Handmaid Tale Essay

The Handmaid's Tale 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. Atwood individualises the character of Serena Joy, as her high status in the society demands power

Comparatively to Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Handmaid’s Tale has prohibited the use of language and literacy for women in Gilead in order to suppress the independent voice, desire and autonomy. This is used as a means of social control and manipulation as a measure of ensuring that there are no opportunities in which woman can gain political power and be taken away from fulfilling their reproductive duties. In Atwood’s novel, language and reading are considered dangerous weapons in a woman’s hands

flash-camera: midair. They look arranged. They look like show biz.” (pg. 277) “Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.” (pg. 33) In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood describes a chaotic world where women find themselves conforming to a very new, but rather harsh idea of normality that a totalitarian regime has forced them to succumb to. The moral destruction caused by Gilead has allowed women to

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

Feminism in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale 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).  The novel is set in the near future in Gilead, formerly the U.S., at a time when

The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the most prestigious books of Margaret Atwood, and many readers believe that this is a feminist novel. Also, like the author, Margaret Atwood, indicated in the preamble of the book: “If you mean a novel in which women are human beings- with all the variety of character and behavior that implies- and are also interesting and important…then yes. In this case, many books are feminist.” Actually, her words were accepted by many people, the Handmaid tale is a feminist book

Characters are one of the main elements in literature that lead the story and deliver the message from the author to the readers. The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, is a unique feminist novel which takes place in a dystopian world where fertile women are forced to produce babies for the good of the society. In this novel, Atwood purposefully creates different characters in order to enhance the delivery of the theme regarding power and passivity. This makes the readers actively evaluate

In Margaret Atwood’s novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale, she narrates how women are abused mentally and physically by the hands of men. Also, women were forced to become prostitutes or sent to colonies. During the Republic of Gilead which is ruled by men and surrounded by corruption, lust, prostitution, and violence towards women who were punished by hanging or being sent to colonies for exile if they break the rules. According to the government, women, who cannot follow the rules or have babies, were considered

The Side Effects of Love The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, is taken place in Cambridge, Massachusetts and in this novel, Atwood shows us the challenges The Commander, Moira, and Offred face throughout. This novel takes place in a dystopian society in the future. It is a time where fertile women are used to conceive children because of the low fertility rate, this is the product of a nuclear war and a government who was overthrown by religion. A theocracy. In this new society, men have the

everything is done for the good. However, Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, seems to unravel quite the opposite of the reason that not everyone knows the truth. The novel reveals that lack of knowledge leads to temptations as shown through the characterization of Offred, the way women are portrayed, and the major conflict of Gilead. The characterization of Offred seems to prosper within The Handmaid’s Tale. In the beginning of the novel, Offred’s character obeyed every rule. Moreover into