Comparing Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Michael Radford's Film, 1984

1191 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Oppression of women in the handmaids tale novel

Margaret Atwood’s depiction of the future in The Handmaid's Tale is extremely bleak and forlorn; this oppressive atmosphere has been created by the development of an independent nation - Gilead - inside the U.S, which is governed by a totalitarian fundamentalist Christian sect. This dystopian text is the brainchild of a series of experimental social ideas which have given birth to a science-fiction novel, which satirises mainly the folly of human characteristics rather than the misuse of technology.

Another related text is 1984 the film which was directed by Michael Radford who also envisioned the future as being extremely dark and oppressive; as it depicted in his film adaptation of 1984 the novel, by George Orwell.

Several language and film techniques were employed by Margaret Atwood and Radford, such as metaphorical imagery, satire and irony, so that it was possible for the audience to delve deep into the protagonist's mind and understand the world they live in from their perspective.

The atmosphere of oppression in The Handmaid's Tale effectively shapes the society of Gilead, as Offred metaphorically describes the life of each individual as being similar to "a rat in a maze … free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze", the maze representing the laws and boundaries of Gilead.

Language is used to convey individual opinions and express emotions and feelings; because of this the government of Gilead have attempted to eradicate it, so no revolutionary literature may arouse the mind and create any doubt concerning the integrity of the Gilead and its laws. "Words like free" are "considered too dangerous" because these words encourage thoughts of freedom and individuality which are prohibited since Gilead reli...

... middle of paper ...

...aphorically represent the hope of freedom. We are shown through the metaphorical imagery of the shattering of the pink coral, that this hope is impossible.

Ultimately both “1984” and “The Handmaids Tale” fulfil the purpose of ominious prophetic texts that have portrayed a dystopian future, a future filled with oppression, corruption and misogyny in the case of The Handmaid's Tale. The governments of Gilead and Oceania have succeeded in brainwashing their citizens by isolating them and attempting to abolish language which would make it impossible for any outcry to be heard or even expressed. Both Atwood and Radford created these texts during times of peril, with the intention of having them serve as ominous reminders of what would become of society if any doctrine was to be enforced by a totalitarian body which withheld all authority without being challenged.

Show More
Related

  • Biblical Themes Of The Bible In The Handmaid's Tale

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale is a story heavily influenced by the Bible and has many biblical themes that are used to prove Atwood’s belief in balance. The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead, which was formerly the United States. The story is told through the perspective of a handmaid named Offred and begins when she is placed at her third assignment as a housemaid. Offred describes her society as a fundamentalist theocracy where the Christian God is seen as the divine Ruler over the Republic of Gilead.

    Read More

  • Metaphysics In George Orwell's 1984

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Harrison Bergeron And The Handmaid's Tale

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two texts Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and The Handmaid’s Tale by Reed Morano explore the idea of individuality loss due to complete government control through similar and varied techniques. Both texts enable the audience to obtain an understanding that a society where there is no ability to express one’s own self, is ultimately dangerous in both execution and outcome. Throughout the two texts the authors explore individuality suppression through government control by utilising varied techniques such as motifs, similes as well the ideas of handicaps which are a result of the need for constant surveillance. The dystopian texts of futuristic, imagined universes display the illusion of perfect societies that are being created,

    Read More

  • Class Discrimination in Gilead

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thesis: In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood characterizes Handmaids, as women with expectations to obey the society’s hierarchy, as reproducers, symbolizing how inferior the Handmaid class is to others within Gilead; the class marginalization of Handmaids reveals the use of hierarchical control exerted to eliminate societal flaws among citizens.

    Read More

  • Differences and Similarities Between Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wisker, Gina. Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale: A Reader's Guide. London; New York : Continuum, c2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Humanity In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many texts that were published from different authors have introduced topics that can be related in today’s society, but Margaret Atwood’s creation called, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, gives voice to the thoughts and revolves around the narrator Offred, a woman whose rights have been deprived due to political issues. However, the information shared by Offred to the reader to the text is not reliable for the reason that she only touches upon her own perspective. Through the text, Atwood depicted what the United States of America would be in the future based on the actions of humanity during 1980’s. The text is set up in an androcentric and totalitarian country called Gilead, where the government attempts to create a utopian society. Thus, in order to attain this society, the authorities generated their legislation from the teachings of the Holy Bible in an attempt to control humanity. The governing

    Read More

  • Essay on A Society of Oppression in A Handmaid's Tale

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    After reading The Handmaid's Tale, one may conclude that Margaret Atwood is not simply feeding her readers history, but rather warning them of our future. We may, for example, see modern day oppression in homosexuals. Various religious groups doom them to Hell, rights are taken away from them (the right to marry, for example)...the list goes on. As Atwood says of The Handmaid's Tale, "The novel exists for social examination..." (316). One can only hope that our history of social oppression will cease to repeat itself if only we can learn from the past.

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between 1984 And The Handmaid's Tale

    2916 Words  | 6 Pages

    The theme of how power leads to control is evident in both 1984 by George Orwell and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The novel 1984 is set in a dystopian country where Ingsoc, the political ideology of Oceania, is controlled by the Inner Party elite, which dictates the people. Telescreens occupy every building in Airstrip One, as well as hidden cameras and microphones in order to capture anyone who may endanger or go against the Party’s regime. Winston, the main character, is depicted as struggling to follow the rules that the Inner Party has set forth. Similarly, The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel of the military dictatorship, which quickly swept through the United States. Gilead, a group of conservative religious extremists

    Read More

  • Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Satire of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Handmaid's Tale has been described as a scathing satire and a dire warning! Which elements of our own society is Margaret atwood satirising and how does her satire work ? Atwood tries to open our eyes by satirising our society with a brilliant contrasting novel. Dystopian in every way, the reader encounters a world in which modern values of our society seem/ are replaceable. Showing the worst of all possible outcomes, she demonstrates that our primarily heartless, just economical thinking could bring the downfall of our society.

    Read More

  • Use Of Metaphor In In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    421 Words  | 1 Pages

    In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood presents us with a dystopian society caused by a reaction from terrorist attacks and reduce fertility rates, the United States have reverted straight back to a day when totalitarianism was accepted, women are stripped of their freedoms and leaves the fertile women as handmaids given to elite couples for the sole purpose of having children. Offred,

    Read More

  • Atwood's Handmaid's Tale

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Free Handmaid's Tale Essays: The Handmaid's Dystopia

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopia about a world where unrealistic things take place. The events in the novel could never actually take place in our reality." This is what most people think and assume, but they're wrong. Look at the world today and in the recent past, and there are not only many situations that have ALMOST become a Gilead, but places that have been and ARE Gileadean societies. We're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy!

    Read More

  • Feminist Criticism Of The Handmaid's Tale

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

More about Comparing Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Michael Radford's Film, 1984

Open Document