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Feminism within the handmaids tale
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Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid's Tale,” is overflowing with references to overpowering masculinity, negative sexualization and oppressive authority, obviously lacking any slight expression of femininity. The most relevant mention of femininity can be found in the recurring references to the diverse flowers. A flower, is often seens as a symbol of beauty, fertility or femininity. However, in “The Handmaid’s Tale” the presences of certain flowers seem to reflect objects that have the ability to bloom or grow, unlike the woman, potentially symbolizing a sense of freedom or self-growth. Additionally, in a more literal way a flower can be seen as the part of the plant that hosts the reproductive organs, thus drawing attention to the woman who lack …show more content…
fertility. The most prominent reference to flowers shows up when discussing the red tulips found in Serena Joy’s garden. The tulip’s blooming creates a contrast between the beauty in which their blossoming generates and the extremely vile description of the bloody lips which are hanging from the Wall of Gilead. Through the description of the tulips, “red, a darker crimson towards the stem, as if they have been cut and are beginning to heal there,” the color red if also referenced (Atwood 12). This is important because throughout the novel the color red represents violence and blood but also fertility, as shown through the red robes marking the Handmaid’s. In this description, women are being compared to as tulips, essentially stating that their functions are as simple as a flower, to reproduce in a obedient manner. Additionally, the lips of the hanging man are contrasted by this idea of the red tulips. In the novel Offred says, “The red of the smile is the same as the red of the tulips in Serena Joy’s garden, towards the base of the flowers where they are beginning to heal. The red is the same but there is no connection.” (Atwood 33). This highlights the corrupt and brainwashed society that Gilead has become. Gilead is constantly promoting reproduction through the use of the Handmaid’s while the leaders of this society are brutally killing the lives of innocent people. During the novel, Offred also draws attention to the shape of the flowers when she says, “and the bleeding hearts, so female in shape it was a surprise they’d not long since been rooted out” (Atwood ).
Here, she is acknowledging her lack of female expression while realizing how much male-dominance is truly present in their society. Due to a flowers distinct feminine appearance, they begin to become an outlet for Offred to express her remaining femininity. Later in the novel when Serena begins cutting off the tulips seed pods, “positioning the blades of the shears, then cutting with a convulsive jerk of the hands” (153). As Offred begins to question, “Was it the arthritis, creeping up? Or some blitzkrieg, some kamikaze, committed on the swelling genitalia of the flower,” Serena’s indirect attack towards Offred, who is linked to the tulips through color, is revealed. This action symbolically recognizes Serena’s role, to be an obedient wife who can not reproduce. As this scene comes to an end, Serena’s garden is described as subversive, reflecting “a sense of buried things bursting upwards, wordlessly, into the light” (153). Regardless of Serena’s aggressive tending of the garden, Offred is still able to notice the rebellion found within the garden. Supported by Serena Joy’s small and secluded garden which stands as the only place where she has maintain any
control. Overall, the continuous use of various flowers creates a strong representation of the gender roles present in this novel. Through the identification of their colors, smells and apparent shapes, the importance of Offred, and other women, are highlighted. Additionally, the role fertility is drawn into light as Serena reveals her jealousy towards Offred, who is reflected in the tulips.
Gender inequality has existed all around the world for many centuries. Women were seen as property of men and their purpose of existence was to provide for the men in their lives. Men would play the role of being the breadwinners, whereas women played the role of being the caregiver of the family and household and must obey the men around her. The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood portrays how women in society are controlled and demeaned by men, and how men feel they are more superior over women.
The Handmaid's Tale has been described as a scathing satire and a dire warning! Which elements of our own society is Margaret atwood satirising and how does her satire work ?
In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, there is an apparent power struggle between Offred and the Commander. The Gilead Society’s structure is based off of order and command. This is what creates a divide between genders and specifies gender roles in this novel. Without this categorization of the roles and expectations of women, the society would fall apart at the base. Thus, the Commander, being the dominant gender set forth by the society, has control over Offred.
In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the mandatory sex roles and blatant disregard of women’s rights in Gilead work as an effective satire, and it is quite possible that they are viewed by none of it’s citizens as a step in the direction of the common good. In many ways it could have once been seen as the common good, because the system in essence will provide for optimal procreation, but the ways in which Gilead carries out this system are deeply flawed. The way Gilead carries out its half baked ideas is, first and foremost, hilariously satirical when described by Atwood through her use of characters, theme, and the idea of feminism, and taken into question by critic Shirley Neuman.
At first glance John Steinbeck’s "The Chrysanthemums" seems to be a story about a woman whose niche is in the garden. Upon deeper inspection the story has strong notes of feminism in the central character Elisa Allen. Elisa’s actions and feelings reflect her struggle as a woman trying and failing to emasculate herself in a male dominated society. Elisa is at her strongest and most proud in the garden and becomes weak when placed in feminine positions such as going out to dinner with her husband. Steinbeck carefully narrates this woman’s frequent shifts between femininity and masculinity over a short period of time.
English Instructor at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, Cynthia Bily in her article “The Chrysanthemums” (2002) argues that in a male-dominated or practical-minded society, Elisa is oppressed and her chrysanthemums are compensation for what she is missing in her life. She supports her claim by first explaining ecofeminism and how women and nature are connected, the shows how Elisa is limited by her husband and the tinker telling her what she cannot do, then discussing the strength Elisa gets from being one and connecting with the plants, and finally sharing examples of how every man in the story subdues and disrespects nature instead. Bily’s purpose is to show the various connections between Elisa, the men, the plants, and the society in
Feminism as we know it began in the mid 1960's as the Women's Liberation Movement. Among its chief tenants is the idea of women's empowerment, the idea that women are capable of doing and should be allowed to do anything men can do. Feminists believe that neither sex is naturally superior. They stand behind the idea that women are inherently just as strong and intelligent as the so-called stronger sex. Many writers have taken up the cause of feminism in their work. One of the most well known writers to deal with feminist themes is Margaret Atwood. Her work is clearly influenced by the movement and many literary critics, as well as Atwood herself, have identified her as a feminist writer. However, one of Atwood's most successful books, The Handmaid's Tale, stands in stark contrast to the ideas of feminism. In fact, the female characters in the novel are portrayed in such a way that they directly conflict with the idea of women's empowerment.
The Handmaid's Tale presents an extreme example of sexism and misogyny by featuring the complete objectification of women in the society of Gilead. Yet by also highlighting the mistreatment of women in the cultures that precede and follow the Gileadean era, Margaret Atwood is suggesting that sexism and misogyny are deeply embedded in any society and that serious and deliberate attention must be given to these forms of discrimination in order to eliminate them.
There have been many stories of women in other countries undergoing oppression like female genital cutting in Kenya and Egypt, unequal rights in education in India, between men and women, the rising rape cases in Darfur and much more. In fact, Americans are usually aware of such and sometimes charities help out through sending aid in such cases and educating the masses on such practices. Themes in the literature refer to universal ideas that different authors explore in their literary works to communicate a message. In the “The Handmaid’s Tale’ critical reading the author, Margaret Atwood addresses diverse themes, focusing mainly on oppression of women by hierarchical government through cutting women’s rights
The image created by this passage of Serena Joy controlling the flowers by tightly tying them, symbolizes the restrictions used on women in the Gilead society. More specifically, it represents Serena's manipulation over the
While she is there, her duty is to have emotionless, un-erotic intercourse with the Commander, with Serena Joy sitting right behind her while it is happening. This ritual is called “The Ceremony” and they go on until the handmaid can conceive a child for the Commander. For obvious reasons, tension exists between Serena Joy and Offred. At the beginning, Offred’s relationship with both the Commander and his wife is strictly business. This relationship changes when the Commander summons Offred to his office one night. Expecting the worst, Offred nervously goes to his office, only to find out that all he wants to do with her is play Scrabble, but eventually their relationship turns sexual. This is a surprise to Offred, because women are not even permitted to read, let alone have a personal relationship with their bosses. While all of this is going on, Offred’s thoughts become more and more resistant to the ideas of her society. She finds a friend in her shopping partner, Offglen, who is part of a resistance group. After Offred thinks she has found an ally in this crazy world, one day she discovers she is assigned a new shopping partner; she later finds out that the old Offglen has committed suicide. Simultaneously, Serena
Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, the author Margaret Atwood gives the reader an understanding of what life would be like in a theocratic society that controls women’s lives. The narrator, Offred gives the reader her perspective on the many injustices she faces as a handmaid. Offred is a woman who lived before this society was established and when she undergoes the transition to her new status she has a hard time coping with the new laws she must follow. There are many laws in this government that degrade women and give men the authority of each household. All women are placed in each household for a reason and if they do not follow their duties they are sent away or killed. Atwood bases the irrational laws in the Gilead republic on the many
Can social progression exist perpetually, or is regression inevitable? Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel, originally published in 1986, by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The novel is set in a totalitarian, Christian theocracy that has toppled the United States government. The Handmaid's Tale explores themes of women in subjugation to misogyny in a patriarchal society and the various means by which these women gain individuality and
Though Offred is developed as a character through her opinions on female sexuality, she is further characterized by her individuality and willingness to defy her social expectations as a female, assigned to her by her government. In Atwood’s work, the narrative is told by an intelligent individual named Offred who is oppressed by Gilead’s female expectations but is not afraid to defy these assigned roles despite not being a traditional heroine (Nakamura). Even as Offred’s previous identity is stripped away from her, she retains small pieces of her womenhood and individuality through defiant actions such as manipulating men with her feminity from swaying her hips slighty in their line of sight to making direct eye contact with certain men, which she is forbidden from. On the other hand, a major act of rebellion from
Margaret Atwood sheds light on two concepts that are intertwined; fertility and motherhood. Nevertheless in Gilead these notions are often viewed as separate. The Republic State of Gilead views women as child-bearers and nothing more. In Gilead, these women are known as handmaids, who’s function in society is to produce children for barren females of a high status. Gilead also prohibits the handmaids from being mothers to their previously born children, meaning before Gilead was created, for instance, Offred, who is separated from her daughter. Thus it is evident that Margaret Atwood generates a state that views birth only as growth in population rather than the beginning of a relationship between mother and child.