Comparing The Paradox Of Religion In The Handmaid's Tale

The Paradox of Religion in The Handmaid’s Tale and Children of Men Traditionally, religion is supposed to provide hope, purpose, and structure to life but often it is too easily taken out of context and manipulated to justify selfish actions that bring harm and oppression. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men both use religious references, specifically Christian symbolism, to further their plot in diverse ways. There are similarities in both works as they are set in dystopian societies where infertility has become the source of humanities destruction, however, the varying uses of religion brings about contrasting plots. Although there is heavy Christian symbolism in both works, The Handmaid’s Tale uses

Instead of blatantly using religion to misuse authority in an attempt to restore humanity, religion is used as a glimpse of hope for mankind in Children of Men. In a world that has fallen to destruction and chaos, an apocalyptic setting, a savior is born. There are attributes of the main characters in the film that share similar traits to biblical characters such as Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Theo the main character, although an anti-hero, serves somewhat as a Christ figure as there are undeniable similarities between them. For instance, the name Theo has a divine origin indicating God but there are more in depth examples of his representation of Jesus such as animals’ attraction to him, his wounds and being an agent of salvation. Scripture claims Jesus as a shepherd of the flock and similarly Theo takes the role of a shepherd over Kee as he attempts to guide her to safety. Once he finds out that the Fishes were responsible for Julian’s death he awakes Kee and warns her, “That was Patric on the motorcycle. I'm getting the hell out of here. I suggest you come with me” (Children, 61). Although he is somewhat apathetic and by no means a selfless hero, Theo makes the effort to rescue Kee and bring her to safety much like the scriptures speak of Jesus watching over his flock and keeping them safe from harm. Not to mention, there

Both are futuristic and exist in a dystopian world where the main characters are dissatisfied with their lives. Although the society pictured in Children of Men appears to be in a more chaotic state, the same underlying issue of infertility is of the utmost concern in both and serves as the catalyst of change that has occurred. Religion is a connecting force between the works as each uses symbols and references to Christianity to further the plot, just in different ways. It is reasonable to assume that the society painted in The Handmaid’s Tale while seemingly clinging to order is not all that different from the chaotic state of Children of Men, they just focus their attention more on masking injustice with religion. Both civilizations face an uncertain future with the existence of humanity in peril and religion is used as either a propellant of true hope or a false