaning among the house and lastly, jezebels who are used for erotic sex. Each of these women who fall among the categories have no choice of their field.

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Works of literature often portray ideas relating to Marxist theory, this is why in a dystopian society, class distinctions dominate the social climate, using Marxist ideologies as a tool to define the lives of the narrator and those around her. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, ideologies from Marxist theory dominate the society in which Offred, the narrator, lives in, evidenced by the strict class systems and limited interaction between them. In writing the novel, Atwood makes a point to create a world that could exist using technology and ideas already accessible in today’s society, meaning the events that take place in The Handmaid’s Tale could happen in present day. Offred lives in a reality where class distinctions dominate society, and women, especially fertile women. These women are displaced downwards, although there are those women who attempt to resist the grip of society.

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Often, we see a society’s cultural values reflected in its citizens. For example, the United States values equality, a standard that is shared in all facets including gender. The opposite is true of Gilead, a fictional society in Emily Bronte’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel’s main character, Offred, is subjected to degrading treatment simply because she is a woman. It becomes apparent that this repeated degradation has affected the protagonist’s mind.

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This story can also be read as a commentary on the way women's voices were silenced

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This year is the 30th anniversary of the publication of Margaret Atwood 's dystopian classic, The Handmaid 's Tale. The novel is told from a first person account of a young woman, Offred. In an age of declining births, she is forced to become a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, the imagined future in the United States. The Handmaids are to provide children by the substitution of infertile women of a higher social status. Through the creation of different characteristics of female characters – ones who are submissive yet rebellious, and like to take advantage of their power - Margaret Atwood portray themes of love, theocracy, rebellion, and gender roles.

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These texts demonstrate the societal issues involving oppression of women, women’s sexual role and their status. The Handmaid’s Tale depicts the rigid societal structure whereby women are forced to serve in various aspects and functions in the society. The boundaries of the context set are in Gilead, a totalitarian state dominated by Christian fundamentalists, indicating that Gilead enforces conformity among its citizens. In a simply put manner, one’s social position is fixed. The permanent social statuses are clearly evident from the colour-coding of the women wherein “some [are] in red, some in dull green of

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In this written text, the emphasis will be on Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale and as well as the way Atwood portrays women and how it can be argued to show the oppression of women. The main purpose is to analyze the way women are treated throughout this book and depict why they are represented this way in the society in Gilead. Then, comparatively, observe the men’s domination over women and how they govern this society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are stripped of their rights, suffer many inequalities and are objectified, controlled by men and only valued for their reproductive qualities. The Gilead society is divided in multiple social group.

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Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, argues that women are instruments of the patriarchy, that women know this, and that women allow the system of oppression to live on. Her fictions ask, “What stories do women tell about themselves? What happens when their stories run counter to literary conventions or society’s expectations?” (Lecker 1). The Handmaid’s Tale is told through the protagonist, Offred, and allows readers to follow through her life as a handmaid while looking back on how life used to be prior to the societal changes.

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Furthermore, the author displays a dystopian society completely dominated by a totalitarian and theocratic state. The main subject of this novel is the role assigned to women, mainly represented by the handmaids. In Gilead, the made-up country where the novel takes place, women are completely subjected by the government, and especially by men, who clearly have a higher status than women. Moreover, women’s freedom is entirely restricted, as they cannot leave their house at their will, they are forbidden to hold properties or jobs, they cannot read or write, and they are treated as sexual slaves whose only purpose in life is to bear children for elite spouses. The other option is a miserable, short life at the Colonies (a type of concentration camp), and death.

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cultural constructs of femininity, identity, and the extent of government control. The story explores the affects social and political trends have on society. The Handmaid’s Tale evaluates gender roles and the subjugation of women. Atwood’s use of aphorisms, symbolism, and allusions urges readers to examine the juxtaposition of cruelty and vulnerability in femininity.

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