Margaret Atwood – The Handmaids Tale – Jezebel’s
In this essay, I will discuss how the section of “jezebel’s” (chapter
31-39) contributes to the development of the novel of “The Handmaid’s
Tale” (Margaret Atwood). The term “jezebel” derives from the Bible, as
Jezebel was a woman who conveyed wickedness upon the kingdom of king
Ahab. Also, the term jezebel is often used to describe a dissenting
woman. The section of “jezebels” is significant in the novel of the
handmaids tale, as it provides different views as to the importance of
women, they roles etc, compared to the rest of the novel. This is one
point amidst many which I will discuss in this essay.
One of the most important issues that the “jezebels” sequence offers
contrasting to the rest of the novel, is the alternative view
regarding the roles of women.
In the chapters prior to jezebels Atwood illustrates that in Gilead
women are just items and objects and that they only function in
society is to give birth. This is exposed in numerous occasions in the
novel i.e. when offred portrays herself as a “cloud congealed around a
central object”. Offred say here that apart form her womb, which is a
women’s “central object”, women in Gilead are a “cloud” which
symbolises that they are nothing apart from a grey mist and are
something indistinct, unclear and of no use. If the women do not
conceive, they are labelled as “barrens” and so hence are sent to the
colonies from where they would eventually die.
Some women in the novel (the sterile handmaids) are often classified
as “unwomen” and so therefore are in Gilead’s view “inhuman”.
Women in terms of Gilead are possessions of men and have no liberty of
choice. They are not free to choose when or who t...
... middle of paper ...
...f no
use. Again here Atwood presents Offred in a negative manner.
Atwood then from showing Offred in a negative way, to positive, then
back to negative, she shows us the club of Jezebels and shows us hopes
for Offred again. She shows us that there are possibilities for
Offred.
The reason why Margaret Atwood chooses to continuously show the
positive and subdued attitude of Offred, is to show the reader that in
Gilead there are ways out and ways of breaking the laws however, there
are also ways in which Gilead represses you and its up to the
individual in this society to choose whether not to take the risks.
The Jezebel sequence on the whole is highly significant to the novel.
We many different insights into Gilead in jezebels in contrast to the
rest of the novel, which makes it one of the most important sections
in the novel of “The Handmaids Tale”.
Atwood depicts a cynical emotion through figurative language and diction in the excerpt from The Handmaid’s Tale. The main character, Offred, tries to run away with her husband, but is betrayed and the government catches them. Atwood uses metaphors like, “The Eyes of God run over all the earth,” to show that Offred realizes that “The Eyes of God”, which in reality is the government, has the power to see what anyone is doing anytime of the day by convincing regular people spy on others in exchange for some type of reward. Offred learns that because of this all-seeing God, she can no longer trust no one, bringing a cynical emotion into the story. Atwood also uses a simile comparing “an elevator cut loose at the top,” to the effect of betrayal.
In the novel. The reader sees how stringent the restrictions placed on women in Gilead are through the small acts that society considers threats to its uniformity. In a society where there is almost no power available for women, the protagonist Offred takes advantage of an opportunity to relish her ability to evoke lust in a few young guards with a slight swing of the hips. “It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a fence or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach, and I’m ashamed of myself for doing it… I enjoy the power...” (Atwood 22). Offred’s minor flirtatious gesture at first causes her to feel as society would want her to, shameful. However, she quickly changes her mind realizing that while she does pity the loveless men she has tormented, she also finds exercising any control over them, even through temptation, satisfying. The idea that such a small act can serve as a rebellion against society shows just how controlling Gilead is. The scenario also evokes a sad thought that the slight power Offred finds is gained purely by objectification. In an analysis of the novel, Perkins analyzes gender relations within Margaret Atwood’s dystopia. “Subordinates are encouraged to developed childlike characteristics-- submissiveness, docility…dependency-- that are pleasing to the dominant group" (127). This comparison to children is both accurate and extremely troubling. The novel’s civilization does treat women much in the way that ours treats children. They are under constant supervision, trusted little, told what to do often, and are expected to obey regardless of how they will be impacted. Disturbingly, Atwood calls her novel speculative fiction, claiming that she believes the events she describes could actually happen under the circumstances that she
The new identities given to the women create a facade designed to separate them from their former selves, by forcing women to become defined by their gender roles, uniform, and new names instead of their individuality. Handmaids are forced to have children fathered by men they despise and unable to keep the babies they give birth to, while wives and Aunts serve Gilead with gender assigned roles until they are no longer beneficial to the new regime. The unforgiving punishment offenders fear to receive if caught defying the discourse of Gilead guards against women discovering an alternate lifestyle, which would hinder the survival of the new regime. There is a powerful resentment between women within the positions of the social hierarchy that prevents a united retaliation against Gilead, combined with their passivity and indifference the women fail to oppose the manner in which they are
In Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, the human spirit has evolved to such a point that it cannot be subdued by complacency. Atwood shows Gilead as an extremist state with strong religious connotations. We see the outcome of the reversal of women’s rights and a totalitarian government which is based on reproduction. Not only is the government oppressive, but we see the female roles support and enable the oppression of other female characters. “This is an open ended text,…conscious of the possibilities of deconstruction, reconstruction, and reinterpretation … Atwood engages in metafictional commentary …in her storytelling and by the time the reader arrives at the text, Atwood has already told and retold the story, questioned and hedged, changed the context, deconstructed and reconstructed the narrative.” (Univ of Toronto)
In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood, the story takes place in the Republic of Gilead. In this dystopian future, the women are seen as nothing more than children bearers. The novel is narrated by the character Offred, and her everyday life as a Handmaid. Handmaid’s are assigned to bear children for the elite classes who have trouble conceiving a child. The narration begins by Offred describing the place in which she was trained to be a Handmaid and patrolled by the Aunts, Sara and Elizabeth, who are meant to teach the Handmaid’s about the world before. In chapter two, Offred describes her life living with the Commander and his Wife, which whom she is trying to conceive for. She describes the home as having, “A sitting room in which [she] never sit[s], but stand or kneel only”(Atwood 9). This sitting room is where the
In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the reader may perceive Gilead as an orderly structured society at which everything is placed in a position to be convenient for the general public. From the reader’s perspective, this sounds helpful for the organization of certain conflicts that were relevant to the previous government policies; however, Offred, the narrator, shows that this perception is inaccurate. Her dark and mundane tone express her experience through a depressing dystopia, which she is forced to live in. With this being said, this dystopian society punctures her personal motivation to be useful, resulting in her constant referral to the past as a way to avoid her reality. Offred’s psychological distress causes her to use the avoidance
These people are the aunts and commanders wives. Often the aunts will use bible quotes to back up there points. However most if not all of the quotes are false, contorted or selectively incomplete.“In the guise of a re-population program, Gilead reads the biblical text literally and makes it the basis for the state-sanctioned rape, the impregnation ceremony the handmaids must undergo each month” (Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale." Irigaray, Incarnation and Contemporary Women’s Fiction 1.2.Nebula (2004): n. pag. Noble world, Sept. 2004. Web.).This is another attempt to keep there civilians under there control and do as they please. They took away reminders of anything that were against there beliefs such as pillows in Offreds room which had the words hope, and love on them. There is no caring and loving part of Gilead. Brutal punishments are in store for those who go against the government in anyway. Even the women who go against the government and get punished have significance on the novel. Some are symbols of survival, some are doing there best to put this to and end in the colonies. We never directly meet Offreds mother, we never learn her name, the only time she appears in the novel is during Offreds flashbacks. These flashbacks are the way the mother affects the novel. Offred remembers her mom as a strong feminist who would never give up
Offred, among other women depicted in this novel, tries to overcome this dominion. In her own way, she attempts to do this by ensuring the Commander’s expectations of her behavior which could result in her freedom. Thus, there is a present power struggle between the Commander and Offred throughout The Handmaid’s
Throughout history women have achieved more political and human rights. In many societies around the world today women are discriminated against and are not equal to mean. Feminism is not a concept that is often present in dysfunctional societies. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a group of fertile women, known as handmaids, are assigned to a married couple and told that they must produce a child. The article titled “The feminist cupcake sale that led to death and rape threats” written by Madeline Price, depicts the events that took place at a university in Australia. The students who organized the bake sale wanted to educate their peers about the wage gap by making men pay one dollar for every baked good, while allowing
The third epigraph could be a reminder that there are some things in life that are obvious and should not need to be mentioned. Although there is not much found in the desert in terms of food, logically that does not mean that that stones are a wise food source, for even if one were to eat them, they would provide no nourishment nor contribute to their survival in any way. However, sometimes people tend to ignore the ‘obvious’ if they think that they know better. Relating it to the novel, in Gilead society, various things are prohibited, despite the fact that some things are human instinct, like eating for survival. There are rules in place on what the handmaid's can and cannot eat, almost as though they can not be trusted to make good judgements
Furthermore, I have a problem with understanding symbolism which is one of the indirect messages in the novel. The novel before we were free sounds so weird with a lot of unnecessary background story echoing the storyline. A lot of this is said to be symbolism which is also defined by me as a representative of something else. For instance, Eraser as discussed in class, the way the eraser shaped, which is the shaped of Dominican Republic represent how the country system throws her ability to speak up against the system by erasing the words she puts in her diary. However, I never found the part that she says she is using the same exact eraser on the diary and I do not think it is acceptable that we do assumption to agree with our predicted symbolism.
Bringing upon unwanted situations on oneself is not very uncommon. From buying that new purse instead of paying the bills becoming in debt to thinking it was going to be alright to leave a child in vehicle for five minutes on a hot day. The Handmaid’s Tale also contains many situations of character’s actions resulting in undesirable circumstances. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale proves “The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.” (Sophocles) through the character’s wrong decisions ending poorly. This is seen through Serena Joy’s solitude, Offred’s oppression and the Commander’s lustfulness.
First, she gives definition to the protagonist’s beliefs. Several times in the novel, Offred calls to mind wisdom imparted by Aunt Lydia. For instance, while waiting for her walking partner, Offred recalls Aunt Lydia’s religious explanation of the Handmaids’ fate at the Red Center. In present-time, Offred subtly discredits Aunt Lydia’s proclamations, refusing to accept the Parable of the Seeds as pacification for the abhorrent demands made of Handmaids (18). Offred’s opinions are rarely spoken aloud; rather, Atwood places them in interior monologue. Offred contextualizes, quantifies, and questions the viewpoints she absorbs from her surroundings. Aunt Lydia is the primary figure of Gileadean authority from whom Offred develops her conclusions. Offred’s commentary on maxims she recalls from Aunt Lydia provides key insight into her political position. Secondly, Aunt Lydia acts as a villain for the reader. The series of memories Offred shares about Aunt Lydia elicits rage in the reader. These recollections also assert Offred as “the voice of reason” in the novel. Offred’s accounts are honest; she even acknowledges her own fallibility, stating, “This is a reconstruction” (134). The reader has faith in Offred as a biographer of
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian feminist writer, who wrote The Handmaid’s Tale in times of the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment, the rise of the religious rights, the election of Ronald Reagan and during the anti-feminist backlash in America of the 1980s. [9] The Handmaid’s Tale is a feminist dystopian novel, in which Atwood addresses the suppression of women in patriarchal culture. Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale to illustrate what might happen in the future if anti-feminism goes to the extreme with claims such as 'it is every man’s right to rule supreme at home' and 'a woman’s place is in the home'. [7] She sets the story in a pseudo-religious totalitarian society. The narrator of the story, Offred is describing in her diary the life of women in the society in the theocratic Republic of Gilead of the future.
The epigraph in The Handmaid’s Tale amplifies the importance of fertility in Gilead. The quotation at the beginning of the book ‘‘And when Rachel saw the she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, Give me children or else I die...And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees,that I may also have children by her.’’ makes it seem that Gilead wants to go back to traditional values, thus manipulates its citizens that their ideology is correct since it corresponds with what the Bible says. Consequently, this state is telling its citizens that a woman’s worthiness only depends if she is able to produce or not. In fact women who are barren, and are not of a high class are sent to the colonies. The handmaids’s only purpose is further amplified through the rights Gilead abolishes; they can not communicate with others, in fact Offred says, ‘How I used to despise such talk. Now I long for it’ and are no longer able to go outside alone or without being spied...