Do you agree that although The Handmaid's Tale is written from a feminist point of view, the portraits given of men are surprisingly sympathetic while those of women are often critical? Yes, I agree with this statement. Although the theocratic totalitarian regime operating in Gilead was instigated and is controlled by men, the male protagonists in the novel are seen as caring and sympathetic. Although one or two women have become quite close through their ordeal, despite the fact they’ve had no other choice (“We’re used to each other”); the mass majority of women get on uneasily, due to the rituals and social hierarchies that have been prearranged by male rulers. (“The Econowives do not like us”) Status in Gilead is predetermined by sex. Although there are high-ranking women in Gilead, their titles are nonetheless determined by their gender. Aunts and Wives are how they are referred to, whereas the male Commanders, Angels, Eyes and Guardians do not reduce individual men to their sex. Therefore, regardless of rank, a woman’s central feature is her gender. Even a Wife, the highest-ranking woman in Gilead, is defined in relation to a man. Bearing this in mind it may seem odd that Offred views men with a certain sympathy whilst remaining wary of women, but it is a correct assumption. It is possible to assume from the narration that, despite being a staunch feminist, Offred relates more comfortably to the opposite sex than she does to her own. Throughout the novel she is increasingly critical and scathing of other women, whilst becoming emotionally attached to the various men in her life. It is not known whether this was a character trait of the pre-Gilead Offred, although she is somewhat dismissive of her own mother’s strong feminist views, and of Moira’s views on lesbianism and balanced sexual power between women (as opposed to an unequal balance between a man and a woman.) Offred seems to need an influential male figure in her life; a figure of power whom she can rely on. She speaks frequently of Luke - her husband in pre-Gilead times - and seems to view him in this way, placing him on a pedestal. “Luke told me...” and “Luke said...” are common phrases to be found in Offred’s reminiscences; and although Luke is obviously loving toward Offred, she depicts him in a way that makes him seem sexist and patronising. He often seems to try and deliberately catch... ... middle of paper ... ...women who seem to truly believe in these barbaric anti-feminist regimes. Aside from the Aunts, some of the other Handmaids are particularly volatile, kicking and beating a Guardian to death at one of the many Salvagings. Offred’s system of social relationships seems to follow the lines of ‘Do as you would be done by.’ Generally, if other women treat her civilly she is inclined to be civil back. She gets on relatively well with Cora, unlike Rita - “I don’t smile. Why tempt her to friendship?” - even though “The Marthas are not supposed to fraternise with [the Handmaids]”, and gets on well with one of the many Ofglens. However the strict control of social relationships by the state could be a clue to her wary toleration of other women in Gilead. It can be concluded that the original statement is true, and the novel frequently views men with a sympathetic eye regardless of the pro-feminist message. However, the Handmaids are possibly the most vulnerable caste in Gileadean society; although the portraits given of men as individuals are sympathetic, collective males were the instigators of the dystopian nightmare, which is worryingly marked with traces of our own history and culture.
Gender inequality has existed all around the world for many centuries. Women were seen as property of men and their purpose of existence was to provide for the men in their lives. Men would play the role of being the breadwinners, whereas women played the role of being the caregiver of the family and household and must obey the men around her. The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood portrays how women in society are controlled and demeaned by men, and how men feel they are more superior over women.
This is a post united states world and some people, in the story, have seen the changes of from United States of America to Gilead. In their dystopian world, the handmaids wear “Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us”(Atwood 8). This is an example of the Ordinary World, female servants are used for reproducing because if the decline birth rate due to sexual diseases. During the call to adventure, the reader can consider Offred going to the call of adventure before Gilead, as well as, after Gilead. Both of them relating to the mistreatment against women. Her friend Moira, before Gilead, showed her a world in which women were fighting for their rights in the 1970’s during the women's liberation movement. Her and Moira went to a rally where “(she) threw the magazine into the flames. It riffled open in the wind of its burning; big flakes of paper came loose, sailed into the air, still on fire, parts of women’s bodies, turning to black ash, in the air, before my eyes”. (Atwood 39). Offred was gaining some of her memory back, pre- gilead days, she knew her mother and Moira were apart of the feminist movement. In addition to the rise of the government, her and Luke needed to leave because she feared the safety of her daughter and her husband. In matter of fact, Offred was a bit precautious of entering a new world because she was scared of
In The Handmaid 's Tale by Margaret Atwood, readers are introduced to Offred, who is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. As this novel is
The ability to create life is an amazing thing but being forced to have children for strangers is not so amazing. Offred is a handmaid, handmaid's have children for government officials, such as Commander Waterford. Offred used to be married to Luke and together they had a daughter but then everything changed; Offred was separated from her family and assigned to a family as their handmaid. The society which Offred is forced to live in shaped her in many ways. In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood uses cultural and geographical surroundings to shape Offred's psychological and moral traits as she tries to survive the society that she is forced to live, in hopes that she can rebel and make change.
Offred is consistently cautious when it comes to interacting with the Commander. She feels as though she has to present herself in a way that will allow her to gain his trust and utilize it in her favor. Offred says, “The Commander likes it when I distinguish myself, show precocity, like an attentive pet, prick-eared and eager to perform” (Atwood 183). When Offred poses herself in the way that the Commander expects, it shows how his power influences Offred’s actions. The connection of Offred to that of “an attentive pet” also shows how the Gilead Society has taken away her humanity. Without her humanity, Offred loses her sense of self-worth which leaves her vulnerable to the Commander’s power. Along with this constant fear of portraying herself in a manner that would upset the Commander, Offred is also afraid to give away too much information about herself which could potentially end with the Commander ceasing their private meetings together. Offred expresses, “And if I talk to him I’ll say something wrong, give something away. I can feel it coming, a
The roles of Nick and the Commander in society show stratification within the male gender. Initially, the men appear to have dominion over the women. They are the ones in power, the heads of the household, like the Commander. The men act as guards and have access to upward mobility in society. Their ability to move is shown during the marriage ceremony, when Offred says that “The Angels will qualify for Handmaids, later, especially if their new wives can’t produce. But you girls are stuck,” (221). Contrary to those in power, Nick still adheres to their past societal values. The passing comments he makes towards Offred, saying “Nice walk?” while Offred replies “I nod, but I do not answer with my voice. He isn’t supposed to speak to me,” (45), which demonstrate how Nick disregards societal boundaries. The Commander at first plays a very different role. He appears secure in his dominion, believing that the women are now
Offred has not portrayed any heroic characteristics in The Handmaid’s Tale, through her actions of weakness, fear, and self-centredness. This novel by Margaret Atwood discusses about the group take over the government and control the Gilead’s society. In this society, all women has no power to become the leader, commander like men do. Offred is one of them, she has to be a handmaid for Serena and the Commander, Fred. Offred wants to get out of this society, that way she has to do something about it. There wasn’t any performances from her changing the society.
Offred from The Handmaid's Tale uses different tactics to cope with her situation. She is trapped within a distopian society comprised of a community riddled by despair. Though she is not physically tortured, the overwhelming and ridiculously powerful government mentally enslaves her. Offred lives in a horrific society, which prevents her from being freed. Essentially, the government enslaves her because she is a female and she is fertile. Offred memories about the way life used to be with her husband, Luke, her daughter, and her best friend Moira provides her with temporary relief from her binding situation. Also, Offred befriends the Commander's aide, Nick. Offred longs to be with her husband and she feels that she can find his love by being with Nick. She risks her life several times just to be with Nick. Feeling loved by Nick gives her a window of hope in her otherwise miserable life.
In Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste.
In order for us to deal with how a consideration of femininity can effect our understanding of a literary text, we must also be able to grasp the notion of `feminism' and `Feminist Literary Theory'. A dictionary definition of `feminism' is: `the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.' Although this leans towards feminism in the historical sense of the word, it still provides the grounds, or foundations, from which feminist literary theories were created. Feminists argue against the stereotyping and social construction of female norms, seeing them as created by men in order to establish their own sense of power. It is thought that while males suggest that gender is sex and not actually a construct, the female role will become much more passive, stereotyped and controlled.
Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, the author Margaret Atwood gives the reader an understanding of what life would be like in a theocratic society that controls women’s lives. The narrator, Offred gives the reader her perspective on the many injustices she faces as a handmaid. Offred is a woman who lived before this society was established and when she undergoes the transition to her new status she has a hard time coping with the new laws she must follow. There are many laws in this government that degrade women and give men the authority of each household. All women are placed in each household for a reason and if they do not follow their duties they are sent away or killed. Atwood bases the irrational laws in the Gilead republic on the many
In the very beginning of chapter 7, Offred contemplates the words "lie" and "lay". She recalls the word "lay" as a colloquial term used to describe the action of performing sexual relations, for example, "Even men used to say, I'd like to get laid. Though sometimes they said, I'd like to lay her." Atwood's purpose in presenting this was to portray the objectification of women by men even in a pre-Gilead community. Men would often express the reasonable, yet considerably sinful, desire to "get laid", which portrays sex as not an act of love or for procreation, but as an act committed for the sole purpose of pleasure and ultimately Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins classified by the Catholic Church.
Margaret Atwood sheds light on two concepts that are intertwined; fertility and motherhood. Nevertheless in Gilead these notions are often viewed as separate. The Republic State of Gilead views women as child-bearers and nothing more. In Gilead, these women are known as handmaids, who’s function in society is to produce children for barren females of a high status. Gilead also prohibits the handmaids from being mothers to their previously born children, meaning before Gilead was created, for instance, Offred, who is separated from her daughter. Thus it is evident that Margaret Atwood generates a state that views birth only as growth in population rather than the beginning of a relationship between mother and child.
Offred’s journey is a prime example of the appalling effects of idly standing by and allowing herself to become a part of the Gilead’s corrupt system. This woman is a Handmaid which was recently placed within a new
Offred is one of the main characters in The Handmaid's Tale. She was the faithful wife of Luke, mother of an eleven month old child and a working woman, before she entered the Republic of Gilead. She was given the name "Offred", when she entered Gilead. This was to make it known that she was a handmaid. Offred becomes psychologically programmed in Gilead as a handmaid, and the mistress of the commander who is in power of all things. She was used for her ovaries to reproduce a child, because they are living in an age where birth rates are declining. Offred was ordered by Serena Joy, the handmaid's barren wife who develops some jealousy and envy towards her to become the lover of Nick. Nick is the family chauffeur, and Offred becomes deeply in love with him. At the end of all the confusion, mixed emotions, jealousy, envy and chaos towards her, she escapes the Republic of Gilead. Offred is given treatment and advantages by the commander that none of the there handmaids are given. During the times the commander and Offred were seeing each other secretly, he began to develop some feelings for her that he tried to hide. Somewhere along the times when Offred and the commander began having secret meetings with each other, Offred too began to develop some feelings for the commander. Offred is also a special handmaid, because she has actually experienced love, the satisfaction of having a child years before. She knows what it is to feel loved, to be in love and to have someone love you. That is all when she has knowledge, a job, a family and money of her own. That is when her life was complete. Because all of that has been taken away from...