The novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” illustrates the life of women in the Republic of Gilead. The current government was replaced by monotheocratic dictatorship which is centered on biblical principles. Furthermore, this new regime immediately took away the women’s rights such as the right to have a job, properties of their own, and money (Rothstein, p. 1). The protagonist in the novel is a woman, previously have control over her life, but this power was instantly taken away from her by the new government. For instance, she was told by the director of her current job that women cannot work anymore because of the new law. She was not able to use her card when she tried to buy cigarettes in the store (Atwood, p. 175-177). While reading the “The Handmaid’s …show more content…
Sitting on the top of the Pyramid of Power is a white man wearing a nice suit and holding a child. Being at the top only means that he holds the ultimate power. One woman and other men were placed below those people who hold the ultimate power. The reason she was placed in this category is not because of her gender, but rather a privilege she got from a man. By analyzing the picture, it can be concluded that men have the power and control, especially to women. In the novel, the Commanders, who are high-rank officials in the Republic of Gilead clearly hold the power. As stated by Offred (protagonist), the Wives of the commanders have the power over women in the households, such as the Handmaid and Martha. If these women misbehave or commit crimes, the commander wives should decide what discipline is appropriate. Being the wives of high-ranking officials, they have the privilege to be placed at the top social level. In addition, they are given the opportunity to control other women below their level. Offred states that if she gets caught by the commander wife for meeting her husband secretly, she will be in big trouble. However, she states “But to refuse to see him could be worse. There’s no doubt about who holds the real power” (Atwood, p. 136). This statement of hers is emphasizing that men have more power …show more content…
According to Freidman, these women are keeping the image that society has placed on them, but they are unhappy about it. Having no career outside home is becoming issue to them, and they are being tired of doing the same daily routines at home. “The Problem with No Name” can be connected to the life of the commander’s wife, Serene Joy. Offred says that Serena Joy used to sing and make speeches on television. Her “speeches are about the sanctity of the home, about how women should stay home.” Now, she stays at home and become speechless (Atwood, p. 46). Offred describes her as “a woman so obviously dried-up and unhappy” (Atwood, p. 61). The women in Freidman’s work and the wives of the commanders are both facing similar problems. Even though their social level is better than other women, they are still unhappy about their
The novel “The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood shows the way of life for women in the
Staels, Hilde. "Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; Resistance Through Narrating ." English Studies (1995): 455-467.
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,
In Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, women are subjected to unthinkable oppression. Practically every aspect of their life is controlled, and they are taught to believe that their only purpose is to bear children for their commander. These “handmaids” are not allowed to read, write or speak freely. Any type of expression would be dangerous to the order of the Gilead’s strict society. They are conditioned to believe that they are safer in this new society. Women are supposedly no longer exploited or disrespected (pornography, rape, etc.) as they once were. Romantic relationships are strongly prohibited because involving emotion would defeat the handmaid’s sole purpose of reproducing. Of course not all women who were taken into Gilead believed right what was happening to their way of life. Through the process of storytelling, remembering, and rebellion, Offred and other handmaids cease to completely submit to Gilead’s repressive culture.
...entioned forms of Offred’s power were not physical power. She also has the most physical power as she is the person who carries the baby and gets pregnant. Then later in the novel after Serena suggests about seeing Nick. Offred is given a cigarette and then a match and with that match Offred could burn the house down killing the Commander and Serena and then trying to escape. She could burn herself so that she no longer has to live or suffer the indignity of being continually raped by this society.
Callaway, Alanna A., "Women disunited : Margaret Atwood's The handmaid's tale as a critique of feminism" (2008). Master's Theses. Paper 3505.
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 are two kinds of freedom, “freedom from and freedom to” (31) throughout Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Freedom from is a negative liberty that involves external restriction to a person’s actions. On the other hand there is freedom to, a positive liberty the one can act upon their own free will. The two different categories of freedom are discussed and debated through a feminist view point. We explore and try to understand the way in which the difference between “freedom from” and “freedom to” is applied to females in society. This novel gives us two contrasting ways of liberal thinking. You are free if no one is stopping you from doing whatever you might want to. The story appears, in this sense, to be free. On the other hand, one can
She realizes the privilege that she had after she lost it and now she wants it back, at least for a second. Now, she is craving freedom, freedom that she used to have before. Offred talks about the room that she lives in now, but she doesn’t call it “her room”. She remembers about the hotel rooms that she used to live in with her husband, about all the rights that she used to have, saying: “It seems like something so impossible now, like something you’d make up” (Atwood 50). After men took over Gilead, the past seems like people are talking about fairytales, like it is something made up.
The hierarchical aspects of the society were displayed by contrasting the accessibility of resources between the commanders in charge to the handmaids. The limit in the amount of objects that handmaids had in comparison to what commanders had was very distinct. The novel implied that the commander in which Offred belonged to was high up on the Gilead’s ladder, being politically and influentially. Despite word and opinion which was a driving force in forming the Republic of Gilead it was declared banned because of the Gilead’s authoritarian government establishment. Commanders may have had the power to enforce rules but they disregarded them if they did not suit their wishes.
In the household, the Commander is the most powerful, with a servant assigned to him. A strong argument of patriarchy is the name given to the main character itself. “My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden.” (Atwood 99). The names that the women are given are the names of the Commander. Offred means of Fred, the commander. This shows the discrimination of Handmaids through the stripping of rights, and also shows the reader which gender is the authoritative figure. It is clearly shown that there is a clear line that shows the power of men and the submissiveness of women.
The more power people get, the more freedom they feel they have. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a society that was created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any necessary means including persecution and death. However, characters that play the role in the dystopian fiction novel from “The Handmaid’s Tale” by, Margaret Atwood have certain roles that leads them to do things they are not allowed to. Atwood reveals that power leads to breaking laws as emphasized through the tone of the Commander and Offred, the plot twist of Serena Joy, and the metaphor of Moira. In the novel the Commander and Offred go from being characters that follow Gilead's rules to breaking them due to the Commander having power to do whatever
The roles of Nick and the Commander in society show stratification within the male gender. Initially, the men appear to have dominion over the women. They are the ones in power, the heads of the household, like the Commander. The men act as guards and have access to upward mobility in society. Their ability to move is shown during the marriage ceremony, when Offred says that “The Angels will qualify for Handmaids, later, especially if their new wives can’t produce. But you girls are stuck,” (221). Contrary to those in power, Nick still adheres to their past societal values. The passing comments he makes towards Offred, saying “Nice walk?” while Offred replies “I nod, but I do not answer with my voice. He isn’t supposed to speak to me,” (45), which demonstrate how Nick disregards societal boundaries. The Commander at first plays a very different role. He appears secure in his dominion, believing that the women are now
Offred’s own pursuit of sexual release brought her to enjoy her sexual encounters with Nick, the commander’s driver, which were organized by Serena joy after she realized the commander was sterile. Offred took the opportunity of sleeping with Nick not only to obey Serena but to indulge in her own pleasure, it provided her with a small hint of meaning in life. Shortly after Offred was sent to live in a Commander’s home, the Commander asked her to privately meet him in his office in the late evenings. Both of them played scrabble, and read magazines during their meetings. Once the Commander took Offred to the Jezebels and they indulged in sexual intercourse, notwithstanding without Offred’s mutual consent.
For centuries now, women have been seen to be the weakest social group. They are disallowed to act the way they want. They are disallowed to freely say what they want. They are silenced. In the Handmaid’s tale, the Gilead regime, a totalitarian state, and religious autocracy take full power and completely forbids communication.