Preview

Essay On The Handmaid's Tale

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
433 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On The Handmaid's Tale
Offred is a Handmaid, the handmaid is where the women have to have sexual activities with the commander regularly because there's very few kids in the Republic of Gilead, very few women can have kids and are chosen to move in with the commander to make the commander’s wife happy with a child. Although Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale shows gender rules throughout the book this is symbolized through the handmaid’s lifestyle, particularly how they have to act in front of the commander.

Because the society views the handmaid's as property, they aren’t allowed basic freedoms, “I’d like to be able to open the window as wide as it could go” (Atwood 55).
The handmaid’s rooms are suicide proof, for example, their windows are screwed down for them not to escape. ”They touch with their eyes instead.” Offred knows that the commander bodyguards look at her and they want her, but she knows that they are forbidden to touch the handmaid's as well as even talking to them (Atwood 22). Therefore the commander treats the handmaid’s as property, but is inconsistent with how he treats them, the handmaid’s finally have released them the commander has shown that “Household: that is what we are” (Atwood 81), the commander is the one who has the power of the household. “This is the kind of touch they like: folk art, archaic, made by women, in their spare time, from things that have …show more content…
Offred saw several women whose “skirts reach just below the knee and the legs come out from beneath them” and she was in shock at first but then she thought to herself, “I used to dress like that. That was freedom” (Atwood 28). Ofglen sees other women with “their heads are uncovered and it’s darkness and security,” Offred is shocked seeing women exposing themselves (Atwood 28). It shows how the handmaid’s have been brainwashed to cover everything to not attract any men because they belong to their
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Handmaids Chapter 1 Summary
    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Handmaids Chapter 1 Summary

    4. Readers get the impression that this new society is still in the settling-in period by having Alma, Janine, Dolores, Moria, and June are in training to becoming Handmaids (4). Offered mentions that the quote that is mentioned in question fourteen for section one. Offred mentioned that she learned to whisper and touch each other’s hands across space (4). Offred also mentions that the first time that she meets the Commander’s wife was five weeks ago when Offred first arrived at this posting (13). Offred mentions, “On first days we are permitted front doors, but after that, we’re supposed to use the back. Things haven’t settled down, it’s too soon, everyone is unsure about our exact status. After a while, it will be either all front doors or all back.” (13).…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What Role Does Offred's Peers Play In The Handmaids Tale
    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What Role Does Offred's Peers Play In The Handmaids Tale

    Past and present, Offred’s peers play a huge role in how she narrates The Handmaid’s Tale. In the last few chapters of this reading, Offred encounters her old friend, Moira, who is now working as a prostitute at a secret club. In the times before biblical religion was the only form of governance, Moira was described as a fiery and rebellious woman, who was always there for Offred. While in the center, she teaches Offred how to care for the other women and keep her wits about her during this horrific transition period. However, the next and final time Offred sees her friend, Moira appears to have been tamed by the system and succumbed to Gilead's way of life. Offred is defiant to the way her friend has become as she states, “She is frightening…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary Of The Handmaid's Tale
    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary Of The Handmaid's Tale

    The fertile women, the handmaids, are very well protected. There are guards all about the town and every precaution was taken so the handmaids wouldn’t die or be attacked. “Women were not protected then,” (Atwood 24). In the time before the Republic of Gilead was founded, women were free to do practically anything they wanted, but with that, there was freedom for everyone else. Women could be raped or killed, and even commit suicide. “They’ve removed anything you could tie a rope to,” (Atwood 7). Now, there is no chance for any of that. They are an important part of…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Margaret Atwood Use Symbols In The Handmaids Tale
    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Margaret Atwood Use Symbols In The Handmaids Tale

    In her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margret Atwood uses symbolism to illustrate the handmaid’s role in the society of Gilead. The handmaids are the women who had broken law of Gilead, and were forced into the role of a surrogate mother for a higher ranking couple. The handmaids had no rights or free will. They were under constant surveillance and this caused them to be very cautious. The author characterizes most handmaids as a tentative and distrustful, which is perhaps why Offred never puts in words the magnitude of her discontent with her new life, because it’s possible she doesn’t truly trust the reader. The author uses symbols such as the handmaid’s dress-code, a pigs ball, and even the handmaids names to give the reader a sense of the handmaid’s imprisonment.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Handmaid's Tale Analysis
    • 137 Words
    • 1 Page

    Handmaid's Tale Analysis

    The author offers that Handmaids Tale, “Atwood’s novels became part of a new wave of fiction writing by feminist who wrote both to entertain and to dramatize the plight of women.” He goes on about all the contributing factors that inspired the new fiction writing. He covers the plot and gives quotes from the book specifically from the women and their perceptions. He goes on to explain the different categories of women and their roles. The confinement and objectification of women are evident in the analysis. Government and religion are discussed in great detail and their part in Gilead societies. The religion influences the government entirely and women pay the price. Rape is discussed is perceived as being provoked that women ask for it. The…

    • 137 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood
    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Analysis Of The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    The feelings of the ladies in Gilead is parallel to the emotions of the females in the 1960s and ‘70s. Both report to a male “guardian” who have no legal right to property or money. Also, in each society, it is difficult or forbidden for women to hold an occupation. By creating a realm of female suffrage in The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood was able to criticize the social issues of anti-feminist viewpoints that she witnessed growing up. Although women have more liberties today, the message of The Handmaid’s Tale should not be forgotten- no gender alone can run the…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing The Handmaid's Tale And Black Boy
    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Comparing The Handmaid's Tale And Black Boy

    In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a women by the name of Offred is labeled by the viable ovaries as a handmaid. Handmaids are the fertile women whose sole purpose is to bear children. The handmaids have horrible lives as prisoners. Living like a handmaid would have been brutal and extremely challenging. The culture basically belittles women and practically enslaves them. Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbols In The Handmaid's Tale
    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Symbols In The Handmaid's Tale

    She is also sacrificing her rights and privileges because women in the Gilead society are not allowed to work, pick who they want to marry, or speak up for themselves. Offred has also been suffering in which she is constantly thinking about her lost daughter, not knowing if she is alive or not. To worsen her suffering, Serena decides to give her hope by showing a picture of her daughter to her knowing that she will not be able to find her or do anything about it. Another reason why Offred is suffering is because of the deaths of the other handmaids. She has had to witness a handmaid being hung for being a “slut” and also her friend, Ofglen, who hung herself because she knew she was not going to escape from the bad people coming after her. In Chapter 14, under the list of what makes Christ himself, is that he was “thirty-three years of age when last seen.” In The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred described herself as “thirty-three years old ...[with] brown hair.” Atwood suggests that Offred has trouble remembering how she used to look like and seldom gets the chance to look at herself. The way that Offred is describing herself reveals that she will not stay 33 years old and will not always have a head full…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Handmaid's Tale And Brave New World Essay
    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Handmaid's Tale And Brave New World Essay

    The citizens can apply for a spouse, but if they are decided unworthy of one, the council has the authority to reject the application. These assignments stunts the ability for a loving relationship to form, as they are put together solely on compatibility of their skills. Also, the arranged couple have to be assigned a child, and can not have their own. Instead, women with the job of giving birth have the children, which are then promptly taken away and distributed. The Gilead, the government of The Handmaid’s Tale, uses a similar process to create their “perfect” families. If prior to the Gilead’s take over a couple was not in perfect accordance with the church, they are separated and reassigned by the Government. They also have any children they had taken away. Offred and her husband Luke’s marriage came about from him cheating on his wife, and therefore they are separated from each other and their daughter. The Gilead wrenched people away from their loved ones, making the new assigned mariages essentially love less. Even for couples who managed to stay together, such as The Commander and Serena Joy, the love in their relationships vanish under the pressure of the Gilead. The handmaids, or the women who are forced to have children for the wives, also have…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Women In The Handmaid's Tale
    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Women In The Handmaid's Tale

    The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood takes place in the Republic of Gilead, in which women are placed in certain groups and stripped of their identity. Gilead focuses on bringing back old religious aspects into life by dividing individuals into biblical groups. The women especially the main character Offred is completely stripped of her name and possessions as well as being forced to not be able to talk, read, or write. In Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood, the government of Gilead uses religious fear tactics in order to turn women against each other and strengthen their power.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Discrimination In The Handmaid's Tale
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Discrimination In The Handmaid's Tale

    Once the equality crumbles within Atwood’s society, all the power and items are immediately taken away from the women. Moira describes the new situation to Offred by explaining, “Luke can use your Compucount for you, she said. They’ll transfer your number to him, or that’s what they say. Husband or male next of kin.” (Atwood 178-179). Much like the women in Pride and Prejudice, the women in The Handmaid’s Tale are revoked of the privilege to have their own property. Now with no property, the women are left under the rule of men and ultimately powerless and suffering the oppression of male…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Handmaid's Tale Analysis
    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Handmaid's Tale Analysis

    The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood depicts a dystopian society where the United States has been taken over by a monotheocracy and transformed into the country of Gilead. The majority of the woman in this society have been split into three basic categories: Wives, Marthas, and Handmaids. There are also Econowives, Aunts, and Unwomen. The main character, Offred, is a Handmaid. The Handmaids’ sole purpose in this society is to provide babies for powerful households where the wives are deemed infertile. Throughout the novel a struggle can be sensed between most of the women. In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood demonstrates the way that oppressors will use tension between minoritized groups to distract from their oppression.…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale
    • 2436 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale

    Instead of simply standing by and further going along with the unethical treatment towards women, people began to speak up and no longer allow for the discriminatory government to keep reign. Coincidentally, Atwood’s literary appearances during this time established her writing style and craft. Although she’s from Toronto, the Women’s Liberation Movement played a potential role in Atwood’s future works, such as “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Jean-François Vernay also advocates that the historical context of the novel as a “critical feminism…of feminine resistance to patriarchy” which correlates the the movement (Vernay). Since Atwood witnessed the movement and was able to watch the progressive change from a considerably conservative to a more liberal society towards women, she channels those experiences into her literature as a way to prevent the negative aspects of a conservative perspective to infringe on women’s rights again. For example, in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the main character, Offred, is essentially imprisoned by her government which is a parallel to how women were treated by the U.S. during Atwood’s time. Although comparing the misogynistic society in which Offred is surviving in to the U.S. during the 60’s is…

    • 2436 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Handmaid's Tale
    • 1280 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Handmaid's Tale

    The fact that the Commander is a hypocrite, he demonstrates his sympathetic qualities. The Commander built a society where there is no need for women to talk or think, and for women to only produce children; however, he contradicts himself though when he asks Offred, what her thoughts are, and what she thinks about whatever subject they are talking about. For example, the Commander repeatedly asks Offred what she thinks about men feeling again in this new society: “I like to know what you think, his voice says, from behind me. Come now, he says, pressing a little with his hands. I’m interested in your opinion. You’re intelligent enough, you must have an opinion”(210-211). This shows how the Commander is a hypocrite as he is expressing his sympathetic qualities and contradicts himself through his actions. He does not fully believe in this society of Gilead as well as the laws against women not being allowed to talk or think in general. The hypocrisy in the Commander…

    • 1280 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Woman As A Metaphor In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood
    • 125 Words
    • 1 Page

    Woman As A Metaphor In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    Journal Of English Studies [serial online]. September 2009:4(3/4):28-34. Available from: Literary Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 15, 2015.Chadha breaks down her analysis in the simplest terms. Offred is a slave. They are oppressed and live in constant fear. They have been brainwashed into believing they have no individuality. They are completely re-educated at the “Red Center.’’ They are not learning to read or write, but how to no longer be tempted to read or write. They have to learn how to fin in a man’s world. Chadha explains that they are only sexual servitude understood with a contract to their Commander. Their only means of survival is the ability…

    • 125 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More