Social Issues In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

The Republic of Gilead, in the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, struggles with social issues that mirror those in our own society. The Handmaid’s Tale provides the possible effects that unresolved social issues can have on a society. The loss of emotion in a relationship and the deterioration of the environment, are issues represented both in the novel and our own society.
The Handmaid’s Tale examines emotional detachment in relationships, which has become common today. When thinking of the past, Offred remembers the lack of emotion in relationships, “at that time men and women tried each other on, casually, like suits” (51). In our society, open mindedness and the ease of meeting people (thanks to technology) has caused “causal intimacy” without a true connection. In both the Handmaid’s Tale and in our society, many people have forgotten how to feel genuine love and respect in a relationship. The Commander also believes that people lost their ability for emotional love, “You know what they were complaining about the most? Inability to feel” (210). This shows that people felt unfulfilled and dissatisfied with the nature of

In one scene, Offred notes that, “the sea fisheries were defunct several years ago” (164). Overfishing is a current environmental issue that is causing concern over the future of fisheries. The Handmaid’s Tale shows that continuing to over fish will end in a collapse in fisheries and seafood. Another warning the novel gives for environmental collapse is, “the air got too full, once, of chemicals, rays, radiation, the water swarmed with toxic molecules, all of that takes years to clean up…” (132). Once again, the novel hints at a problem in our own society. The continuous dumping of chemical waste and radiation will pile up to cause serious health and environmental concerns in the future. The novel warns us of the future of our environment if we continue to mistreat