How Does Margaret Atwood Use Language In The Handmaid's Tale

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In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood dissects words and/or phrases through the voice of the main character, Offred. Women are not allowed to read or write in Gilead, and Atwood uses this to prove just how valuable language is. Having the book narrated by a woman who grew up with freedom of speech and then having that right taken away from her, allows for the feelings of restriction. Offred would know that she was being discriminated against being a woman. Whereas, if Offred had grown up in the society of Gilead, she would have been ignorant of gender equality. Therefore, Offred wouldn’t have had the same thoughts of wishing to be free, since Gilead would have been all she’d known. Offred continues to express her language musings throughout the book, because one will never know how much they actually appreciate something until it’s gone. Offred, as well as the other women, has limitations of language. Women have only a certain amount of phrases that they can say to one another. Some of those phrases include, “Praise be”, “May the Lord open”, and “Blessed be the fruit”. Having limitations on words is like having a limitation on clothes; it stops expression. People are individuals, but Margaret Atwood makes it so in Gilead women are simply tools of reproduction. …show more content…

For instance, the word ‘Mayday’ is derived from the French “m’aidez” which means “help me”, this certain word could be considered a hint by Margaret Atwood as to what happened to Luke since there is no information on what has become of him. The word ‘Mayday’ was used in the book to act as a code, and by having the word origin itself be something that most people wouldn’t discuss with their husbands, and because they shared a connection with it, the reader might guess that Luke was involved with the rebellion taking

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