Power In The Handmaid's Tale

Despite Congress representation being increased to an all-time high in the 2012 election, women represent only 18.5 percent of Congress. While feminism has brought forward more power than imaginable for women, men still have more power over the daily lives of women than possible. Although women’s rights laws have dramatically increased in the past few decades, especially in third-world countries, generally men still possess nearly all of the political and governing power. While the Wives of the Commanders have power over the household and all its residents, excluding the Commander, in The Handmaid’s Tale, offering women remnants of power do not conceal the real deal: Men have dominion over women.
For instance, in The Handmaid’s Tale, the Commanders acquire Handmaids for the sole purpose of childbearing displaying women as properties of men. The Commanders look at Handmaids as symbols of their pride and gratification when they receive one as well as following a social protocol, as well. The Handmaids names come from their Commander (Literally, Of-“name of commander”). Offred even states, “My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's
An example is the Handmaid herself. Rita and Cora made this very clear when Offred over heard them talking; “Rita says to Cora that she wouldn’t…Go to the Colonies, Rita said. They have a choice. With the Unwomen, and starve to death…If I hadn’t of got any of my tubes tied, it could have been me” (10); Women who are fertile are given the choice of either dying or becoming a Handmaid’s. It is a big dilemma for Handmaids, as either choice proves perilous for them. Though Gilead does not allow women to read or pursue their education, Gilead ensures this is what Handmaids think about by assuring that women hear certain parts of the bible dealing with birth and