Similarities Between 1984 And The Handmaid's Tale

1984 by George Orwell and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood are two novels about a dystopian society. These books are both about fear of the government and the world’s fate. Both books may seem unrealistic now, but the future is a great mystery. Although frightening, the world can become what the books predict. 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale have totalitarian societies, strict rules with penalties for having your own or different beliefs and main characters who have goals and see beyond the government.
In a totalitarian society the government holds full authority over society and controls all aspects of life. In 1984, Big Brother and the government watch the people of Oceania’s every move. There is no privacy, as helicopters

fly around looking into people’s windows (Orwell 2). There are reminders of Big Brother everywhere; on coins, stamps, posters, books and cigarette wrappers (Orwell 27). The people are reminded each day that “Big Brother is watching you,” (Orwell 2). Each week during the Two Minutes of Hate, people worship and chant “B-B!... B-B!..” (Orwell 16). George Orwell creates a world where telescreens monitor people’s every action, speech, and expressions at any given time (Orwell 3).
No members of the society are allowed to speak out or think against the government (Orwell 19). Winston has to keep his opinions about Big Brother strictly to himself because any person in society, even his friends would turn him into the Thought Police. If a person appears to have a different thought or an improper facial expression other than what the government believes, that person could be arrested by the Thought Police and eventually killed (Orwell 8). Hangings occur monthly and are seen as entertainment. Mrs. Parson’s son roared, “Why can’t we go and see the hanging?” (Orwell 23). Children are trained to go against their parents and report their parents to the Thought Police if they suspect crime (Orwell 24). In Winston’s society your worst enemy is your own nervous system because it could translate your visible symptoms. Another danger that is hard to control is talking in your sleep (Orwell 64). It is also not safe to write letters because the government reads all letters before they are sent (Orwell 112).
Truth does not exist in Oceania and the past can be undone and fixed to the way the government wants it to be (Orwell 29). The past, facts and dates are changed continuously and there is no telling what the truth is (Orwell 79). It is normal for the government to lie and most people do not even realize it or just agree with it, “The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth” (Orwell 75). During Hate Week while a member of the Inner Party was making a speech, in mid-sentence Oceania’s enemy changed to Eastasia. People immediately did believe that Oceania was always at war with Eastasia (Orwell 182).
Winston’s goal is to test the government’s power and rebel. Winston is inquisitive and wants to understand how and why the Party has absolute power in Oceania. He commits numerous crimes, such as writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (Orwell 18) in his diary, having an affair with Julia, (Orwell 126) and joining the fake anti-party brotherhood with O’Brien (Orwell 103). Sadly, Winston does not achieve his goal of freedom from the Party. O’Brien tricks Winston and as a punishment, Winston is forced to go through physical and psychological torture. O’Brien tortures Winston by threatening him with starving rats that will devour his face (Orwell 285). Also, anything that O’Brien tells Winston, Winston has to believe and agree that it is true, even the most ridiculous things, such as “2 +2 = 5” (Orwell 290). With this constant torture, by the end of the novel Winston is a loyal follower of the Party and Big Brother.
Society was not always like this; in fact it was very different before the government took over. Before the Revolution the proles were oppressed by capitalists, starved and flogged. The Party claimed that they saved them from all these horrors (Orwell 70). Women also worked in coal mines and children were sold into factories when they turned six (Orwell 71). The rich men were called capitalists who owned everything in the world. If anyone disobeyed a capitalist, they could be sent to prison, without a job or starved. The Party makes the people of Oceania feel and believe that they are much better off now, than in the past before the Revolution (Orwell 73). George Orwell wrote the novel 1984 in 1949 as a warning of what life might be like in 1984 if government power increased and human values decreased due to the advancement of technology (Orwell 313). Orwell lived during the atomic wars, which had a great influence on the book. Orwell ties the atomic wars into his novel by having Oceania constantly being at war with Eastasia or Eurasia. Orwell fears that the future will ruin human nature in a way that an individual will forget his or her longing for freedom, dignity, integrity, love and how to simply be a human (Orwell 318).
The Handmaid’s Tale, is also a society where the government has full control. There is no way to escape what the society believes or what you are forced to believe because “The Republic of Gilead, said Aunt Lydia, knows no bounds. Gilead is within you” (Atwood 23). The government’s goal is to have complete control of reproduction and women. Women are seen as a set of ovaries and a body to carry the next generation. Each handmaid is assigned to a household and a commander. There is a scheduled ceremony in which all handmaids are forced to have sexual intercourse with the Commander (Atwood 93). They are not seen as an individual and are forbidden to have a job or property and vote (Atwood 23). The stores have symbols instead of words because reading and writing are forbidden (Atwood 25). Women are not even allowed to use their real name, “My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden” (Atwood 82).
The Eyes are known as Gilead’s police or spies for the government. Anyone can be an Eye and the people of Gilead assume that they are always being watched. The Eyes drive a black van with the white-winged eye on the side (Atwood 169). An “unwoman” is a woman without viable ovaries and who does not serve any purpose in society. These women can be sent to the Colonies and be put to work until they die or are killed (Atwood 119). Due to pollution, there is an increase in Gilead of deformed babies, which are called “unbabies.” “Unbabies” and “unwomen” are not recognized as humans (Atwood 112). “Gender treachery” or homosexuality is not accepted in society and a person may be hung if captured. The wall is where bodies of priests, nuns and homosexuals are hung and displayed to the society (Atwood 43).
The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in the United States, in what is now Boston, Massachusetts.

The President was shot and Congress was overthrown. The Constitution was also suspended and the military then took over. People did not riot or fight for their rights because they were too scared to do anything (Atwood 174). Women were not protected in the past and were told not to open their door to anyone. There were no uniforms or dress codes. Women used to be employed and earned their own money (Atwood 24). During the pre-Gilead period birthrates were decreasing because of syphilis, AIDS, stillbirths, miscarriages and genetic deformities. This decrease in birthrates was linked to nuclear power plants (Atwood 304). In response to this, the Gilead banned birth control and required pregnancy tests for all females (Atwood

305).
Offred’s and all the other handmaids’ main goal is to get pregnant.

By the end of the novel, Offred and the other handmaids that live with her do not achieve the goal of conceiving a child. It is not a thought that the Commander might be sterile, but instead the blame is put on the handmaids (Atwood 204). Offred’s goal is to have control of her own body, have freedom and be happy. Throughout the novel, Offred hears Aunt Lydia’s voice in her head discouraging her from having any thoughts against the government and telling her she is better off living in Gilead. Although Aunt Lydia’s voice is always with Offred, Offred does secretly meet up with the Commander and enjoys things of the past (Atwood

144).
Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale to demonstrate how even if the government has total control over a society, people can always find a way to be human and follow their natural instincts. The Commander says “You can’t cheat Nature,” meaning that a person’s human instincts will prevail over everything, even if it is breaking the law (Atwood 237). Offred and the Commander break several rules, such as meeting up and forming a friendly relationship, playing scrabble, looking through magazines and drinking alcohol (Atwood 144). All these things were traces of the past that is currently forbidden in Gilead. Offred often thinks of the past and her motherly instinct will not let her forget about her child (Atwood 64). Atwood can also be seen as a feminist writer since this novel was written in the point of view of a woman and there are many more female characters in the story than male. The women are expected to support and be loyal to one another during pregnancy, within the household, and in sickness (Atwood 126).
1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale are novels with dystopian societies. Both books have totalitarian governments, in which the characters have little freedom and are told what to believe in. If a character does not follow society there are severe penalties in each book, such as death. The authors wrote these books as a message to warn people of what may become of the future. The past may be history or can be changed the way the government wants it to be, but the future will always be a great mystery.