The Handmaid's Tale: A critical essay | Study notes English Language

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid’s Tale: A critical essay

The Handmaid's Tale depicts an extreme version of the societal norm and

appears to predict or warn of the dangers of totalitarianism and theocratic

dictatorship. Written by a woman, its most obvious function as a dystopia is to

present patriarchy as a dominant theme. The novel asks awkward questions

concerning female complicity in such a system. The novel's past is our present

and the nostalgia Atwood creates for the past challenges us to look at our own

society and the parallels within in that, (in the novel) allowed the Gilead take-

over: declining birth rate, increased infertility and the threat of nuclear disaster.

In Gilead, stringent authoritarianism means the suspension of constitutional

rights, racial cleansing, torture, sectarian wars, public execution, secret police attacks,

indoctrination and the victimisation of women. Eroticism is shown to be a central theme and

women are inevitably seen as objects of sexual fantasy, treated according to their child-bearing

capabilities. 'From each according to her ability; to each according to his needs' quotes a distorted

Marxist phrase to emphasise this point. Every act associated with sexual activity is assigned a

public ritual which is controlled by patriarchy: copulation, birthing, Prayvaganzas. Offred sees

herself as a 'two-legged womb, that's all', 'secretary flesh', 'a pure pig' and 'part of a psychological

experiment'.

The importance of language is highlighted as the main instrument of ideological and social

control. The names people are given determines the way they perceive themselves - 'Of-fred'

infers the subjugation of women and their 'ownership' by men.

Offred is the anonymous sufferer who articulates all. She concentrates not on politics but on

private matters. She offers an inside view of the effects of political change through an ordinary,

powerless citizen. She suggests that in all patriarchal tyrannies there is a complete vacuum:

morally, culturally and intellectually. These have been replaced by suppression of the truth,

violence and deception. Offred's voice is therefore a vehicle for confronting crucial matters. What

was it like to be human then? Was it possible to be human then? Is 'then' so different from 'now' or

the Epilogue's future?

The society defeats Moira (the most rebellious, politically astute and observant woman in the

novel), who foresaw the coup d'etat and whose prediction, 'It's me and you up against the wall'

foreshadowed the hanging and sexual perversion sanctioned in Gilead. At Jezebel's, Offred knows

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE INTRODUCTORY TASKS

You will be studying Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale this term. To

get you started on your study, complete the tasks below.

• Read the article below about our exam novel The Handmaid’s Tale.

• Produce a context organiser to help you understand the background to the novel. Hand

this in to your teacher in your first English lesson.

• You will also need to get a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale as soon as possible and finish

reading it by the end of October. The course materials refer to the 1996 Vintage edition

of the book (ISBN: 978-0-099-74091-9).

Partial preview of the text

Download The Handmaid's Tale: A critical essay and more Study notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity!

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid’s Tale : A critical essay

The Handmaid's Tale depicts an extreme version of the societal norm and appears to predict or warn of the dangers of totalitarianism and theocratic dictatorship. Written by a woman, its most obvious function as a dystopia is to present patriarchy as a dominant theme. The novel asks awkward questions concerning female complicity in such a system. The novel's past is our present and the nostalgia Atwood creates for the past challenges us to look at our own society and the parallels within in that, (in the novel) allowed the Gilead take- over: declining birth rate, increased infertility and the threat of nuclear disaster.

In Gilead, stringent authoritarianism means the suspension of constitutional rights, racial cleansing, torture, sectarian wars, public execution, secret police attacks, indoctrination and the victimisation of women. Eroticism is shown to be a central theme and women are inevitably seen as objects of sexual fantasy, treated according to their child-bearing capabilities. 'From each according to her ability; to each according to his needs' quotes a distorted Marxist phrase to emphasise this point. Every act associated with sexual activity is assigned a public ritual which is controlled by patriarchy: copulation, birthing, Prayvaganzas. Offred sees herself as a 'two-legged womb, that's all', 'secretary flesh', 'a pure pig' and 'part of a psychological experiment'.

The importance of language is highlighted as the main instrument of ideological and social control. The names people are given determines the way they perceive themselves - 'Of-fred' infers the subjugation of women and their 'ownership' by men.

Offred is the anonymous sufferer who articulates all. She concentrates not on politics but on private matters. She offers an inside view of the effects of political change through an ordinary, powerless citizen. She suggests that in all patriarchal tyrannies there is a complete vacuum: morally, culturally and intellectually. These have been replaced by suppression of the truth, violence and deception. Offred's voice is therefore a vehicle for confronting crucial matters. What was it like to be human then? Was it possible to be human then? Is 'then' so different from 'now' or the Epilogue's future?

The society defeats Moira (the most rebellious, politically astute and observant woman in the novel), who foresaw the coup d'etat and whose prediction, 'It's me and you up against the wall' foreshadowed the hanging and sexual perversion sanctioned in Gilead. At Jezebel's, Offred knows

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE INTRODUCTORY TASKS

You will be studying Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale this term. To get you started on your study, complete the tasks below.

Read the article below about our exam novel The Handmaid’s Tale.
Produce a context organiser to help you understand the background to the novel. Hand this in to your teacher in your first English lesson.
You will also need to get a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale as soon as possible and finish reading it by the end of October. The course materials refer to the 1996 Vintage edition of the book (ISBN: 978-0-099-74091-9).

she will not get 'swashbuckling heroism' from Moira, who has ended up as the saddest stereotype of all - in a brothel, having been tortured and silenced into submission. Janine is an example of impending mental and emotional collapse: voluntary victim in the Red Centre to mad woman at the Particization, clutching a handful of bloodstained hair. After the triumph of the birth, she is left neglected 'crying helplessly'. The night scenes reveal Offred's debates with herself which reflect the narrow line that separates endurance from crazed panic,' Oh God, oh God, how can I keep on living?' She confesses to enjoy taunting Janine and takes an active part in public executions. However, she replies affirmatively to the question, 'Are you happy?' 'I feel for the first time their true power' is such an instance that suggests that Offred is teetering on the brink of total acquiescence - a terrifying thought.

When Offred asks the apparently trivial question, 'I would like to know what is going on' Atwood is commenting on the dangers of passivity and using an example of an extreme society to examine our own. This makes us realise how ill-informed we are about the evils of our contemporary world and how easy it is to accept the unlawful and bizarre as acceptable.

When Offred meets the Commander in frequent rendezvous in his office, we are shown that it is all too easy to create a 'humanity' for someone. She feels sympathy for him - 'he was so sad.' Offred never allows herself to forget that he is in greater control and is trapped in traditional patriarchal assumptions ('nature's norms') which justify the double standard of Gilead. His explanation for the system is simplistic and patronising - women were enslaved as men had nothing to work for. 'We thought we could do better... better never means better for everyone... it always means worse for some.' The relationship with the Commander is still a game of sexual power. The doctor is another ambiguous figure who represents the evils of a patriarchal structure. He is prepared to abuse his position for his own sexual gain. In the Epilogue, Professor Pieixoto's fascination with male politics serves to irritate readers into recognising the evils of male domination and unchecked sources of power.

There is a warning about women also: they are shown to be not uniformly subversive. If the characters represent groups, then Serena Joy and the Aunts are the opponents of feminism and among the Handmaids there is a wide spectrum of views - from Janine to Moira. The creators of Gilead showed foresight in having women against women and this is a warning to the reader that a women's culture is no guarantee of sisterhood as Offred's mother's generation of feminists optimistically envisaged.

Women can be violent and vindictive and may collaborate in oppressive regimes alongside men. The Aunts, for example, are propagandists on behalf of the central authority. They tell distorted tales of women's lives in pre-Gileadean times, showing crude videos of women being attacked. They are also responsible for some of the gruesome cruelties in Gilead - feminist salvagings, persecution and individual punishments at the Red Centre.

Offred's mother emphasises the dangers of passivity and women who take no interest in women's rights and suffer the results later. She calls Offred a 'backlash of a post-feminist generation of women, naive and politically irresponsible' - therefore urging us not to adopt these views. Despite this, Atwood is warning against going too far. Gilead happened because men felt threatened by feminist forces and the result was a society unlike one that had been expected. 'Mother... you wanted a woman's culture. Well, now there is one. It isn't what you meant, but it exists. Be thankful for small mercies.' The reader must be aware of evil power groups who exploit the slogans of radical feminists as new instruments of female oppression. For example, women wanted freedom from male attacks, but now '... nobody touches us,' as Offred says.

The Handmaid's Tale: A critical essay, Study notes of English Language

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Partial preview of the text

Download The Handmaid's Tale: A critical essay and more Study notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity!

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid’s Tale : A critical essay

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE INTRODUCTORY TASKS