Unorthodox In The Handmaid's Tale

From very early on in the book, the significance of gender roles is set out in order to allow the reader to comprehend the idea of the castes in this patriarchal society. The transition between the “time before” and what Offred describes as “now”, is essential in order to realize the changes that occurred. After the “Sons of Jacob” start the revolution, people’s rights are put in limbo as the constitution is suspended. Women’s rights become almost non-existent, and the division begins. Since her attempted escape, Offred is brought back into Gilead and do her duty as a fertile woman, and become a handmaid. She is very limited in what she can do, and in order to not be sent away to the

As Offred tells of her experiences that lead her up to her development, Moira’s rebellious attitude entices her.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is set in a future time period where the United States is under the control of the Gileadean regime. A terrorist attack leads to the collapse of Congress, the suspension of the Constitution, and the establishment of a theocratic totalitarian government. Men and women are given roles within society; they are Commanders, Eyes, Handmaids, and Marthas. In this novel, Atwood explores a prominent social issue, feminism. The suppression and power of women are examined through the setting and characterization of the novel to help understand the meaning of the novel as a whole.

Within history, societies have to try to find a balance between gender and class. Margaret Atwood writes about a country called Gilead: a society where women are broken down into classes while men control all the power. Throughout her dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood utilizes gender and class to alienate the protagonist, Offred, illustrating how women and their position within society are used as a political instrument to gain dominance.

There are many instances in the novel, where Offred pauses in the middle of her story and in a way complains to the audience about how hard it is to tell this story. For example: “It’s also a story I’m telling, in my head, as I go along. Tell, rather than write, because I have nothing to write with and writing is in any case forbidden. But if it’s a story, even in my head ... But it’s not good, because I know you can’t.”

Gilead is a society not far from the present and it based around one central idea, control of reproduction by using women’s bodies as political instruments. Handmaids are women who the state took complete control of through their political subjugation. They are not allowed to vote, hold property, read or do anything that can make them independent from their husband and the state. These handmaids are reduced to their fertility and treated like nothing more than a set of ovaries and a womb. They lose their identity and become an object of the state. The narrator of The Handmaids Tale is a handmaid by the name of Offred. The novel takes place in first person point of view and this allows the readers to see how she is treated and all the events that take place for her. First person point of view allows the reader a closer view as to how a central theme develops by giving the reader a firsthand experience from the mind of the narrator.

Throughout her reflection, Offred recognizes that there were moments that

Although he is a high-ranking official in this new society, he rebels by initiating an inappropriate relationship with Offred. “I raise my hand, knock, on the door of this forbidden room where I have never been, where women do not go. Not even Serena Joy comes here” (Atwood 136). The Commander’s relationship with Offred is inappropriate because society believes the Handmaids and Commanders are not meant to interact with each other except at the Ceremony when the only thing that occurs is aloof intercourse. The Commander initiates this unorthodox relationship by inviting Offred into his study to play Scrabble and allowing her the luxury of reading magazines during each get-together. Nick, the household Guardian, also becomes an accessory to the two lovebird’s

The Commanders are expected to have sexual relations with their Handmaid. Even though the relationship between the Commander and Offred is politically correct, it has a few unorthodox characteristics. The commander seems to want to get to know Offred more by inviting her to his office to “play Scrabble with him, and kiss him as if I meant it” (Atwood 144). The relationship seems to be becoming more that just the duty of getting pregnant. This act does not stick to the traditional rules, which gives the Commander a suspicious feel as if he is rebelling against the rules and caste system of the Republic.

What it really means is that she is in control, of the process and thus of the product” (106-107). Offred is a handmaid, and she has intercourse with the Commander, while she lies in between Serena Joy’s leg. If Offred becomes pregnant, she will carry the couple’s baby and hand it off to the couple after she gives birth. Additionally, the Commander’s wife has a lot more freedom compared to Martha’s and Handmaids. The Commander’s Wife has the option to knit, garden, or watch television.

Although strong of spirit, Offred characterizes herself as being weak, and “a wimp,” as Moira also describes her. Offred at first seems a rare being in Gilead, as she has kept possession of her individual beliefs but appears on the

This statement shows how the society of Gilead is new to everyone involved. The Commander, who has absolute control over Offred’s life, is forced to read passages from the Bible before the Ceremony, but Offred does not describe him as a powerful man who executes his duties in a strong way. This provides some insight on Offred’s situation within the Commander’s home and as a Handmaid in Gilead. The comparison to a “Victorian pump organ” demonstrates Offred’s link to the past and shows the awkward placement of people within the homes of the Commanders as Gilead begins. Offred and the Martha’s are like antiques just as a Victorian pump organ would be.

The commander can be seen as a man torn between two worlds, he was one of the founders of Gilead yet still enjoys and yearns for the pleasures of the old society he managed to break. The commander is cool and collected on the surface but underneath he is bitter and corrupted for the world he has managed to create. The commander secretly longs for the world to be as it once was and this is why he savours his time with Offred because she may remind him of life before Gilead. It is also ironic how both characters feel under the surface an anger and repression of Gilead and they both want to break free. However on the surface when they play scrabble with

Intro: The Handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood is about a dystopian American society. The book is set in a disclosed future and deals with conflicts of the right of women we do not see today. Morality is based on a person's views of good vs evil. In the book The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood makes her character flawed in a sense of morality to show her rebellion against her society. The reader is then able to see when the charters feels uncomfortable or unethical.

The Handmaid's Tale is written by Margaret Atwood and was originally published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985. The novel is set in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Handmaid's Tale explores themes of a new totalitarian theocratic state society that is terrifying and horrific. Its main concentration is on the subjugation of women in Gilead, and it also explores the plethora of means by which the state and agencies gain control and domination against every aspect of these women's lives. Restrictive dress codes also play an important factor as a means of social order and control in this new society.