Critical Analysis Of The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a compelling tale of a dystopian world where men are the superior sex and women are reduced to their ability to bear children, and when that is gone, they are useless. The story is a very critical analysis of patriarchy and how patriarchal values, when taken to the extreme, affect society as a whole. The result is a very detrimental world, where the expectation is that everyone will be happy and content but the reality is anything but. The world described in The Handmaid’s tale is one that is completely ruled by patriarchal values, which is not unlike our society today. The proposal that the world described in The Handmaid’s Tale could be a vision of the future may seem farfetched to some readers.

When Offred and Ofglen take their first walk they come upon the Wall. Hung up there are two men labeled “gender traitors”. These men were most likely gay or bisexual, and were having relations with each other. This act is unacceptable to this society; having gay sex feminizes the men performing the act, and a feminine man is worthless in this society. So worthless that the law breakers are put to death instead of separated, berated, or gently punished. The crime of not expressing one hundred percent masculinity at all times is punished by death. The same is true for women. Handmaids are expected to be silent and speak only when spoken to. They are not supposed to converse amongst themselves. Even the wives, women at the top of the hierarchy, are only allowed specific activities. Activities, interactions, and responsibilities are assigned to classes, such as Wife, Handmaid, Martha, or Angel, and there is little to no overlap between the classes. Gender roles are much less specific in today’s society, but gender roles do exist. West and Zimmerman’s “Doing Gender” explains what some of these gender roles are. People assume facts about people to be true based on the gender that they are; a man is automatically assumed to be a good leader while a woman is usually considered bossy when they work together. A baby dressed in pink is always a girl and is a “sweet princess” but a baby is blue is obviously a boy and is told that he is “strong” and “a fighter”. These gender roles follow people through their entire lives, and affect every aspect of life. Some of the same gender roles that are shown in The Handmaid’s Tale are true in today’s society as well. Women are expected to want to become mothers in both worlds. Becoming a mother is the high point in a woman’s life for both cultures, and a woman who doesn’t want to become a