How one is perceived heavily determines how one will be treated by society. In the novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” written by Margaret Atwood, identity and how one appears heavily determines the extent to which one is confined and how much freedom one has. This idea is developed throughout the novel through various characters and the symbolism of colours seen in the clothing worn by them. The degree to which identity decides freedom is illustrated mainly through the female characters in the book. Furthermore, the extent to which one is restricted is revealed through the lives of the Handmaids.
All of the women in The Handmaid's Tale, especially the Handmaids, demonstrate truly how much one’s appearance and identity matter. In the novel, the Republic
…show more content…
In the Gileadean society, fertile young women are automatically assigned the role of a Handmaid. Handmaids are used by upper class couples for their body, and ability to bear a child. As a Handmaid, women are valued only for their bodies and are simply viewed as vessels for children. This is illustrated when the doctor separates Offred’s face from her torso. The fact that he only ever “deals with a torso” reveals that her head and consciousness have a separate value from her body (74). Often times the Handmaids are disposable and replaceable, and have no sense of security; the personality of these women do not matter and this is seen through the continual replacement of Ofglen. In the beginning of the book, it is revealed through Offred's internal dialogue that the whereabouts of the previous Ofglen are unknown, and there is a new one “there in her place” (24). Again near the end of the book, there is a “new Ofglen” and the previous Ofglen, “is no longer Ofglen” (353). This situation, in which one Ofglen is replaced by another, exhibits the disconnect between names and people in this society. As a Handmaid, it is very clear that one has very little control over their own life. In this society, you only have “freedom from” and not “freedom to” (31). Even the choice to take one’s life and escape is taken away as there are no ceiling fans, no drapes, and shatterproof
In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood explores the role that women play in society and the consequences of a countryís value system. She reveals that values held in the United States are a threat to the livelihood and status of women. As one critic writes, “the author has concluded that present social trends are dangerous to individual welfare” (Prescott 151).
In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, focuses on the darker interconnections between politics and sex. The characters she creates are representatives mainly portraying characters though thoughts, statements and actions. In the society of Gilead women are forced to comply with the state's rules in order to produce children; these are their stories.
Margaret Atwood is the author of both Lady Oracle and The Handmaid’s Tale. Both of these novels follow the conventions of the oppression of women. Lady Oracle is the narrative in which Joan Foster, the first-person narrator, tells the story of her life. Spanning the time period of the early 1940s through 1970s, Joan’s story describes her growing up in Toronto, becoming an author of gothic romances, marrying and faking her suicide to escape the complicated turmoil of her life. The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a city what used to be in the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead. In this alternative future state, the democratic government has been overthrown and replaced by an authoritarian one. In this book, the narrator, Offred, acts as the reader’s eyes and ears. People who have read this novel see Gilead as she sees it; they interpret it as she interprets it; and their only knowledge of it comes from the information she gives to them. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Lady Oracle both portray the theme of the roles of women in society. This will be discussed by analyzing and contrasting the conflicts that Offred and Joan are faced with, and how they react to these conflicts.
Throughout history, women have been shamed and oppressed in different aspects of life. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the oppression of women continues into the dystopian future. One cannot read The Handmaid’s Tale without seeing the problems of gender separation among roles and treatment in society. Although a feminist story, The Handmaid’s Tale gives some surprisingly sympathetic portrayals of men while those of women can be critical. Men are the most mysterious characters; they are the ones we know least about and the ones that Offred can provide the least insight into beyond patriarchal society, dominant male figures, and sexual predators. Few male characters have more than functional roles of the patriarchal state. Most
A woman’s power and privileges depend on which societal class she is in. In Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale each group of women are each represented in a different way. The three classes of women from the novel are the Handmaids, the Marthas and the Wives. The ways in which the women are portrayed reflect their societal power and their privileges that they bestow.
The Handmaid’s Tale depicts exquisitely how lonely everyone is in the confines of their classifications. Offred is desperate to connect, but understands that a smile from the housekeeper who is called Martha would be too dangerous. When she arrives in her new house she seeks warmth from the new Wife, and is instead met with hostility ‘’Don’t call me Ma’am … You’re not a Martha.’’ (Atwood, Margaret. 17) The Commander’s Driver touches his shoe to hers, even though Offred is not sure if it is on purpose, she feels her ‘’shoe soften, blood flows into it, it grows warm, it becomes skin.’’ (Atwood, Margaret. 92) Even though all of these connections are illegal, and Offred is supposed to keep her eyes downcast, and her Handmaid’s uniform’s head wings blocks her line of sight ‘’they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen.’’ (Atwood, Margaret. 9)
The concept that women are not on the same level as men has always been a notion throughout society. Since existence, the prominent barrier between the two genders has been apparent. Atwood’s novel “The Handmaids Tale” vividly manifests the idea of sexism and inequality that women are exposed to and by doing so, her depiction of a dystopian society cleverly criticizes the behavior towards women in the present day. Although Atwood exaggerates these issues throughout the book, she undeniably demonstrates what could be the result of inequality in the future making the reader question the imbalance between male and females in today’s society. It is virtually impossible to read this eye-opening novel without becoming aware of these issues.
First, it is symbolized by the handmaids' patronymic names. Their names are formed with the possessive preposition, 'of,' and the first name of the 'Commander' for whom they are to bear children (for instance: 'Of-Fred'). The handmaids are moved to a new posting after three attempts to bear child for the 'Commander' and his wife; at each new location, they drop their former name and adopt their new Commander's name. Thus, while the narrator's name is currently Offred, she may later become Ofglen, Ofwaren, or some other such patronym. Like their names, the handmaids have no personal identity and they lack stability; like their names, they are interchangeable and replaceable with each other (LeBihan 102).
In the Republic of Gilead, handmaids compose one level of the female social order, distinguished from other women as potential breeders. However, the title of handmaid comes with other duties as well, one of which is demonstrated by Offred as she leaves her commander’s house daily to obtain fresh food from local markets. According to Gilead law, the handmaids must go to the markets in pairs, and it is during one of these dichotomized outings that Offred observes her new walking partner, Ofglen. The initial observation that Offred makes about Ofglen’s physical appearance, primarily her distinction of the handmaid’s red colored habit, symbolizes the dehumanization of women by the government. Offred remarks the similarities in the costumes worn
In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, set in a futuristic state, women are portrayed as voiceless belongings viewed only as childbearing vessels. Atwood characterizes women as both physically and psychologically oppressed by the totalitarian male leaders through Handmaid characters such as Offred, Ofwarren, and Ofglen. The novel clearly displays the dehumanizing effects of the ideology, the biological reductionism, and manipulation of language through the testimony of the eyewitness’ recollections. The portrayal of women in this novel is conveyed through Offred’s characterizations and descriptions of women in this society.
In the thought - provoking novel by Margaret Atwood, the domination and the unjust governing of women by men is palpable. Freedom for women is restricted, because of the new Christian government’s extreme policies and the ideas of this Christian government are presented through Offred’s first person narrative. Through politics, Atwood uses The Handmaid’s Tale as a social commentary on freedom for women. The handmaids are no longer free to think for themselves and are “used… as an instrument… a means of transportation or an implement” (Atwood 73). In addition, slavery which was abolished by the thirteenth Amendment reoccurs again.
In the book “ The handmaid’s tale”, the women are treated very unfairly and are used to birth children for the shortage of war. They’re given little respect by the men and they have no freedom. In the republic of gilead the women are separated in different groups which have different jobs. Some groups of women are envied by other groups of women and develop hate for the
The body is something we cherish for it is ours alone; we may do with it what we like. However that is not the case for women of Gilead. Each female is given a distinct role in which she must partake: The handmaids’ duties are to reproduce and the Marthas’ work as domestics. If one refuses to cooperate they are named “Unwoman” and are eliminated. The women are treated thus
After the elite rose to power in Gilead, women were used simply for their reproductive capabilities. In “The Handmaid’s Tale” the author uses characterization, foreshadowing, and symbolism to showcase the political and social issues of the Republic of Gilead. In this state, it is made clear that women are taught values so that they are only concerned with bearing children. It is made to be their number one priority, and it engulfs their true self.
Throughout history, the desire for power has lead once peaceful societies to war. The necessity to be in control of one's surroundings has ended with unnecessary bloodshed. Typically these battles occur over some sort of prize such as money, but when there is nothing to be gained other than one’s freedom, the same principals apply. In the novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, by Margaret Atwood, the desire for power in the form of freedom is the main conquest which all characters face, and how they overcome adversity to gain such power is what defines their character.