To provide social commentary regarding the devastating possibility of a patriarchal theocracy, Margaret Atwood pulls from many past real events. In a 2003 interview with John Stroumboulopoulos, Atwood states that every event in The Handmaid’s Tale actually happened hinting at the plausibility of this kind of society today. For example, widespread fear of a devastating illness, like AIDS, and general feelings of foreboding permeated the 1980s (“Atwood’s Use…). Additionally, the very real possibility…
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The emotional catastrophic lack of freedom instigates. People may forget to be grateful for the freedom we have because of the safe, secure, society we live in today. In the novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Margaret Atwood conveys that women’s freedom is restrained by people who are of a higher authority. The people’s value becomes worthless in the society, which causes them to lose their rights, due to the control being done by the government. Moreover, the author, Caspian Tredwell-Owen in “The Island”…
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The novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood focuses on the manipulation of religion in Gilead and how they are controlled to abide the laws of the bible and the false interpretation of the bible. The quote by Salman Rushdie applies to the novel because religion is the absolute power in Gilead. This is because the government decides what should be taken from the Bible and turns it into absolute law to control the people and gain more power. The quote also applies to the novel because in Gilead…
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A Handmaid’s Tale takes place in the Totalitarian Theocracy of Gilead. As with numerous examples of Totalitarian states in the real world, Gilead revolves around a core set of principles that are enforced in a multitude of different ways throughout the state. Whilst the creation of an all-encompassing ideology is something that can be seen in almost every political model, the methods that Gilead employs to ingrain its principles sacrifice many of the moral boundaries that are prominent…
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The Implementation of a Dystopia: The Annulment of Self In the dystopian world of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the patriarchal Gilead operates under the dictated obedience of its people. Before the installment of Gilead, people lived in a democratic civilization, free to expression. After leaders of the Gilead regime overthrew the democracy, the new government subdues people and annuls self-identity, the unique characteristics and identification of an individual. The narrator Offred…
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In the story “The Handmaid’s Tale” the story features Offred,a handmaid, that serves for The Commander and his wife, Serena Joy. A handmaid’s job is supposed to bear children for elite couples that have trouble receiving, but, like many in her position women have restricted freedom. The Aunts are the highest ranking class before the wives, and they are like the teachers for infertile women. The wives are sergots that are married to powerful men like the commanders. The commanders are the highest…
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Power, control, and the internal struggle of a society adapting their’s belief to those of their government are themes that commonly compose a dystopian novel. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood we are introduced to a woman, Offred, who clings to her past life and memories before the government of the Republic of Gilead took over. Offred, is a handmaid that must have sex with her commander to procreate a child because supposedly the majority of the other women have become infertile. She is…
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Moreover, The Handmaid’s Tale refers back to the narratives of Puritan New England in its construction of the hegemony and theocracy; it gives the sense of loneliness to the female participants. Notably, Atwood has a subversive view of the myths that a woman can get a better sense of herself by attachment to the organized groups of women with shared experiences of oppression. Under such circumstances, Atwood’s Cat’s Eye can be considered as an inner journey through the past. This journey…
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“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood “There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from” (Atwood, 34). In the book “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, the reader is told the story of Offred through her point of view. Her life takes place in a future society called Gilead. In Gilead, procreation is key. Women are treated as nothing but objects for fertilization. Select women are chosen to become “Handmaids”, those who must carry children. Not everyone…
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Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian future of Gilead where fertile women are set up as baby making machines, or Handmaid’s. This tale focuses mainly on the handmaid Offred and her experiences in Commander Fred’s house with his wife Serena Joy. When Offred was in the rehabilitation center or Red Center she sees her old college roommate Moira. Over the course of the book Moira is part of Offred’s life, in memory and when she finally sees her again in person. When Offred…
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