Literary Analysis: A Handmaids's Tale

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The world as we know it is a very different place than what our ancestors experienced. Here in the United States we have become accustomed to modern conveniences such as; running water, toilets, washing machines, and automobiles. These are just a few of the luxuries we have grown to expect in our modern society. Women and minorities have many rights that they did not always have. Restrictions don’t bind genders based of their genotype any longer. Feminism has become prevalent in society as many have taken up the belief that everyone no matter your gender should have equal opportunity. A Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood is a story containing the downfall of society as we know it as well as the equal opportunities we have come to know. This …show more content…

The women in this civilization were meant to be vessels to provide the men with offspring. Their opinions are not valued and their ability to make choices has been taken away from them. Without a variety of opinion in a government tides turn to help the good of the few rather than the good of many. The political climate in this novel is one of desperation from sudden increase of infertility throughout the country due to chemical spills. High ranking men all have wives however, many of the wives are not able to produce offspring. Therefore, handmaids are women who are deemed fertile and unmarried so they are sent to serve the commanders who want to produce an heir. The handmaids have the choice to either go use their bodies to serve their commanders or go live with the “unwomen.” Unwomen live in poverty with outlaws of the country in a life of uncertainty. The main character Offred is a young woman who has a life and family of her own before the new powers of the US take over. She is complacent in her new role as a handmaiden seeing this as her best option for survival. The questions that you ask when reading this novel is Who are these people that have taken over the administration? How did so many people

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