The Handmaid's Tale Patriarchy Essay

From the start, in The Handmaid’s Tale, Moira shows that she is rebel seeking to fight the patriarchal and authoritarian government of Gilead. Her use of civil disobedience allows her to become a symbol of hope for many of the handmaids. However she is a blessing and a curse, because her attitude could put her and her friends, especially Offred, in grave danger. Moira’s name, character and ideology makes her an example the other handmaids need to follow in order to fight against the Gileadean patriarchy.

First of all, Moira’s name is a symbol of rebellion because she is not owned by any man unlike the other handmaids. For example Offred, comes from, the name, Fred, meaning that she is Fred’s handmaid, “Of” and “Fred”. Because her name is not “Of(male name)”, she has never become a handmaid and she is not owned by anyone. She never submits herself to anyone. By keeping her name she does not appear to inferior to anyone even though she lives in a patriarchal society.
It is well known that Moira is a tenacious and rebellious character. She is harder to break down that the other women, who have surrendered themselves to the patriarchy of Gilead. However Moira can be unpredictable. Offred does say that “Moira is like an elevator with open sides.” It is impossible to know when and on what level exactly and elevator is going to make a stop. It is also impossible to know who is on the other side of the elevator door. Like an elevator you do not know when Moira is going to calm down. You also do not know who she is going to interact with in the near future. The up and down motion of the elevator represents Moira’s unpredictable behaviour. While the “open sides” represent the amount of danger Moira puts her friends in, because of her behaviour and