The Handmaid's Tale And Brave New World Essay
Jeremy Bentham, a british utilitarian reformer, once wrote that the object of good government was to create the greatest happiness for the greatest number. In the books Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the government's use all of their power to achieve this goal. They control almost every aspect of their citizens lives in order to create their perfect version of control, happiness and sameness. They are able to control what the people wear, how they treat each other, their social and physical habits, among many other things. However, through attempts to control the citizens’ emotional freedom, they eliminate individuality - which ultimately results in an unsustainable state.
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The citizens can apply for a spouse, but if they are decided unworthy of one, the council has the authority to reject the application. These assignments stunts the ability for a loving relationship to form, as they are put together solely on compatibility of their skills. Also, the arranged couple have to be assigned a child, and can not have their own. Instead, women with the job of giving birth have the children, which are then promptly taken away and distributed. The Gilead, the government of The Handmaid’s Tale, uses a similar process to create their “perfect” families. If prior to the Gilead’s take over a couple was not in perfect accordance with the church, they are separated and reassigned by the Government. They also have any children they had taken away. Offred and her husband Luke’s marriage came about from him cheating on his wife, and therefore they are separated from each other and their daughter. The Gilead wrenched people away from their loved ones, making the new assigned mariages essentially love less. Even for couples who managed to stay together, such as The Commander and Serena Joy, the love in their relationships vanish under the pressure of the Gilead. The handmaids, or the women who are forced to have children for the wives, also have
The citizens can apply for a spouse, but if they are decided unworthy of one, the council has the authority to reject the application. These assignments stunts the ability for a loving relationship to form, as they are put together solely on compatibility of their skills. Also, the arranged couple have to be assigned a child, and can not have their own. Instead, women with the job of giving birth have the children, which are then promptly taken away and distributed. The Gilead, the government of The Handmaid’s Tale, uses a similar process to create their “perfect” families. If prior to the Gilead’s take over a couple was not in perfect accordance with the church, they are separated and reassigned by the Government. They also have any children they had taken away. Offred and her husband Luke’s marriage came about from him cheating on his wife, and therefore they are separated from each other and their daughter. The Gilead wrenched people away from their loved ones, making the new assigned mariages essentially love less. Even for couples who managed to stay together, such as The Commander and Serena Joy, the love in their relationships vanish under the pressure of the Gilead. The handmaids, or the women who are forced to have children for the wives, also have