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Margaret Atwood`s The Handmaid's Tale
This is a futuristic novel that takes place in northern USA sometime in the
beginning of the twenty-first century, in the oppressive and totalitarian
Republic of Gilead. The regime demands high moral, retribution and a
virtuous lifestyle. The Bible is the guiding principle. As a result of the
sexual freedom, free abortion and a high increase of venereal diseases at
the end of the twentieth century, many women, (and men also, but that is
forbidden to say), are sterile. The women, who are still fertile, are
recruited as Handmaids, and their only mission in life is to give birth to
the offspring of their Commander, whose wife is infertile.
The main character in the book is Offred, one of these unfortunate servants
who's only right to exist depends on her ovaries productivity. She lives
with her commander and his wife in a highly supervised centre.
Unlike men, women have been facing unique problems for centuries, and often
women experience harassment and discrimination. In today's society, females
are trying to combat their tribulations through lawsuits and protest
rallies. Literature often deals with people being unable to articulate
their problems. Often, unforeseen circumstances force people to conceal
their true emotions. In "The Handmaid's Tale" the main female characters
find ways to escape their situations rather than deal with them.
Offred from The Handmaid's Tale uses different tactics to cope with her
situation. She is trapped within a distopian society comprised of a
community riddled by despair. Though she is not physically tortured, the
overwhelming and ridiculously powerful government mentally enslaves her.
Offred lives in a horrific society, which prevents her from being freed.
Essentially, the government enslaves her because she is a female, and she
is fertile. Offred's reminisces about the way life used to be by
remembering stories about her husband Luke, her daughter, and her best
friend Moira, provides her with temporary relief from her binding situation.
Also, Offred befriends the Commander's aide, Nick. Offred longs to be with
her husband and she feels that she can find his love by being with Nick.
She risks her life several times just to be with Nick. Feeling loved by
Nick gives her a window of hope in her otherwise miserable life.
Instead of proclaiming her feelings out loud, she suppresses them. The
result is a series of recordings, which describes her life, and the things
she wishes she could change. Through these examples, it is apparent that
Offred cannot face her problems because of outside circumstances.
Works such as "The Handmaid's Tale" deal with females being unable to face
their problems. Many authors have written on this subject matter. Though
some problems are unavoidable, one can overcome certain situations by being
more assertive. Along with male domination and the laws of society, women
have had to contend with other challenging and oppressing situations.
Despite this, women in modern society are becoming more powerful.
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ESSAYS
Handmaids Tale Loss Of Identit
Offred’s Lost of Identity The main character of this book is Offred, one of the faceless many of the new Republic
The Pardoner And The "Brothers"
Throughout literature, relationships can often be found between the author of a story and the story that he writes. In G
Margaret Mead
was born on Monday, December 16, 1901, at the West Park Hospital in Philadelphia, P.A. Margaret was the first baby to be
Pardoners Tale
The Pardoner's Tale vs. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Throughout literature, relationships can often be found between
A Man For All Seasons: Conscience
Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines conscience as "the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or b
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