In the book, The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood writes about an alternate universe about America that illustrates our worst fears. Some of the fears depicted in the book can be seen in the world today, such as the distaste for abortion and the mentality that men are supposed to have more power than women. These issues are not only known as social issues but also feminist issues. Feminism is the belief that women and men should be treated equally socially, politically, and economically. This book shows how these issues could get worse in our society. The author uses Offred, the protagonist in the story, to show how the world could change for the worst. Offred, a handmaid in The Handmaid 's Tale, showed how men and society had control over …show more content…
Offred and a friend of hers were walking outside one day, saw a group of tourists and thought about how “[she] used to dress like [the tourists]” (Atwood 28). The tourists were wearing clothing and makeup such as skirts above their knees and red lipstick. Offred and her friend were fascinated and envious of these women. They couldn’t imagine themselves wearing clothes like the tourist were wearing. Even though they couldn’t imagine themselves wearing those type of clothes and makeup, they used to wear it in their past. Offred remembered herself going to the laundromat and putting “[her] own clothes, [her] own soap, [and her] own money” into the machines and “having such control” over what she used to do (Atwood 24). She doesn’t have that control over her life anymore. Some women, such as Aunt Lydia, feels that she should be grateful that she doesn’t have to do those things anymore. They feel that Offred is complaining about something that is actually a good thing. Society brainwashes these women into thinking that not having that kind of freedom is a good thing. Society also makes women think that they are just good for having children and sex. Therefore, women lose self-esteem because of the pressure that they are faced with on a daily basis. For example, in the story, Offred has low self-esteem. She “[avoids] looking at her body, not so much because it 's shameful or immodest but because [she doesn’t] …show more content…
When Offred had met with one of the wives, Serena Joy, Serena told Offred not to “call her ma 'am” because “she was not a Martha” (Atwood 15). It was an insult to refer to a woman as a Martha. A Martha was a woman who could not have children and was a servant in the house of the commander. If you could not have children in this time, it was a very bad thing. You were considered worthless. The Marthas were told that all they were good for is cleaning. Women weren 't considered well for anything besides cleaning if you couldn 't have a baby or didn’t have a husband. Serena Joy was very territorial over her husband. Serena made sure that Offred knew that her husband “[was] just that. [Her] husband. [She wanted] that to be perfectly clear. Till death [does them] part. It 's final” (Atwood 16). Serena Joy was very territorial over her husband because she felt like she needed him. She felt like she wouldn 't be anything without him. Women in this time also felt like they wouldn 't be anything if they couldn 't have a child. Offred and the others saw a woman that was “vastly pregnant; her belly, under her loose garment, swelled triumphantly. There was a shifting in the room, a murmur, an escape of breath; despite [themselves they turn their] heads, blatantly, to see better; [their] fingers [itched] to touch her” (Atwood 26). The women were envious of the
In Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid 's Tale, society is meant to have overcome the sinful tendencies of modern culture. People who would rebel against the new status quo are broken through torture and conditioning. The character Moira acts as a symbol of the main characters, Offred 's, hope and need for rebelliousness. The perceived loss of this hope causes Offred to begin a spiral of indifference which leads her to cling to Nick as a replacement and a way to find meaning in an extra meaningless life. Moira 's attitude and statements in the beginnings of her and Offred 's conversation in the club, instead of showing her to be a broken woman, reveal the remaining fire and rebelliousness of someone with little room or freedom to express.
Margaret Atwood's renowned science fiction novel, The Handmaid's Tale, was written in 1986 during the rise of the opposition to the feminist movement. Atwood, a Native American, was a vigorous supporter of this movement. The battle that existed between both sides of the women's rights issue inspired her to write this work. Because it was not clear just what the end result of the feminist movement would be, the author begins at the outset to prod her reader to consider where the story will end. Her purpose in writing this serious satire is to warn women of what the female gender stands to lose if the feminist movement were to fail. Atwood envisions a society of extreme changes in governmental, social, and mental oppression to make her point.
In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, there is an apparent power struggle between Offred and the Commander. The Gilead Society’s structure is based off of order and command. This is what creates a divide between genders and specifies gender roles in this novel. Without this categorization of the roles and expectations of women, the society would fall apart at the base. Thus, the Commander, being the dominant gender set forth by the society, has control over Offred.
Feminism as we know it began in the mid 1960's as the Women's Liberation Movement. Among its chief tenants is the idea of women's empowerment, the idea that women are capable of doing and should be allowed to do anything men can do. Feminists believe that neither sex is naturally superior. They stand behind the idea that women are inherently just as strong and intelligent as the so-called stronger sex. Many writers have taken up the cause of feminism in their work. One of the most well known writers to deal with feminist themes is Margaret Atwood. Her work is clearly influenced by the movement and many literary critics, as well as Atwood herself, have identified her as a feminist writer. However, one of Atwood's most successful books, The Handmaid's Tale, stands in stark contrast to the ideas of feminism. In fact, the female characters in the novel are portrayed in such a way that they directly conflict with the idea of women's empowerment.
In Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, social turmoil after a staged terrorist attack has led to a totalitarian Christian regime. In this dystopian future, the roles of men and women are much different than in today’s society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are unequal because they have no choice about their bodies, their dress, or their relationships.
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, tells the story of America set in the close future through the eyes of a woman named Offred. In this future where pornography, violence against women, and prostitution become increasingly prevalent, the government is overthrown America is reformed into what is called the Republic of Gilead, a theocracy where women renounce their rights, and essentially become either housemaids, wives or vessels for reproduction. Moira, best friend to protagonist and narrator Offred, refuses to succumb to the patriarchy of Gilead. Her strong will and defiant nature serves as a symbol of strength and hope in the book, providing Offred with hope and support, making her one of the most important characters in the book.
Offred is the main character, and the narrator, in The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel focuses on Offred and her struggles as one of the few fertile women in the dystopian society of the Republic of Gilead. In my opinion, Offred is portrayed mainly as a victim whose life is determined by the fact that she is fertile. Offred has been stripped of all basic human rights along with all of the other handmaids. Offred describes the way that handmaids are seen in society by stating, “We are two-legged wombs, that’s all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices” (Atwood 136).
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood illustrates the Republic of Gilead's as a new society where there are sexually oppressed women and is founded by religious extremist. In this society, women are used as a child bearers and have no rights in the cruel and harsh society. In between the dystopian society, Offred is a slave to this freedomless civilization; she is known as a Handmaid. Offred presents her story of pure oppression and how she survives to hold her past life. “ I used to think of my body as an instrument,...or an implement for the accomplishment of my will…There were limits,...Now the flesh is arranges itself differently”(Atwood 73). She has been taken away rights from her own body, no self identity, no value, and no place
Oppression is the best word to describe Offred's living condition. Being the lowest in a social hierarchy is exactly what it means to be a Handmaid, such as Offred. But, before Offred was a Handmaid she had a normal life; a husband, a child and a job. All of this was taken away from her and she was left with little to no rights that she once had. Her thoughts about he past now consume her. “I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways I am not; I want to be more valuable.I want to repeat my former name, remind myself of what I once could do, how others saw me. I want to steal something.” (Atwood 111) Offred’s deprivation of her former life creates desires that would not result in her favour, such as stealing. Throughout the duration of The Handmaid’s Tale Offred finds herself with the desire to steal whether it be a knife or a match. These thoughts soon turn into actions and Offred now has to deal with risks that come with them. Even with the fear of others discovering what she has stolen Offred must also fear what she herself discovers. “I take [the photograph] from her, turn it around so I can see it right-side-up...is this what she’s like, my treasure... I am obliterated for her...A shadow of a shadow, as dead mothers become...Better she’d brought me nothing.” (Atwood 264) When Offred is brought a photo of her daughter instead of being filled with joy she is
In her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood is criticising how today’s modern society oppresses women through a fictional dystopian society. In this piece, women are depicted as property and their sole purpose is bearing children. From a historical aspect, the notion that women are lesser versions of men is not a new concept. Even though the book was written in 1985, Margaret Atwood’s comparisons to how women are treated still stand the test of time in today’s 2018.
In Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale women are given very little control or freedom, this makes friends stand out even more, as they risk being punished and sent off to death islands. The main character Offred has lost everything she once knew, he family, her job, her freedom, and she is made to live as a handmaid, whose sole purpose is to help the human population reproduce. The regime known as Gilead says they promote the solidarity of women, but in fact because of the way the society is set up and the idea that a woman is only useful if she produces a baby causes a lot of jealousy and distrust, especially among the handmaids. This is precisely what makes Offred and Moria’s friendship so special, as bonds like their do not exist in GIlead, no one dares to get close to another
In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, the author offers a futuristic dystopia that explores the concept of the overt subjugation and marginalization of the status of women. The setting of the novel takes place in a republic based theocracy referred to as the Republic of Gilead. The majority of the population is rendered sterile as the result of chemical and nuclear pollution. The narrator, Offred, forcibly takes on the role as a Handmaid, who serves the purpose of reproducing in order to equalize the current population. The social structure of Gilead implements a male-dominated prerogative that is designed to keep women under radicalized oppressive restrictions. The totalitarian regime reduces women as usable commodities and forces them to cower under the notion of women inferiority and objectification. The psychological pressures of conforming to the restrictions of Gilead begin to result in the majority of the women acquiring high levels of internalized misogyny. This paper will examine the women characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, who have passively accepted the oppressive agenda of Gilead. The psychological damage carried out by
The town of Gilead had elements of conservative and liberal values but the conservative values were more prominent than the liberal. The conservative values were imposed on the women by the authorities and this affected the liberal values of women in Gilead. The commanders made laws, interpreted the laws when it was unfavorable to them and executed the laws. Women were mostly marginalized and ostracized in the polity of Gilead. They were presented as subservient objects, whose duty was only to their husbands or masters. They had no choice than to obey their masters. In fact, disobedience was punishable at the discretion of the masters. The commanders justified sex, names, religion and clothing and affirmed a strong conservatize attitude towards
The reader witnesses the handmaids’ experience of reproducing with the commander. Also, since Offred is a woman, we witness what it’s like to be a woman in this strongly patriarchal society. Given that “The Handmaid’s Tale” is written from the point of view of a handmaid, we feel empathy towards the oppressed women. The characters and the events in “the Handmaid’s Tale” demonstrate and educate the reader about life in a totalitarian society. Symbolism, character development, and the narrative point of view help the reader to recognize people’s past and present life experiences.
The second to last line of the novel is the most disturbing. "Whether this is my end or a new beginning I have no way of knowing: I have given myself over into the hands of strangers, because it can't be helped" (295). That is a defeatist attitude, if there ever was one. Offred dreams up ways of escaping out of the situation, either by fleeing or death, but is too chicken to try them. A feminist, like Moira, tried and tried to escape until they just about beat her down. Offred was a disgrace to the female sex, in that she never took it upon herself to better her situation, or to be rid of it for good. These examples are the reason critics tend to see the anti-feminism side of The Handmaid's Tale.