Oppression In The Handmaid's Tale

In Night, the Jews were confined and imprisoned in the concentration camps because they were destined to be murdered in a systematic manner by the Nazis. An example of the systematic murdering tactic used is the selection process. This was the process in which the Jews had their age and fitness checked to determine who was old and fit enough to work, and who was to be murdered. An example of this is when Elie and his father first arrived to Birkenau an inmate said, “Not fifty. You're forty. Do you hear? Eighteen and forty”(Wiesel 30). The inmate said this so the father and son could avoid death upon entry. In Night, The Jews represented resentfulness and disgust in the eyes of the Nazis. However in The Handmaid’s Tale the Handmaids are

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restricted to certain rights and freedom because their only role is to have kids and make certain that the population of the state stays stable.

In the novel, the Handmaids represent stability and importance, and completely contradict the symbolism of the Jews in the concentration camps. Even though both patriarchal societies abuse its power and confine its prisoners, the reasoning between the confinements varies significantly. Similarly, the oppression put upon the masses by the patriarchal systems causes the oppressed to lose their belief in God and the idea of religion as a whole. Both novels clearly describe the negative consequences that oppression has on an individual’s beliefs in a higher power. In Night we begin the story with Elie, who is a young boy in a predominantly Jewish community who is eager to learn about his religion despite resistance from his father. In the beginning Ellie’s actions prove that he is very devoted to his religious practices and they hold significance to him. An example of this is when the Jews in Night were about to begin their journey to the first concentration camp Elie is quoted saying, “I was up at dawn. I wanted to have time to pray before leaving” (Wiesel 18). This proves that

despite all of the chaos and disorganization that comes along with an unwanted journey, Elie still manages to prioritize his prayers and thus hold strongly to his faith. However, as the story moves forward and Elie and the rest of the Jews struggle to survive among the oppression, many of them begin to question the existence of God and become separated from their religious practices. The quote, “There followed terrible days. We received more blows than food. The work was crushing. And three days after he left, we forgot to say Kaddish”(Wiesel 77), proves that the struggles of concentration camps became so horrible and consistent that many of the Jews became distant from their religion to the point that the thought of keeping their religious promises did not even
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cross their mind.

Additionally, in The Handmaid’s Tale all of the females were banned from reading the bible. Only the commander was allowed to read the bible, while the rest of the home listened. This was damaging to Offred’s connection with her beliefs because she recalled, “I would watch the Growing Souls Gospel Hour, where they would tell Bible stories for children and sing hymns. One of the women was called Serena Joy” (Atwood 20). This shows that Offred was likely a devoted Christian and taking away her ability to read the bible separated her from her faith and thus her beliefs and values. The oppressive behavior by the systems in control significantly influences the daily lives and practices of the oppressed. Continuous struggle and torture enhances the separation between the individual and a higher being. Although both novels describe the affect that abuse of power has on an individual’s beliefs and values, both novels did not intend for this shift in mindset to take place. In Night the separation from religion was not an intended goal for the Nazis as far as the novel describes it. However, the treatment upon the Jews within the concentration camps by the Nazis was so terrible that many Jews could not comprehend why an all knowing God could let this happen to them, thus they become distant from their religion. The Nazis ultimate goal was not to erase the faith of the Jews but to erase the Jews themselves. Conversely, in The Handmaid’s Tale the system in

charge separated the females from practicing Christianity because the system did not want the females to have the same right as men. If the females were allowed to read the bible it would only increase equality between men and women. Increasing the rights and freedoms of the females would automatically decrease the power of the patriarchal society, and so the system did not allow the females to practice their faith. It is evident that both systems abused their power separating the masses from their beliefs, however the shift in values
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was not a desired outcome in both novels. Altogether it is quite clear that abuse of power has a significant influence on the minds and actions of the oppressed. To conclude, the treatment in both novels upon the oppressed significantly altered the lifestyle of the masses. Through constant and continuous struggle for survival the helpless lost their identity, became confined by others, and lost their connection with their beliefs. In order to stay in control and achieve the desired outcomes the systems in charge tyrannized the masses and molded the weak based on their personal desires. In both novels the actions of the dominant upon the powerless clearly displays the theme of abuse of power, and its negative repercussions on the life of others.