The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

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The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood and published in 1986. This book uses a “futuristic today” view of dystopian literature; all of the events are set in the future, but aren’t tied down to a specific time period, and therefore applicable to any occasion. The story showcases the Republic of Gilead, a secluded society, trying to solve the issue of global population decline. The women are divided into different social groups based on social rank and privilege. Overall, Atwood’s piece features themes of feminism, oppression, and inequality. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, women are marginalized and silenced within the Republic of Gilead. This is shown through different social groups of women, including …show more content…

Their given names are replaced with Of-name of their Commander. For example, our narrator is known as Offred, because her Commander’s name is Fred. If a Handmaid moves houses, her name changes. As a result, they never truly get to know each other, giving the government power to strip away the womens’ very identities. An example where this occurs in the book is when Offred’s walking partner, Ofglen, gets arrested and replaced. Offred asks her new walking partner, “Has Ofglen been transferred so soon?” and the new woman responds with “I am Ofglen.” (283) Offred then takes this moment to reflect and realize that she never knew her friend as anything other than Ofglen, never learned her name, has no way to find her. Additionally, Handmaids are prohibited from reading because the government believes that literacy gives women too much power. When they go out shopping for the households, they purchase food with pictures. They are expected to only interact with other Handmaids, infrequently, and limit their speech to “acceptable phrases”. Most Handmaids never fight against this for fear of brutal retribution from authorities. However, a few do, and form a risky, rebellious organization known as Mayday. Offred gets involved in this group at one point through Ofglen, who presumably gets caught. Handmaids are constantly threatened and at risk for suffering by the hands of the government if they ever speak up or step out of

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