The Handmaid's Tale Significance

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In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood she explores issues of personal , cultural and global significance. Throughout the book the readers can gain knowledge in women losing their rights to a new world. The author shows this from the start of the book by Gilead's new policies and rules. Personal significance is shown in the book by the main character Offred who loses power to her own body and is treated as a sub-human, cultural significance is symbolized on how distinct culture is after Gilead took over and global significance is shown as well. Personal significance in the book is a major theme shown by the main character Offred. She loses power to her own body and loses her rights due to the new policies in Gilead. A quote from the book that describes her thoughts is when Offred lies in the bath and reflects before Gilead and after Gilead. (pg 71) “ I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will. I could use it to run , push buttons of one sort or another, make things happen. There were limits, but my body was nevertheless lithe, single, …show more content…

One example would be the way how the world accepts the new ways what once was the United States. The world was accepting the new policies of the new world. Global significance varies on what the readers get from the book and the concept they understand. In the book Offred says ,” He was not a monster, to her. Probably he had some endearing trait: he whistled, offkey, in the shower, he had a yen for truffles, he called his dog Liebchen and made it sit up for little pieces of raw steak. How easy it is to invent a humanity, for anyone at all. What an available temptation.” What this quote means is that even the good people have their dark times and that is how the world is , good but with dark times as it is explained in the

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