Similarities Between 1984 And The Handmaid's Tale

Orwell’s novel ‘1984’, explores the concept of power and how members of society succumb to it through coercive behavior from dictatorial leaders. He further examines how a movement and organization can manipulate the way individuals act and respond to the world around them. This is also evident in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ where an organization has the power to influence the opinions and beliefs of others, thus endangering their freedom of thought. Likewise, in ‘The Summoner’s Tale’ the organization of religion and religious figures has the ability to manipulate the masses.
‘1984’ is based on a society that is dominated by a charismatic leader. He has the capacity to powerfully influence the people through a series of propaganda posters which are

‘plastered everywhere’. The overwhelming presence of such posters, with the slogan ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’ evokes feelings of fear and control, which can have the ability to manipulate the masses. The slogan is capitalized to further emphasize this point. During World War 2, the propaganda posters powerfully convinced many men to enlist in the army due to the war crisis. However, in ‘1984’ there was no ongoing war to warrant such extreme propaganda. Therefore, Orwell’s novel is more closely related to the propaganda exhibited by Hitler prior to World War 2, who sought solidarity through charismatic leadership. Orwell uses a metaphor ‘BIG BROTHER’ as a linguistic tool of exaggeration, whereby he makes a mockery unlikelihood of constantly being watched. (Voorhees 1986)
Likewise, Chaucer presents the character of the Friar as an instigator of power, who in turn seeks to manipulate the people in the society around him. He also uses speech to spread fear with his threats of ‘flesshhook’ and ‘oules’. This is a mere ploy to manipulate people into buying his ‘trentals’. Furthermore, as a religious figure he can make a powerful impact upon those who are believers in his elevated position over them. Unfortunately, due to the time era, Chaucer is unable to influence as many people in society as in the novel, ‘1984’, because of the limitations of visual and mass communication. Similar to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, where like Oceania, Gilead also uses propaganda to influence their citizens’ opinions and beliefs.
The Friar uses the people’s religious beliefs and fear of hell in order to manipulate them.

He uses religious phrases, such as ‘cristes sake’ in order to create angst amongst the masses, and then uses their fear to sell his ‘trentals’. Throughout ‘The Summoner’s Tale’ the Friar uses these religious sayings of ‘cristes sake’ and prayers ‘qui cum patre’ in order to project himself as a holy man, which comes across as unnatural. In doing so, he gains power through spiritual manipulation of the masses. This is reinforced by his multiple references to the seven deadly sins, such as when the Friar contradicts the role of the Currat by calling him ‘ful necligent and slowe’. The harsh language of ‘slowe’ is used to instill feelings of guilt. This could also be dramatic irony as one could argue that the Friar himself has proven to be ‘ful necligent and slowe’. The Friar’s own actions heavily contrasts what he both preaches and advocates, which Chaucer uses to reflect the heavy controversy and accusations of corruption surrounding the church at this time. Political leaders have a greater influence on individuals and society as a whole, due to the formation of governments and freedom to vote for leaders in Western

Countries.
We could also consider religion as a tool of manipulation in Orwell’s ‘1984’, if we consider its close relationship to consciousness, faith and truth, which are all things ‘the Party’ attempts to control. Oceania is a far stricter society than the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, as in ‘The Summoner’s Tale’. For example, when O’Brien states ‘We are the priests of power’ ‘God is power’, he is comparing the Party to God. This suggests that the Party has complete control over the society, demonstrated throughout the novel, and has replaced God as the figurehead of this powerful force. Critic V. S. Pritchett said ‘It is with this moral corruption of absolute political power that Mr Orwell's novel is concerned’. Orwell uses the fictional ‘instrument’ of the ‘telescreen’ in order to show how civilians can’t escape ‘BIG BROTHER’. The fact that it only ‘sank somewhat’ implies that it can’t be turned off, which emphasizes the constant presence of ‘BIG BROTHER’. Later we learn that, through the ‘telescreen, ‘any sound’ ‘could be seen as well as heard’. This supports the fact that in this society there is no freedom of speech or to act, and that ‘BIG BROTHER’ is omniscient. It also shows how such a rigid society and the element of uncertainty creates feelings of anxiety and paranoia among its people. This was also practiced during Gestapo era in the 1940s and in the Communist countries after the war, where phone calls where monitored. It is through these feelings of extreme fear that the Party can control and manipulate its citizens, and achieve a power similar to that of God. Similar opinions of freedom are portrayed in Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ through the symbolism of “A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.” The symbol of the ‘rat’ in a ‘maze’ is used to make the reader think about what is true freedom. As rats in mazes usually think that they are free, but in reality they are trapped. In this instance, the Maids are the ‘rats’, who are restricted to the confines of the town, but are manipulated into thinking they are free. Comparable to the slogan ‘Freedom is Slavery’ in ‘1984’, where the use of the oxymoron is to deter the Proles from seeking liberation, by creating a false sense of freedom.
We can also see the power of the Party, in Orwell’s ‘1984’, as they easily shape the past and rewrite history.

It is through the destruction of information and media that they are able to manipulate their citizens, because all of their memories ‘faded away into a shadow-world’. ‘Shadow’ is a vague noun and creates a sense of unclearness and confusion, thus portraying the people as weak and vulnerable. It is through this that the Party are able to make society totally dependent on the information they have provided, making people easy to manipulate. This is also demonstrated in Orwell’s novel ‘Animal Farm’, where Major (a boar) manipulates the weak and vulnerable animals on the farm (Orwell 1945). In addition, they claim it is a privilege to be the person that destroys or ‘rectifies’ these records- almost like a competition. For example, Winston is ‘not troubled’ when he lies for the Party, but he is rather ‘anxious’ that it should be ‘perfect’. His descriptive use of adjectives creates an element of pride in his tone. This is shocking to the reader, as even the character most judgmental of the Party cannot help but succumb to their manipulation, which highlights the extent of their power over the society. As well as the Party’s ability to control the past, they actually seem to control reality, which is seen in the statement ‘two plus two equals five’. As this is clearly a false statement it highlights how the Party are able to turn lies into truths and manipulate the people

into believing almost anything. With this ability they have total dominance and power over the masses.
This is a similar statement to ‘one and one and one and one doesn't equal four’ in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. This highlights the importance of individuality, as ‘each one is unique’. This idea contrasts the idea of ‘1984’ where they are living in a Communist society where individuality is heavily oppressed, which is explored later. In ‘The Summoner’s Tale’ when told by Thomas’ wife ‘My child is deed withinne thise wykes two’ the Friar reply’s ‘I dar wel seyn that, er that half an hour’, which is an unsympathetic response. He exploits the sensitive situation by lying to her, instead of offering any condolences. Not only does this portray him as moral-less and cold, but shows the extent he is willing to lie in order to get what he wants. Both the Party and the Friar are similar in this way.
It is possible to argue that Orwell’s ‘1984’ presents a far more extreme example of manipulation over the masses, and therefore, it is a far more powerful force than the Friar, analyzing ‘The Summoner’s Tale’. We see the extent of the Party’s manipulation through their control over actions and thought. Orwell uses the metaphor of the fictional language ‘Newspeak’ to demonstrate the oppression of limiting individuality. This is reinforced when Orwell states, through the character of Syme, "By 2050—earlier, probably—all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared”. The juxtaposition of ‘Oldspeak’ against ‘Newspeak’ creates a fearful tone as the elimination of language and writing could be seen as an attempt to minimize self-expression within society, something we need in order to form bonds and relationships with others. This is effective in manipulating the masses by making ‘BIG BROTHER’ their only familiar figure, thus making them emotionally dependent of the Party. Reliance and dependence produce power. This may reflect Orwell’s own fear of the decline in language, and is used as a warning to readers that a government that controls language and literature is manipulating the minds of its citizens. Between 1933 to 1945, for example, the Nazis decided what literature would be available to the German people. Any books, film or music that didn’t convey their views were censored, and in many instances thousands of books would be burned.
Where as in Orwell’s ‘1984’, the techniques of manipulation are far more psychological, Chaucer takes a far more direct approach through the character of the Friar. Which is seen again later in the tale, when the Friar uses flattery in order to manipulate Thomas, a ‘syk man’, into opening his home to him- when he calls him ‘Thomas, freend’. This also has a tone of familiarity which could suggest that the Friar has visited many times before. This could show how the Friar abuses people’s hospitality, and the fact that he is a ‘syk man’ again shows how the Friar tends to pray on the weak and vulnerable. Further in the tale we can see the same technique of flattery used again with Thomas’ wife. The Friar greets Thomas’ wife in a salacious and indecent manner. Through the use of the possessive adjective ‘oure’ he implies that Thomas’ wife is shared between them, which comes across as an improper way to reference another man’s wife. The Friar then proceeds to embrace and kiss Thomas’ wife, ‘and hire embraceth in his armes narwe’. This intimate act is inappropriate conduct for a holy man, as religious figures are supposed to have limited contact with women. In addition to flattering Thomas’ wife with actions, he also flatters her with words, when he tells her he has never seen ‘so fair a wyfe’. The inappropriate discourse of ‘fair’ encourages flirtation, which contrasts with any vows of chastity the Friar may have taken, as the Friar comes across as overtly sexual. This again shows the hypocrisy of the church and the deceitfulness of the Friar. It suggests that the Friar only uses flirtation as a way to get what he wants from Thomas’ wife, and is another example of the techniques the Friar uses to take advantage of this family. It does seem to be an effective use of manipulation as Thomas’ Wife ‘cherpith like a sparrow’. The author uses the metaphor the ‘sparrow’ indicating Thomas’ wife’s affectionate feelings towards the Friar, as a sparrow usually represents love and commitment. The use of onomatopoeia also indicates a sense of happiness and excitement. While we could interpret these actions as caring and harmless, it seems the Friar instead exploits these feelings for food and shelter, creating a sort of emotional power over Thomas’ wife.
This heavily contrasts Orwell’s ‘1984’ where power comes from separating the sexes, rather than the joining of sexes. In ‘1984’ the Party appears to have tainted all of the relationships. Their purpose’s to keep society as emotionally disconnected from one another as possible, and to hinder any form of bonding in relationships. For example, the use of the mandatory term ‘Comrade’ is dehumanizing and therefore could be used in order to create the feeling of unfamiliarity between the people, as it’s so impersonal. Since the Russian Revolution, the term has often been associated with Communism and as a result creates an illusion of equality, but instead strips them of their identity and individuality. Furthermore, people who live in Communist society sense feelings of suppression as they are unable to leave their countries freely. However, as they live from day to day within that same society, it is far more difficult for them to make realistic comparisons. This shows how through the manipulation of relationships, the Party are able to repress and isolate the masses, thus weakening them. It is through the people’s weakness that the power is gained. Additionally, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ depicts a society where almost all forms of relationship are forbidden, in order to maintain a hierarchy of the sexes where men hold far more power than women. For example, the name ‘Of Fred’ is possessive and therefore gives the Commander, 'Fred', an ownership over her.
Furthermore, the Friar results to insulting Thomas in order to intimidate and manipulate him. He even compares Thomas to an angry ‘womman’, as a form of de-emasculation, which can be seen as childish, and him turning to such pettiness may also highlight the Friars growing frustration of Thomas. A lexical set of anger creates a hostile atmosphere and is used as a weapon to demoralize Thomas, weakening him so that he is easier to exploit. Thus giving the Friar what he wants, which is food and money. Therefore, ironically Thomas manipulates the Friar as the Friar overtly displays his weaknesses by becoming angry with him, resulting in loss of his power. Critics state that the Friar is the ‘true angry man of the tale’. This is similar to the hostile and bleak atmosphere Orwell creates in ‘1984’. The novel opens with the noun phrase of the ‘bright cold day’. The stark image creates a harsh opening to the novel and foreshadows that such a rigid and controlled society may appear to be bright on the surface but its underlying concept is cold and lacks human warmth.
In conclusion, it is evident to see how propaganda and charismatic leadership have the ability to control the masses in society. Both Orwell and Chaucer explore this concept through the development of the characters of Winston and The Friar. Winston’s restriction of freedom, noted in Orwell’s ‘1984’, showcases that communism provides a false sense of equality. During the Cold War Stalin executed many citizens who refused to conform to the rigid rules and power seeking behavior, displayed by himself and those who governed around him. Additionally, although The Friar is limited to how many people he can manipulate, due to the restrictions of communication during this era, he still has the ability to promote his leadership status above others in society. Despite being written in three different time periods, ranging from the late 1300s to 1985, all of the texts poses the same underlining concept, that through the manipulation of others that we are able to form structures of power, authority and hierarchy, whether it be social, political or religious.