Similarities Between Handmaids And Housewives

Handmaid’s and Housewives: parallels of a life “I ought to feel hatred for this man. I know I ought to feel it, but it isn’t what I do feel. What I feel is more complicated than that. I don’t know what to call it. It isn’t love” (58 Atwood). The story of Offred is synonymous to the trials and tribulations of a housewife. A patriarchal society where women had no value other than giving birth to children. In the Novel, we are taken back to a time where genders had specific roles and duties in a society. Women in the 1960’s were responsible for taking care of the house and children and had no room for aspirations outside of that. Handmaids face the same daunting task of leaving their dreams behind to achieve a common goal, survival. In the Handmaid’s

Handmaids did not know they would end up where they are but now they are all in the same boat with different strategies to stay afloat. Some women rebel from the status quo, from what’s expected, and others fall in line to avoid the consequence of attempting to acquire what they truly desire which is freedom. Freedom to dream, love, express, and to be what they desire to be. This internal conflict is similar between a handmaid and housewife. Offred describes a moment where she thinks of stealing something from the Commanders room.” It would make me feel that I have power. But such a feeling would be an illusion, and too risky.” (81, Atwood) Offred yearns for merely the idea of power, the ability to makes one’s own decisions. In the article “A feminist 1984” by Cathy N. Davidson, she describes Atwood’s world where women were objectified. “Democratic freedom is replaced by brutal coercion, and women are reduced to a strictly biological role as two legged wombs” said Cathy Davidson, this quote supports the fact that women’s qualities only included their ability to reproduce. In the 1960’s this held true as well. Women were only expected to maintain the household and take care of children. In this dystopian novel reality is stretched to a point but the main truths still lie within the

It used characters stories that were relatable to connect with the reader in a way that made them think how this relates to the past and the present. The handmaid was used to show how unfair women were treated in our society. Handmaids were not allowed to write or speak to each other. Their ideas were not valued or appreciated and they were merely tools for birth. The definition of a handmaid is a “female servant” and that’s exactly how women were treated and still are treated around the world today. The Handmaids tale was a vessel for change that was not afraid to tap into uncomfortable areas of discussion in our culture. It drew out the heinous acts of man and shined a light on it for the world to see that where we are now is not where we should be. By using this parallelism, it is symbolic in a sense that the characters thoughts and experiences in this book could very well be the same as your next-door