Gender Roles In The Handmaids Tale

769 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme of women and femininity in the handmaid's tale

Once upon a time in the recent future, a country went wrong. The country was called the Republic of Gilead.” The movie The Handmaid’s Tale (1990) is a dystopian society fable. America, now Gilead, is ruled by puritanical right-wing extremists. Gilead has a totalitarian government which suppresses its peoples’ freedom of choice. Gilead has become a male-controlled police state dedicated to the oppression of women. Gilead's separation of men and women into mutually exclusive roles points to a system of binary divisions coded by gender. Although male characters are rarely portrayed in the film, their power is omnipresent. Men are either corridors of power, or are fighting soldiers known as the Angels. In The Handmaids Tale, women are stripped of their real names, their voices, and their rights. They are indoctrinated into the religion-based ideas of this new society where they will be Handmaids. The production of children has become the Republic of Gilead's overarching goal, governing nearly every aspect of life. Women are grouped into classes (Handmaids, Wives, and Marthas). Everyone dresses alike within their social group; clothing serves the purpose of revealing status, but masks individuality. With ninety-nine percent of the female population sterile, handmaids are de-eroticized baby-making machines. Handmaids are forced to lie between the legs of the wives, while their husbands penetrate them in a militaristic way. They are seen as a commodity to the privileged upper-class, and are being indoctrinated by Old Testament orthodoxy. They are treated in a misogynistic way not only by men, but by other woman known as the aunts. The aunts teach moral pieties, and indoctrinate the handmaids through dehumanization. Those who do no... ... middle of paper ... ..., and family, a patriarchy where women are inferior to men. In Gilead, patriarchy is enforced in a variety of ways, including intimidation of women through violence, sexual assault, slut shamming, and goes as far as blaming women for rape. Jeanine: I was raped when I was fourteen by six guys in my high school class. It was at a party we all had been drinking. I thought they were my friends. I had an abortion, but it wasn’t my fault. My mother she made me do it, she would not let me have the baby. Aunt Lydia: Whose fault was it? Handmaids: Her fault, her fault (in unison) Aunt Lydia: Who led them on? Handmaids: She did, she did (in unison) Aunt: Why did God allow such a thing to happen? Handmaids: To teach us a lesson. Aunt Lydia: What is she? Handmaids: A whore, whore, whore (in unison) Jeanine: I didn’t mean to do it. I led them on. Aunt Lydia: Very good Jeanine.

Show More
Related

  • The Handmaid's Tale Women

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Harrison Bergeron And The Handmaid's Tale

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Gilead society the government has attempted to remove the individuality of the citizens in many ways as seen in similarity to Harrison Bergeron with the use of the handicaps. Morano has made it so society is classified into a hierarchy with assigned uniforms of specific colours to display the role within society. The handmaids wear red to symbolise fertility, the 'Wives' wear blue, to display their inability to carry children. From Morano utilising costuming, he has made it so the citizens are defined only by their social and reproductive function, stripping each woman of their identity. Where as in Harrison Bergeron they have lost their individuality due to the fact they are trying to make society equal by handicapping those who are above average "They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way.” This results in the people losing their individ-uality and their humanity. In the Hand Maids Tale, like Morano did with the costuming everyone's identity has been stripped away as although some have more privileges, everyone has been renamed and repositioned “Offred is my name now.” Their loss of individualism is symbolised by their generic titles such as the men are classed as the 'Commanders,' and the ‘Eyes’ which is different to Harrison Bergeron’s society as they are not assigned to specific roles, but are still stripped of their individuality. The two authors have utilised individuality suppression to create societies that the citizens are inter-changeable and replaceable with each other, displaying an unfavourable

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Handmaids

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the gilead society, women are placed in a social hierarchy in which they are defined by their role. The wives are the elite members. The handmaids are the people who produced babies. Marthas are the house servants. Aunts are a prestigious group of people who trained handmaids. Econowives are low class women. However, none of the women are defined as people with their own personalities and interests. Instead, Women are seen as objects that belong to men. Econowives belong to the Guardians. The wives, marthas,

    Read More

  • Gender Role In The Handmaid's Tale

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Margaret Atwood Create A Dystopian Society

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her novel, Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood conceives a dystopian society, set sixteen years from now, in which the United States has become the New Republic of Gilead. This version of the future takes root because of a nuclear and biological war that leaves many women unable to reproduce. Thus, those who are still fertile are treated as illicit liaisons for rich older couples who want a child but cannot. These fertile women are called “handmaids,” a term referring to a story in the Bible, where Rachel sends her handmaid to Jacob to bear him a child in her stead. Although it is arguable that Margaret Atwood fails to create a convincing dystopian society in her novel, it is plausible that today’s current events, laden with war, sexism, and

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste.

    Read More

  • Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Handmaids Tale Analysis

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, social turmoil after a staged terrorist attack has led to a totalitarian Christian regime. In this dystopian future, the roles of men and women are much different than in today’s society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are unequal because they have no choice about their bodies, their dress, or their relationships.

    Read More

  • Handmaid's Tale Thesis

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    High standing women support Gilead’s existence by willingly participating in it, serving as means of the totalitarian state. Offred is oppressed by this theme of complacency mainly because she is restricted of her personal freedoms.

    Read More

  • Handmaid's Tale Power

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    In regards to gender roles, Gilead heavily enforces patriarchal values onto its citizens. The gap in social status between the women and men of this society illustrates the “extremes of traditional roles” (Gale, 1). In Gilead, the Commanders uphold the highest rankings in society. The positions Commanders obtain lift them onto a pedestal of power in which they hover over the lower rankings of both men and women. This suffocating authority that smothers the Handmaids exemplifies the idea that, in society, “what is negated is woman’s identity as defined by men, and as enshrined the patriarchal family.” (Castells, 234).The lack in equality motivates Offred to attempt to break free from the crooked system. However, not all of the external powers originate from the routine patriarchal acts

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Feminist Criticism Of The Handmaid's Tale

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Essay On The Hierarchy Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    The hierarchy of women goes as such: Commander’s Wives, Aunts, Marthas, Handmaids, Econowives, and Unwomen. Commanders are at the head of their household. Every woman within these ranks has settled into their roles as part of the Republic except for the Unwomen, those who refused to become a part of their society under any circumstances--those who are sent to work camps and separated from the rest of the world. Aside from them, the rest of the Republic's women all serve men in one way or another. Women are made to believe that the roles assigned to them are to be seen as a great honor. Outwardly, women accept these roles with little to no retaliation, but inwardly and amongst each other, many perform small acts of rebellion against their overseers. One woman who partook in many of these acts is referred to as Offred throughout the story; however, her real name is never revealed.

    Read More

  • Relationships and Religion in "The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood the themes of Religion and inter-human relationships are the themes that are most evident in the text. This novel shows the possibility of the existence of an all-powerful governing system. This is portrayed through the lack of freedom for women in society, from being revoked of their right to own any money or property, to being stripped of their given names and acquiring names such as Offred and Ofglen, symbolizing women’s dependant existence, only being defined by the men which they belong to. This portrayal of women demonstrates the idea that individuals are unimportant, that the goals of the society as a whole are more pertinent. “For our purposes, your feet and your hands are not essential” (chapter 15) is a quote revealing that Gilead denies rights to individuals and to humankind. In The Handmaids Tale, handmaids are only considered of value for their ability to reproduce, otherwise they are disposable. Religion is an aspect very prominent in the society of Gilead. We see this in chapter 4, where Ofglen and Offred meet and th...

    Read More

  • Fertility and Motherhood in The Handmaid´s Tale by Margaret Atwood

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Gender Roles In The Handmaids Tale

Open Document