Individualism In The Handmaids Tale

834 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The handmaid's tale as a feminist novel

Society & The Submissive In Margaret Atwood’s book “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Offred, The main character struggles with expressing individualism among a society that constrains a woman by labelling her for her duties and worth. Offred is a “Handmaid” which is a group of women who are used for reproduction, being a “Handmaid” is considered to be very degrading because these women are seen for only their bodies to provide children and nothing more. In the article “An Introduction to Jung’s psychology” written by Frieda Fordham discusses Jungian Archetypes and one that best correlates with the book is “The Persona.” Fordham describes the persona when she say “To some extent, it is true, people choose …show more content…

A quote that displays the persona is when Offred gets in the car that Saturday morning in September and she says “My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody ever uses now because it is forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter (Atwood, 84).” This shows conformity because Offred loses her real name in which decreases individualism as well as self-worth because, the name holds an important part of someone’s identity and when these women are forced to lose their name, they no longer have self-worth because their name then becomes “property title” like Offred which mean “Of Fred” rather than being able to be known as an …show more content…

Because these women aren’t valued, it is as if she’s not there which greatly diminishes their self-worth. One quote to highlight this claim is “All you have to do, I tell myself, is to shut your mouth and look stupid (Atwood).” This quote connects to this claim because Offred knows that she is only valuable because she can reproduce, she settles for having no self-worth and knowing that she is no longer entitled to an opinion. Offred staying quiet and dumb can be viewed as a role or mask in the persona because due to her environment of low worth find it fitting to become an

Show More
Related

  • ' The Naked Citadel, By Susan Faludi

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everybody has certain expectations in which they uphold in todays society. A prime example are women, girls are taught at a young age that beauty was a defined thing that not everyone could have. Adolescents and children are expected to be compliant to their parents. Males are accepted to be muscular and always in control. They’re expected to be the pillar of society, never wrong or feminine. A man is frequently regarded as a downcast if he is seen as weak or crying. Society as a whole does not realize that the public has a remarkable influence on the actions aimed at men. Because of these expectations it is almost mandatory to develop the persona that the society interprets as correct. In The Naked Citadel, written by Susan Faludi, the connection

    Read More

  • Conflict In The Handmaids Tale

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    Offred is a handmaid, in the novel The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood, who no longer desired to rebel against the government of Gilead after they separated her from her family. When Offred was taken away from her family the Government of Gilead placed her in an institution known as the Red Center where they trained her along with other women unwillingly to be handmaids. The handmaid’s task was to repopulate the society because of the dramatic decrease in population form lack of childbirth. Handmaids are women who are put into the homes of the commanders who were unable to have kids with their own wives. The Handmaids had very little freedom and were not allowed to do simple tasks by themselves or without supervision like taking baths or going to the store. There was an uprising against the government of Gilead and many people who lived in this society including some handmaids looked for a way to escape to get their freedom back which was taken away from them and to reunited with their families which they lost contact with. Offred was one of the handmaids who was against the government of Gilead before she was put in the Red Center, but she joined the uprising after she became a

    Read More

  • Theme Of Apathy In The Handmaids Tale

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the majority of the novel, Offred recounts on her mother’s character, whom she thinks is dead. She was a single mother and a proud feminist. In the first quarter, Offred recounts on a flashback of her mother burning porn magazines, claiming that they are degrading to women. However, towards the end of the novel, Offred learns that she is in fact alive, yet is living in the Colonies. Moira had seen her in a video about women living the Colonies, which is completely contrasted from the beginning, when Offred viewed her mother in a documentary protesting. This shows how Gilead has significantly changed her as a person. Living in the Colonies is just as bad as death because although she is alive she is required to do menial and even dangerous labour like cleaning radioactive waste. Earlier in the book, during Offred’s flashbacks, her mother was always a strong female character. She was always speaking and acting on behalf of women’s rights, yet now she has not fulfilled these expectations. She has been subjugated and indifferent like the rest of the women, not at all optimistic and energetic like she was in her previous life. Her complicity shows the reader how oppressive the society is and how even the toughest characters become

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of The Handmaid's Tale

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Character Analysis of The Handmaid's Tale Moira = == == We first meet Moira "breezing into" (P65) Offred's room at college.

    Read More

  • The Handmaids Tale: Oppression of Women for Male Political Gain

    1779 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Handmaids Tale is a poetic tale of a woman's survival as a Handmaid in the male dominated Republic of Gilead. Offred portrayed the struggle living as a Handmaid, essentially becoming a walking womb and a slave to mankind. Women throughout Gilead are oppressed because they are seen as "potentially threatening and subversive and therefore require strict control" (Callaway 48). The fear of women rebelling and taking control of society is stopped through acts such as the caste system, the ceremony and the creation of the Handmaids. The Republic of Gilead is surrounded by people being oppressed.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Handmaid's Tale

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret Atwood uses the culture of how handmaids dress to psychologically change how Offred sees and thinks about the world and others. On the way home from shopping with her partner Ofglen, Offred sees a group of tourists who are dressed how women used to dress before the war. Offred and Oglen stop and watch the tourists; "We are fascinated, but also repelled. They seem undressed" (28), Offred then remembers that she too used to dress like that. Offred's reaction shows that being a handmaid and having to dress so modestly can alter how you think about yourself and

    Read More

  • Essay On Offred's Relationship

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    Offred’s continuous struggle to live in a society where she is forbidden to have a personal relationship with a man makes it extremely difficult for her to survive because “nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s lack of love we die from” (Atwood 103). A lack of human connection is what allows people to understand others as well as themselves. Emotional connections are how we have learned to feel safe in each other’s presences. The physical component is not the necessity of a relationship, the emotional connection is. Being able to feel comfortable around each other allows people to speak their minds freely. Thinking and discussing without worrying about the consequences of freely speaking helps her feel safe and realize that she is not alone

    Read More

  • Gender Role In The Handmaid's Tale

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hypnotization In The Handmaids Tale

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    Incarnation, this shows Offred’s opinion on not only herself but her mother. I think the reason why Offred tolerates being a Handmaid is because she does not want to be like her

    Read More

  • Handmaids Tale Analysis

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Loyalty In The Handmaid's Tale

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    Offred has not portrayed any heroic characteristics in The Handmaid’s Tale, through her actions of weakness, fear, and self-centredness. This novel by Margaret Atwood discusses about the group take over the government and control the Gilead’s society. In this society, all women has no power to become the leader, commander like men do. Offred is one of them, she has to be a handmaid for Serena and the Commander, Fred. Offred wants to get out of this society, that way she has to do something about it. There wasn’t any performances from her changing the society.

    Read More

  • Rebellion In The Handmaid's Tale

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Handmaid’s Tale shows acts of rebellion throughout, but when we as an audience first see a sort of rebellion push through the strict control of Gileadean society is when the Commander and Offred have their first evening together. Offred’s metaphor “If I press my eye to it, this weakness of his, I may be able to see myself clear.” is a foreshadowing of the idea that maybe through these evenings with the Commander she may be able to ease her way out of Gileadean society. “It’s like a small crack in the wall, before now impenetrable.” Use of simile in her language gives the audience a glimpse into the hope she feels, that maybe she may be able to escape, maybe she has another chance at a normal life. Offred’s first time seeing the Commander’s

    Read More

  • Theme Of Individualism In The Handmaids Tale

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret Atwood’s book “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Offred ( The main Character) struggles with expressing Individualism among a society that constrains a woman by labelling her for her duties and worth. Offred is a “Handmaid” which is a group of women who are used for reproduction, being a “Handmaid” is considered to be very degrading because these women are seen for only their bodies to provide children and nothing more. An article previously read, written by “Frieda Fordham” discusses Jungian Archetypes and one that best correlates with the book is “The Persona”. The Persona is defined as “A collective phenomenon, a facet of the personality that might equally well belong to somebody else, but it is often mistaken for

    Read More

  • Feminist Criticism Of The Handmaid's Tale

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    As The Handmaid’s Tale is considered an allegory of the social injustice women face against traditional expectations of their role in society, the symbolism of the Handmaids and other women as a whole for repressed feminine liberty and sexuality allows Atwood to connect her work to the theme between gender and expectations in her society. As Handmaids in the Republic of Gilead, females are stripped of their previous identity and are defined as a tool of reproduction for the men who is assigned them. At its core, these females are forced against their will to be mere tools, experiencing unwanted sex at least once a month, which Gilead names “The Ceremony”, hiding its true nature as a form of rape. Offred

    Read More

More about Individualism In The Handmaids Tale

Open Document