Examples Of Allusions In The Handmaid's Tale

In Offred’s world, she is oppressed and controlled. She’s forced to live in a society that’s controlled by a religious regime that forces its citizens to live under a strict set of rules. Over the course, there are a series of events and allusions that show that the world Offred lives in is similar to an event of history. The novel The Handmaid’s Tale connection to colonial-age America is due to the existence of old religions relevant at the time and the events within the books. The strongest connection to the colonial age are the religions that were in power in the novel and the time period.One of the most prominent religions in the book are the rebellious, Quakers, show themselves as smugglers that help people escape the country
and helping in the fight against the Totalitarian Regime. These smugglers are the same religious group that was active during the early years of the colonies. The Quakers at the time were a peaceful group that promoted religious tolerance and like many people at the time were competing with the many other religious groups for dominance as the most dominant religion in the colonies.Although, Quakers are traditionally against wars they take apart in fighting against the Christian regime. Another religion mentioned in the book are the Baptist which has taken an active role in the fight against the regime shown by “Baptist, they had a stronghold in the Blue Hills…” (Atwood 20). These Baptist were also prominent during the colonial age. They have like other religious groups fought to be one main religion in the nation. However, as shown by the regime they are losing while the christians take control. The prominence of these two religions that were also in existence during colonial age America shows a strong connection to the time period. There are several events within the book that connects the books to the colonial age. The most prominent is the existence of the wall. The wall helps publicly display hanged corpses of people that do not align with the ideas of the regime, such as Catholics and gays that are shown in chapter 8” One is a priest, still wearing the black cassock… the two other have purple placards hung around their necks: Gender Treachery”.(Atwood 43) The wall is used to hang doctors, as well, that have once committed an abortion. These doctors are pursued, captured then tried for committing what they perceive as a severe crime. They are generally hung soon after a more than likely unfair trial. This persecution of doctors reflects the Salem witch trial which was committed in Massachusetts during the colonial age. The witch trials were used to weed out those of different ideas and fueled by resentment and fear. The book has several connections to the colonial age America from the religions in the book such as the Quakers and baptist which both fought for religious dominance. The events such as the dead corpses hanging on the wall caused by resentment and unfair trials that mirror the Salem Witch Trials that happened in the same time era that mirrors the book.