Religion In The Handmaid's Tale

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In Gilead, Religion and the control of history are the most imperative steps in the creation of this totalitarian state. Margaret Atwood’s feminist novel The Handmaid’s Tale introduces a comprehensive and historically mindful society, although it is still characterized by the separation of citizens into a stern, patriarchal hegemony that is ruled by religious authority. The lack of agency allowed to women, pushes them to shape their own environment through underground movements, while also impacting the men around them. And it is through acts of rebellion, that the narrator comes to an understanding that true oppression takes place when hope and power are removed in their totality. In this tale, the people of Gilead are brought up in a society …show more content…

Offred understood her specific language choice, because Aunt Lydia was aware of the constraints of her women. But instead of taking a stand against those constraints, she justified the new constitution. And not only did she justify the mistreatment of women, she also regulated it. Nonetheless, everyone seems to have their own particular forms of agency and rebellion. For instance, Offred is free within the bounds of her mind, where she relishes in memory of her past life. As she states, “A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze” (Atwood 165). This symbolism compels the reader to look into the actual meaning of freedom. A rat in maze believes it free because it is allowed to move around, and in view of this the rat is unaware that it is trapped. Thus this quote is a depiction of how Gilead functions, since the Handmaids are allowed to go anywhere within town, as long as they remain within the boundaries. Like the rats, many of the women are unaware, but as mentioned previously, the future generations will accept that as freedom. And unfortunately, this will be all they know because they won’t have anything to compare it

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