Comparing The Handmaid's Tale And Nineteen Eighty-Four
“Politics really has to do with how people order their societies, to whom power is ascribed, who is considered to have power…”
In light of this view, compare how the writers portray the concepts of power in The Handmaid’s Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Feminist Margaret Atwood and democratic socialist George Orwell who satirise totalitarian dictatorships through the extremist states of Gilead and Oceania wrote the dystopian novels, The Handmaid’s Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Many forms of power are strongly evident within both novels and both novels focus upon politics and the role it plays within societies in order to explore the concepts of “to whom power is ascribed” and “who is considered to have power.”
Atwood exemplifies the idea that individualism is repressed through providing an insight into the lives of the Handmaids, a group of women whose sole purpose is to procreate, ensuring the continuity of Gilead. Each Handmaid is stripped of their …show more content…
Mass power is evident within the line “It was impossible to avoid joining in”14, a clear sign that the state controls personal opinions and forces the citizens to comply. Also the presence of Big Brother can be viewed as a component of psychological power as the intangible ruler can be viewed as an ironic parody of religion, imposed through the line, “Big Brother is watching you”15, which reinforces his omnipresent nature. A parallel can be drawn between this and a passage found in The Sermon on The Mount16, where Jesus states “You cannot serve two masters.” In addition, the sadistic repression of Big Brother epitomises the horrors of Stalin’s purges of the 1930’s, as civilians were publically humiliated. Big Brother is “considered to have power” which pervades fear through the people of
In light of this view, compare how the writers portray the concepts of power in The Handmaid’s Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Feminist Margaret Atwood and democratic socialist George Orwell who satirise totalitarian dictatorships through the extremist states of Gilead and Oceania wrote the dystopian novels, The Handmaid’s Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Many forms of power are strongly evident within both novels and both novels focus upon politics and the role it plays within societies in order to explore the concepts of “to whom power is ascribed” and “who is considered to have power.”
Atwood exemplifies the idea that individualism is repressed through providing an insight into the lives of the Handmaids, a group of women whose sole purpose is to procreate, ensuring the continuity of Gilead. Each Handmaid is stripped of their …show more content…
Mass power is evident within the line “It was impossible to avoid joining in”14, a clear sign that the state controls personal opinions and forces the citizens to comply. Also the presence of Big Brother can be viewed as a component of psychological power as the intangible ruler can be viewed as an ironic parody of religion, imposed through the line, “Big Brother is watching you”15, which reinforces his omnipresent nature. A parallel can be drawn between this and a passage found in The Sermon on The Mount16, where Jesus states “You cannot serve two masters.” In addition, the sadistic repression of Big Brother epitomises the horrors of Stalin’s purges of the 1930’s, as civilians were publically humiliated. Big Brother is “considered to have power” which pervades fear through the people of