Examples Of Unorthodoxy In The Handmaid's Tale

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Unorthodoxy
In a dystopia, all individualism is lost. Everyone is programmed to think in a specific way; that way is the way of the government. The government uses tactics to scare citizens into thinking the way the government wants them to think. Although most people do not question the way of the government, there are always a few people with independent thoughts. In Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, there are many unorthodox characters. Offred, Moira, and Ofglen each have their own thoughts and ideas for freedom.
Offred is a Handmaid. Offred is the main character in The Handmaid’s Tale. Offred never plays by the rules, especially when it comes to relationships. Offred is always going after what she cannot have. She is going after …show more content…

After having the affair with Offred, Luke and Offred tie the knot; “We tried to cross at the border…Luke, for instance, had never been divorced,” (Atwood 224). In the society that they live in, people are not allowed to become divorced. Because Offred is in a relationship with a married man, there is much speculation from strangers. One person even tries kidnapping their daughter because they see Offred as being an unfit mother. After being caught, Offred becomes a Handmaid. Every Handmaid must perform the Ceremony with the Commander. When Offred becomes a Handmaid, it is no different; she must perform the Ceremony. During the Ceremony, nothing is personal; “I do not call it making love, because this is not what he’s doing,” (Atwood 94). They only perform the ceremony to repopulate Gilead. The Commander meets Offred outside of the Ceremony, which is strictly forbidden, …show more content…

They walk past Soul Scrolls. When they walk past Ofglen says “‘Do you think God listens…to these machines?’…In the past this would have been a scholarly speculation. Right now it’s treason,” (Atwood 168). It surprises Offred that Ofglen does not believe in Soul Scrolls. Soul Scrolls are the government’s promotion of prayer. When Ofglen tells Offred about her beliefs, it means that Ofglen does not believe in everything the government wants them to believe in. This is the first sign that Ofglen is unorthodox. Before she admits this, everyone believes that she is strictly orthodox. The two of them talk more and find out that Ofglen is a part of the group Mayday. Mayday is an underground organization that is against the government: “Mayday…Don’t use it unless you have to, It isn’t good for us to know about too many of the others in the network, in case you get caught,” (Atwood 202). Ofglen is trying to overthrow the government so they are free to express there own

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