Creative Writing: The Handmaid's Tale

Paula Hawkins, a well-known British author, once said, “I have lost control over everything, even the places in my head.” In Margaret Atwood’s futuristic dystopia The Handmaid’s Tale, a woman named Offred feels she is losing control over everything in her life. Offred lives in the Republic of Gilead. A group of fundamentalists create the Republic of Gilead after they murder the President of the United States and members of Congress. The fundamentalists use the power to their advantage and restrict women’s freedom. As a result, each woman is assigned a specific duty to perform in society. Offred’s husband and child are taken away from her and she is now forced to live her life as a Handmaid. Offred’s role in society is to produce a child

Can human live without love? The answer is evidently no. Love can be defined as: the most spectacular, indescribable, deep euphoric feeling for someone. Margaret Atwood, the author of the outstanding dystopian fiction the handmaid 's tale (1985) had once in her book said: " nobody dies from lack of sex. It 's lack of love we die from.” In this novel, Atwood specifically depicts a society where relationships have been altered, undermined and in many ways forbidden. The key word in the issue of relationships is love. In the Republic of Gilead, a form of theocratic government, women had lost their ability to love. The protagonist Offred is a handmaid whose sole purpose in life is to reproduce a child. Gilead expects its handmaids to have faith in its commandments, but has removed love and hope from them. Women became objects and sex slaves to men. Therefore, the relationships of the protagonist Offred are unhealthy as well as abnormal, yet they are source of hope for Offred to survive from this theocratic form of government. Her relationship with the commander is strained but profitable, her relationship with Serena Joy has lots of tensions and conflicts; and her relationship with Nick is subtle as well as controversial.

She did feel a little guilty not being able to tell her new friends what really happened the night Matthew came to Glendara intent of killing her and

Serena Joy is the most powerful female presence in the hierarchy of Gileadean women; she is the central character in the dystopian novel, signifying the foundation for the Gileadean regime. Atwood uses Serena Joy as a symbol for the present dystopian society, justifying why the society of Gilead arose and how its oppression had infiltrated the lives of unsuspecting people.

The malicious, violent side of her would never make an appearance in front of the rest of the Survey Corps until she found the two shifters responsible for so many atrocities. Until then, she could only

With a trembling nod, Aileen turned and started going back the way they had come. They snuck past the guards stationed periodically through the forest and fled into the night. Days passed and neither one had said more than ten words. The two girls were traumatized having just watched the only home they had ever known be overrun, so they were not watching where they were going. All of a sudden, twenty Dark Knights leapt out of the forest, swords swinging towards them in a deadly

In both novels, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Lord of The Flies by William Golding, the three protagonists strive in better comprehending how their current situations/environments and interactions have shaped them into the individuals they have become. In the Handmaid’s Tale, the protagonist, Offred struggles in expressing her ideas, views, and opinions especially in regards to feminism and gender equality. She must speak within imaginary boundaries and limits so that she avoids facing consequences for speaking out against the patriarchal white male Christian society. Her identity is shrouded by the “brainwashing” of women and through the rigidity and strict regime of this “oligarchy”. For example, in her society every person in the social hierarchy from unwomen all the way to the commander are defined and distinguished by the color they wear. Hence, the Commander wears black, the commander’s wife blue, the martha’s green, and the handmaid’s red.Furthermore, their speech is also limited in that they must answer with the same mundane “praise be” to everything spoken to them. In a way, Offred can viewed as a puppet for Gilead because she must act according to society. Society governs when she eats, how she dresses, when she gets to leave the house, when she can visit the doctor, when she can bathe and when she can have sex. Society wants women to have no opinions or ideas for themselves. However, Offred still tries to maintain her identity and sense

He knew his twin, his beloved sister, would pick him over herself. But it wasn’t only because they were family, but because she knew that Breenit would mourn him. Because many others would mourn him.

Ulfric didn’t imagine that this would happen, he actually won the war. He grinned when he saw Elisif step down so willingly. He thought she had some strength and braveness left in her, but he didn’t mind. She was a puppet for the Thalmor anyway. He took a deep breath as he walked out of the castle, ready to face his people back in Windhelm. He stepped out and looked at all the faces; some glad, some disappointed, some cheered and some just crossed their

In Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste.

Notorious rapper Chris Brown has been recorded saying, “My mother taught me to treat a lady respectfully” (BrainyQuote). As much as irony as is contained in that statement, there is even more when it is applied to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian society so rife with the poisoning effects of radiation and so desperate for children that it treats fertile women as reproductive objects, with no care or concern about how this may affect their mental state. Analyzing this novel through the feminist and psychoanalytical theoretical lenses allows for a link between the way Offred was treated and her state of depression and resulting thoughts of suicide. The feminist theory is built on a male-dominated point-of-view that implies the weakness of women by portraying them as inferior,

Her heart was pounding, her head was racing. She looked around; where was she? Then she remembered the super bright light and the darkness, and she tried to remember if she knew where she was.

Can human live without love? The answer is evidently no. Love can be defined as: the most spectacular, indescribable, deep euphoric feeling for someone. Margaret Atwood, the author of the outstanding dystopian fiction the handmaid 's tale (1985) had once said: " nobody dies from lack of sex. It 's lack of love we die from.” In this novel, Atwood specifically depicts a society where relationships have been altered, undermined and in many ways forbidden. The key word in the issue of relationships is love. In the Republic of Gilead, a form of theocratic government, women had lost their ability to love. The protagonist Offred is a handmaid whose sole purpose in life is to reproduce a child. Gilead expects its handmaids to have faith in its commandments, but has removed love and hope from them. Women became objects and sex slaves to men. Therefore, the relationships of the protagonist Offred are unhealthy as well as abnormal. Her relationship with the commander is strained but profitable, her relationship with Serena Joy has lots of tensions and conflicts; and her relationship with Nick is subtle as well as controversial.

“They’re about to break free,” Mildryd called from behind him. A few dozen priestesses and city watch had arrows ready to notch to their bows, waiting for the dreadful moment when the scynnfol burst the wards and descended upon the temple.

Zan heard a scream in the beginning before the sun rise from the east towards where Sata had ran from there to get to him. From which he knew she was acquiring food from in the region as she had told him this. The veil of night was beginning to part, The sound he was able to recognize as her voice. He raced towards the voice that had come from there, he wondered where she was. Tearing through the woods in search of the answer. The brush that was there, did not impede him as he tore through it.