The Oppression of Individual Differences

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In a world full of structure, the slightest wrong move could very well be one’s last. The opportunities are endless, but the risks are dangerously high. Kathleen Cameron stated, “Imagine a society where women are tortured and killed for disobeying this law- a society where religious beliefs, the political structure, and female sexual identity are so intertwined as to justify and require the control of women’s freedom, the sexual victimization of women, and the torture and murder of women who do not comply” (298). The Handmaid’s Tale guarantees that readers understand the victims of society, and who is in charge. Men hold all the power, whereas women are just a fragment of what seems to make Gilead function properly. The women are a source of recreation, used for sex and a form of possession. The Handmaid is used as a surrogate mother; only the process of reproducing a child is not a pleasurable task. The Commander, with his wife present, and the Handmaid are required to perform a ceremony. The ceremony consists of the Handmaid laying on top of the wife, both of the women are clothed during this ritual, the handmaids dress is rolled up to her thighs, only for easier access to the Commander. The lower class women are used as Marthas; cleaning and cooking for the Commander and his family. They are watched by strict guidelines, never to make a sudden move to raise precautions.
The Republic of Gilead has limitations to the rights of women, only the high rank men, known as Commanders, along with his wife, children, other upper class officials, and on occasions the law enforcement, are allowed certain rights. Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale secrets are established and rules are broken. The Commander is in charge of his household, and th...

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... cover the streets are military veterans who can no longer afford to live because their benefits have been cut short. How has the world we live in evolved into a place of judgment, or stereotypes? Margret Atwood expressed her belief throughout The Handmaid’s Tale. She expressed the ladder of how a man ranges in power compared to a woman, but what is frightening is how the world is evolving into a place of power being the soul focus on how one lives by. Should this book be a warning, or is it a document of what has already become.

Works Cited

Atwood, M. (1998). The Handmaid's Tale. New York: 1st Anchor Books edition.
Cameron, K. A. (2010, September). Law and Politic Name Review. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from The Handmaid's Tale Reviewed: http://www.gvpt.umd.edu/lpbr/subpages/reviews/atwood0408.htm
Stimpson, C. R. (1986). Atwood Woman . Books&The Arts , 764-764.

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