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Women In The Handmaid's Tale

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Recommended: Gender roles in literature

Throughout history, women have been shamed and oppressed in different aspects of life. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the oppression of women continues into the dystopian future. One cannot read The Handmaid’s Tale without seeing the problems of gender separation among roles and treatment in society with the underlying message of feminism. Even though it seems to be a feminist story, The Handmaid’s Tale provides an interesting image of men while degrading women. Beyond some characteristics like sexual predators, dominant male figures and other common society portrayals of men, we really don’t know much about them, this makes them very mysterious. Not many male complexions have more than the basic roles of society. Most don’t …show more content…

He seems to be looser than the rest of the Gilead society members. He is wearing a hat and winking at her, in a flirty way. She gives details about his physical appearance to ensure the readers that he is threating in any way. She describes his smile, “creases around the mouth where he smiles” p 28. This helps the reader that he isn’t threating because everyone else described by their outfits, not their physical appearance, which is a symbol for their social status. In the house, he brushes her foot with his, this gave her a sense of warmth and safety which she is in denial off. He has different roles depending on the time. During the night he is her lover while during the day he is just another stranger, this makes it more interesting and complicated because he is taking orders. Just like Offred, he is a lower rank, which meant everything he did was following orders sent out by the commander or serene joy. Through the first interaction Offred is given multiple descriptions. As readers we can see that his attitude isn’t explicitly described, he is an odd figure we cannot fully understand yet. Although a little is known about him, through any danger, she keeps going back to him, this happen in multiple occasions and eventually she falls in love with him without even knowing it. Even though she falls in love with him, she

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