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The Handmaid 's Tale By Margret Atwood

Decent Essays

Margret Atwood’s novel the handmaid’s tale conveys a futuristic society that restrains basic human rights to its people. The republic of Gilead maintains and justifies its power structure through extreme interpretation of religion. As a result of a drastic drop in birth rate, the regime holds women captive for their ability to reproduce. To avoid rebellion Gilead censors all information and sets up an undercover policing unit called the Eyes. The population mindlessly follows the regime making knowledge and reason very rare. In addition, women experience worse censorship because of their reproductive value, and if women had the power of knowledge they might be able to rebel. Margret Atwood uses repetition to amplify Offred’s ability to think and reason by herself, which marks a shift toward Offred gradually gaining her own power and identity. This section illustrates Offred going through a transitional period in her life. Offred is conflicted between escaping Gilead, and living a life of desperation. Margret Atwood chose to use repetition as a vessel to carry this message. For instance, Atwood starts the chapter using epistrophe. “This is a reconstruction. All of it is a reconstruction. It’s a reconstruction now” (134). The despondent tone along with the repetition of “reconstruction” signals, and foreshadows, that Offred uncovers the truth about Gilead and becomes cynical toward Gilead. The significance is not that Offred wants to escape, but more importantly

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