Handmaids Tale and 1984
Families can be described using many adjectives; overwhelming, protective, sometimes annoying, but in the end they are always there. A family does not have to consist of just one’s mother, father, brother or sister; it can generate through the strong bond of a team, club or friendship. Life without a family seems nearly unmanageable. One would be lonely, helpless, depressed, gloomy; the list continues. Would one be able to function? In the novels, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell, society is portrayed particularly different than life today. When a self-dependent individual comes in contact with the manipulative power of a dystopian society in a situation where they have no one it results in total submission.
Home is where one’s family is. It is the one place people connect with their loved ones and create memories that last a lifetime. In John Bon Jovi’s song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” he sings about the exclusive qualities a home possesses. He sings “there’s only one place left I want to go, who says you can’t go home” (Bon Jovi). When one is with his family, the force from within feels almost invincible. A group of individuals is always more powerful than one single person. One’s family is a group he can always rely on. Winston and Offred lack the ability to branch out and fight for their beliefs because if they should, they would be isolated. It is difficult to be different when one is different alone. Offred is forced to acknowledge the lifestyle of Gilead and has no choice but to adopt Gilead as her new family. Winston must accept the rules and a regulations presented by Oceania, and has no choice but to pursue the life Big Brother has planned. With the help and support of a true family, fear will subside and the once thought impossible, can become possible. The great Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, said “You can choose your friends but you sho ' can 't choose your family, an ' they 're still kin to you no
Home is where one’s family is. It is the one place people connect with their loved ones and create memories that last a lifetime. In John Bon Jovi’s song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” he sings about the exclusive qualities a home possesses. He sings “there’s only one place left I want to go, who says you can’t go home” (Bon Jovi). When one is with his family, the force from within feels almost invincible. A group of individuals is always more powerful than one single person. One’s family is a group he can always rely on. Winston and Offred lack the ability to branch out and fight for their beliefs because if they should, they would be isolated. It is difficult to be different when one is different alone. Offred is forced to acknowledge the lifestyle of Gilead and has no choice but to adopt Gilead as her new family. Winston must accept the rules and a regulations presented by Oceania, and has no choice but to pursue the life Big Brother has planned. With the help and support of a true family, fear will subside and the once thought impossible, can become possible. The great Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, said “You can choose your friends but you sho ' can 't choose your family, an ' they 're still kin to you no
Cited: Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. New York, NY: Anchor, 1986. Print. Bon Jovi, John . "Who Says You Can 't Go Home." AZLyrics. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2013. "The Children of Cyberspace: Old Fogies by Their 20s - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. Elias, Marilyn. “Depressed parents’ negative effects on kids are combatable.” Los Angeles Times. 15 March 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2013. Lee, Harper. "Quotable Quote." goodreads. Goodread Inc, n.d. Web. 17 Jan 2013. Orwell, George. 1984. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1981. Print.