The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood - 583 Words

Margaret Atwoods novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, satirizes the movement of religious conservatives that was occurring during its time of publication in the 1980’s. The beliefs expressed by these conservatives are taken to the extreme in the book when a totalitarian government creates a new society that reverses all advancements of women. Through these reversals and formed hierarchies, Atwood creatively makes a statement about the unfair molds in real life that both genders try to break free from. In other words, the story inflates the roles of men and women through the creation of strict regulations in order to show the discriminatory stereotypes that are a reality today. One role that is exaggerated greatly is the portrayal that women are mainly wives and mothers. In the new government, the wives are the top social level of women. This shows that being a wife is what is most desired and respected. Lower down on the hierarchy are the Handmaids who are solely meant to bear children, making women seem as if that is all that they are useful for. â€Å"I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will†¦ Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping.† (Atwood, 95). Offred’s change in perception of herself truly displays the twisted societyShow MoreRelatedThe Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood954 Words   |  4 PagesImagine growing up in a society where all women are useful for is to reproduce. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is an excellent novel of what could potentially be the fate of the future one day. The main character, Offred, moves into a new home where she is there to perform â€Å"rituals† with the Commander, head of the house, so she can hopefully reproduc e herself. Basically, she is a sex slave and birthing a healthy child is all she is wanted for. Also if she does have a child then she will beRead MoreThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Essay2490 Words   |  10 Pagesfrom. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from,† (Atwood 24). The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, is a novel set in the near future where societal roles have severely changed. The most notable change is that concerning women. Whereas, in the past, women have been gaining rights and earning more â€Å"freedom to’s†, the women in the society of The Handmaid’s Tale have â€Å"freedom froms†. They have the freedom from being abused and having sexist phrases yelledRead MoreSurrogacy In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood746 Words   |  3 Pages Throughout The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood there begins to become a clear difference in the personal attitudes the Handmaids have towards surrogacy compared to attitudes of modern day surrogates. In modern day society, Americans are very proud of the free will they have, giving them the ability to choose endless possibilities of who and what they want to be. Becoming a surrogate is a choice made 100% by women, offering their wombs to couples who may be experiencing fertility complicationsRead MoreAn Analysis Of Margaret Atwood And The Handmaids Tale843 Words   |  4 Pagessituation, they may be effective in avoiding possible plights. Likewise, the Xinjiang region of China and the plot of â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale† by Margaret Atwood, explores this dilemma as both government systems employ regulations, which may seem excessive to some but considered as necessary to the governments present in Xinjiang and the republic of Gilead in â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale †. Moreover, the conflict occurring in Xinjiang is similar to the governmental system in Gilead because of the abundance ofRead MoreCultural Criticism In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood1011 Words   |  5 Pagesrange of topics to analyze literature. Cultural criticism considers a variety of perspectives and branches of knowledge to discover the compilation of beliefs and customs that characterize a group of people. For a cultural reading of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a cultural critic would consider the historical background paired with theories such as Marxism and feminism to make assumptions about what culture engendered the creation of this novel. (104 words) Cultural criticism is oftentimesRead MorePower Struggle In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood1373 Words   |  6 PagesRenowned playwright William Shakespeare, and contemporary novelist Margaret Atwood both explore power struggle from a feminist perspective. Shakespeare in ‘King Lear’ and Atwood in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ explore varying power struggles and their correlation to gender through their respective texts. Shakespeare and Atwood use the genders of their central characters to focus on power in historical and dystopian settings. Both authors explore religious frameworks, the types of power in a patriarchalRead MoreTotalitarian Society In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood934 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, the story’s setting takes place in a totalitarian city, in which the government forces their will upon on the citizens and chooses what they will do in the future, especially for wome n. The decreasing birth rates causes the formation of this civilization, but the reader soon learn that the way the government tries to fix this problem is wrong, as it leads to more problems such as trust issues, and the inability to see others as equal. The charactersRead More Society in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Essay2519 Words   |  11 PagesThe novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, by Margaret Atwood focuses on the choices made by those controlling the society of Gilead in which increasing the population and preservation of mankind is the main objective, instead of freedom or happiness. The society has undergone many physical changes that have extreme psychological consequences. I believe Atwood sees Gilead as the result of attitudes and events in the early 1980s, which have spiralled out of control. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ reflects Atwood’sRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Handmaids Tale And Margaret Atwood1659 Words   |  7 PagesA dystopia is a common genre among many novels and all novels are able to capture the problems within the current society. These problems can vary and each different setting has different problems than the other. Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale in an effort to capture problems going on in real life: abortion and women’s rights. Another author that captures a similar essence to Atwood’s is Suzanne Young in her novel series The Program. Although both authors emphasize different problems thatRead MoreSociety And Government In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood1411 Words   |  6 PagesAs we examine today’s society and government, there are different aspects that may lead people to agree with or be against society and government. When compared to the Republic of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood , civilians had little to no freedoms and abided by extremely strict regulations. The Republic of Gilead divided individuals and forced them into completing tasks and working without giving them any choice. The handmaids were forced to have sex in order to bear children, while