Point Of View: Offered or by her real name, June, is a handmaid and the main character of the story. The author, Margaret Atwood, Chose to use the point of view of a hands maid to show how the Christian extremist has revoked many human rights. A quote that the character aunt Lydia said: “ for our purposes, your hands and feet are not essential.” The extremist say this because to them the handmaids are not people, they’re only purpose is for reproduction. Therefore the extremist take eyes and limb beat and rape the Handmaid's until they bare a child. There is also the view of the extremist. the Commander's wife suggest that offered conceive with another man, on page 205, it is because she is desperate for a child as well as for general population. …show more content…
For Instance on, page 109, The main character said: “maybe the life I’m living is a paranoid delusion”. When she says “paranoid delusions” she knows to be cautious yet her life is so full of fear she hopes for it to be a dream. The fear and anxiety a highly exaggerated throughout the story. Setting: The Story takes place in a town in what used to be the united states that are now the Republic of Gilead in the near future. In the Republic of Gilead, every thing is to its exact of the extremist there is no escape “The Republic of Gilead, said Aunt Lydia, knows no bounds. Gilead is within you”. When they sent the handmaids to be “reprogramed” they wanted to break the handmaid of the reality they once knew to make the beliefs of Gilead live inside them. Imagery : The author tends to use a shock factor of inappropriate and fearful images get the realization across to the reader. An example of these images is during the salvaging when the handmaids must place their hands on the rope of the handmaids that were hung for the possibility of escaping, adultery and or a killing. The hangings used to give the Handmaid's hope to see that women can still resist but since the aunts didn't tell the crimes it was simply to strike fear in the hearts of the
A housemaid is a concubine that is assigned to live with a Commander (of the Faith) and his Wife. The Handmaid’s role is to produces Keepers (babies that are born without any birth defects) for their host family. Housemaids are made to wear all red besides their nun like white wings that work as blinders. The red represents passion and sin that can be turned white by the cleansing power of God. Commanders are the patriarchal head of the house who have a duty to father children either by their Wife or a Handmaid if needed. “Not every Commander has a handmaid; some of their Wives have children. From each, says the slogan, according to her ability; to each according to his needs… It was from the Bible, or so they said. St. Paul… in Acts.” The Commanders wear black to show their superiority, as they are the highest on the social ladder. The Wives are at the top of the social ladder when it comes to women which gives them power over the other women: “…the transgressions of women in the household, whether Martha or Handmaid, are supposed to be under the jurisdiction of the Wives alone.” The Wives wear light blue to represent the Virgin Mary who is usually depicted in light blue in biblical artwork. The Handmaid’s are re-educated by women with the title of Aunts. The Marthas are women who do domestic work
In today’s society, we all are to follow the principles that come with America which is
In The Handmaid’s Tale, much use is made of imagery; to enable the reader to create a more detailed mental picture of the novel’s action and also to intensify the emotive language used. In particular, Atwood uses many images involving flowers and plants.
A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law.
The Handmaids Tale is a poetic tale of a woman's survival as a Handmaid in the male dominated Republic of Gilead. Offred portrayed the struggle living as a Handmaid, essentially becoming a walking womb and a slave to mankind. Women throughout Gilead are oppressed because they are seen as "potentially threatening and subversive and therefore require strict control" (Callaway 48). The fear of women rebelling and taking control of society is stopped through acts such as the caste system, the ceremony and the creation of the Handmaids. The Republic of Gilead is surrounded with people being oppressed. In order for the Republic to continue running the way it is, a sense of control needs to be felt by the government. Without control Gilead will collapse.
The wings worn on the head prevent others from seeing their face and vice versa, prevents them from looking anywhere except the direction in which they are facing, limiting their options to stray. All garments cover every inch of skin; Ankle length skirt, full sleeves and red gloves all worn by the Handmaid's prevent temptation for others and t...
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel in which Atwood creates a world which seems absurd and near impossible. Women being kept in slavery only to create babies, cult like religious control over the population, and the deportation of an entire race, these things all seem like fiction. However Atwood's novel is closer to fact than fiction; all the events which take place in the story have a base in the real world as well as a historical precedent. Atwood establishes the world of Gilead on historical events as well as the social and political trends which were taking place during her life time in the 1980's. Atwood shows her audience through political and historical reference that Gilead was and is closer than most people realize.
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale: Novel and Film. The Handmaid's Tale, a science-fiction novel written by Margaret Atwood, focuses on women's rights and what could happen to them in the future. This novel was later made into a movie in 1990. As with most cases of books made into movies, there are some similarities and differences between the novel and the film.
In Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, women are subjected to unthinkable oppression. Practically every aspect of their life is controlled, and they are taught to believe that their only purpose is to bear children for their commander. These “handmaids” are not allowed to read, write or speak freely. Any type of expression would be dangerous to the order of the Gilead’s strict society. They are conditioned to believe that they are safer in this new society. Women are supposedly no longer exploited or disrespected (pornography, rape, etc.) as they once were. Romantic relationships are strongly prohibited because involving emotion would defeat the handmaid’s sole purpose of reproducing. Of course not all women who were taken into Gilead believed right what was happening to their way of life. Through the process of storytelling, remembering, and rebellion, Offred and other handmaids cease to completely submit to Gilead’s repressive culture.
With each rule that governs their lives comes a punishment for disobeying it. Though being unable to express any sort of individuality is difficult for the women of Gilead, the thought of being hung at a ‘Salvaging’ or t...
Fear is power. Fear is ever-present in Gilead; it is implemented through violence and force. It is through fear that the regime controls the Gileadian society. There is no way Offred, or the other Handmaids can avoid it. The dead bodies hanging on the wall are a relentless reminder of what rebellion and conflict result in. The abuse of power is also present in chapter fifteen after Moira attempts to escape, she is taken to the old science lab and has her feet beaten with steel frayed wires and is then left on her bed, ‘’Moira lay on her bed as an example.’’ (pg. 102 ) She is an example of what rebellion results in. Therefore, creating fear in the other Handmaids to prevent them from rebelling.
In the society of Gilead, the most highly valued aspect of life is giving birth to a healthy child without deformities. Gilead was the aftermath of a nuclear world war (or some type of chemical mishap involving most of the world). As a result of this, some women and men are left sterile and unable to increase the significantly decreased population. The women who are fertile are placed in institutions where they are trained in the process of pregnancy and child bearing, those who are not are left to die in areas with concentrated radiation.
The Handmaid's Tale presents an extreme example of sexism and misogyny by featuring the complete objectification of women in the society of Gilead. Yet by also highlighting the mistreatment of women in the cultures that precede and follow the Gileadean era, Margaret Atwood is suggesting that sexism and misogyny are deeply embedded in any society and that serious and deliberate attention must be given to these forms of discrimination in order to eliminate them.
The Handmaid’s Tale and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? draw on different narrative techniques to establish our relationship to their protagonists. Margaret Atwood allows the reader to share the thoughts of the main character, while Philip K. Dick makes the reader explore the mysteries behind the story. Atwood’s style works because she can directly show her readers what she wants. Dick’s opposing style works for him because he can present paradoxes and mysteries and let the reader form the conclusion. Both of these styles are skillfully utilized to create complex stories without losing the reader along the way.
As The Handmaid’s Tale is considered an allegory of the social injustice women face against traditional expectations of their role in society, the symbolism of the Handmaids and other women as a whole for repressed feminine liberty and sexuality allows Atwood to connect her work to the theme between gender and expectations in her society. As Handmaids in the Republic of Gilead, females are stripped of their previous identity and are defined as a tool of reproduction for the men who is assigned them. At its core, these females are forced against their will to be mere tools, experiencing unwanted sex at least once a month, which Gilead names “The Ceremony”, hiding its true nature as a form of rape. Offred