The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood describes the story of Offred, a Handmaid, that is a woman ascribed a breeding function by society, and who is placed with a husband and wife higher up the social ladder who need a child. Through Offred's eyes we explore the rigidity of the theocracy in which she lives, the contradictions in the society they have created, and her attempts to find solace through otherwise trivial things. The heroine is never identified except as Offred, the property of her current Commander, she was a modern woman: college-educated, a wife and a mother when she lost all that due to the change in her society. The novel can be viewed from one perspective as being a feminist depiction of the suppression of a woman, from another

Not only does Gilead control day-to-day time, but also attempts to erase traces of historical time. The creators of Gilead seek to abolish as many traces of the past as possible. Gilead does well in its attempt to erase history, for when Offred goes out on shopping expeditions she is haunted by vague memories of vanished buildings. Offred constantly remembers what used to be, an ice cream store, or a movie theater, but things from Offred’s old life change and disappear so quickly, that she can’t remember “the way they used to be” (164). Gilead has changed so much that they’ve even manipulated a once concrete system of exchange to fade away. Money that was once used in these stores has become a relic of the past. Money is now an artifact that is saved, Offred’s mother “kept some saved, pasted into her scrapbook along with the early photos” (173). People hold on to these keepsakes and hold on to their past as a way to resist Gilead and live in memories. Yet another instance of the totalitarian manipulation, by making paper money obsolete the Gileadean forces are destroying women’s savings and making escape even more impossible. This totalitarian

In addition to the important roles that women play in the regime, this setting also portrays the will and intelligence of women. Offred seeks knowledge as she meets with the Commander; she longs for touch and intimacy as she risks everything to spend her nights with Nick. Moira strives to leave the confines of the regime as she continuously found ways to escape. Even as she is recaptured, she chooses to stay at Jezebel’s to live. Although given death if no child is beared, Handmaids voluntarily “prayed for emptiness, so we would be worthy to be filled: with grace, with love, with self-denial, semen and babies” (194). Despite their role to bear children and given death if they failed to do so, essentially, Handmaids have a choice in whether they accept that death or survive by finding ways to get pregnant. These instances show that women are not merely simple creatures who are controlled by men because what they do is still a decision of their own. Nevertheless, all of the progress that women fought for is gone: their reproductive rights, economic rights, social rights. Women are not allowed to get abortions, and they are forced into bearing children for their Commanders. Women have no outside jobs; they merely complete chores for their household. They are given no social power; they are monitored for what they say and what they can do in public. Such strict confines of

In the novel Atwood writes how Offred the main character transitions from her life before to a Handmaid. Offred wasn’t her real name but the name that was given to her when the Gilead society formed. Prior to the Gilead forming Offred lived with her husband and

Not only are they used to have babies for the commander and wife, but the handmaid's start to disperse from their own bodies. They cannot love, speak, or create a life on their own without the thousands of rules created by the Government. The handmaids are no longer seen as a person but only for wombs. Offred begins to accept this part of her that is only accepted as a reproductive organ. This is beyond wrong.

In the Republic of Gilead, a select group of people rule over all of the population. On this earth, humans want to express themselves through innovation and individuality. Although The Handmaid’s Tale was published 33 years ago, in 1985, the messages within the literary work remain relevant to society today and people’s struggle to live a life of freedom. Next, literary analysts may consider investigating the power and influence of having friends and family. Throughout the narrative, Offred holds out hope of a better future, largely due to her relationships with her friends and her devotion to her

It is with this advantage over the upper class that provides Offred, and all other Handmaids for that matter, more power. After Offred reluctantly agrees with the wife, she offers her something unthinkable, and suggests that maybe Offred is to find another man to bear a child with, and that if she agrees to do so, she will let Offred have a picture of her child once it is born (236-237). Although this trade may seem unfair, in reality Offred is getting more out of her possible pregnancy than any Handmaid before her. Even if looked at despite the possible results of the situation, the Wife and the Commander are offering up all

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 with people being oppressed. In order for the Republic to continue running the way it is, a sense of control needs to be felt by the government. Without control Gilead will

Another major role in society was the Handmaids, who had the job of reproducing with their designated commanders. These women that are Handmaids may seem like they should be valued for their importance to society, but they are actually the most oppressed of all women in Gilead. These women are assigned to various commander’s homes with the task of conceiving a baby for their commander and his wife. The idea of having Handmaids in this society can also be seen as another biblical reference. This reference to the role of the Handmaids is made in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically in the book of Genesis.

And of course there are The Handmaid’s themselves , who are some of the worst treated of

In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, The theme of gender, sexuality, and desire reigns throughout the novel as it follows the life of Offred and other characters. Attwood begins the novel with Offred, a first person narrator who feels as if she is misplaced when she is describing her sleeping scenery at the decaying school gymnasium. The narrator, Offred, explains how for her job she is assigned to a married Commander’s house where she is obligated to have sex with him on a daily basis, so that she can become pregnant and supply the Commander with a child. In addition, the uniform that Offred along with the other handmaids are required to wear is a red dress, which symbolizes blood. Offred has little to no freedom as she has duties assigned daily making her feel as if she is in prison. When she occasionally leaves the room she is confined to, Offred is always being watched over by someone else so that she is never alone when she is outside of her room. All through the novel, Offred has habitual flashbacks to different parts in her life. For example, she is nostalgic about her relationship and time spent with her mother, daughter, and husband Luke as she compares her new life to how it was before the regime. Furthermore, the regime denies public access towards acquiring new knowledge and language, limiting Offred’s potential. The Gileadean regime’s primary focus is rule over gender, sexuality, and desire.

Margaret Atwood’s well-known novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” is about a woman named Offred. She is a handmaid in Gilead, a theocratical state that has taken over the United States. Due to extinct reproduction rates, the handmaids are assigned to bear children for couples who no longer can conceive a child. The handmaid serves the commander and his wife. They are raped, and they have controlled freedom.

Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is a dystopian story of a woman’s worth and role in society. The novel is in the perspective of Offred, a handmaid from the dystopian United States: the Republic of Gilead. Women have always been told and perceived to be submissive to men, since the beginning of time. This story, is no exception to this belief, as Handmaids are women stripped of their rights as a human. Atwood’s story The Handmaid’s Tale suggests that the desire for freedom is what all human beings seek for and captures this idea through the protagonist, Offred.

Offred is a Handmaid in what used to be the United States, now the theocratic Republic of Gilead. In order to create Gilead's idea of a more perfect society, they have reverted to taking the Book of Genesis at its word. Women no longer have any privileges; they cannot work, have their own bank accounts, or own anything. The also are not allowed to read or even chose who they want to marry. Women are taught that they should be subservient to men and should only be concerned with bearing children. Margaret Atwood writes The Handmaid's Tale (1986) as to create a dystopia. A dystopia is an imaginary place where the condition of life is extremely bad, from deprivation, oppression, or

Offred, not her real name but the name given to her by her occupation, is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. The Republic of Gilead is a