would look like. In this country‚ men are the ones with power and women have virtually no rights. In the country of Gilead‚ there are many possible positions in society that a woman may be assigned. One of the lowest positions in society is the handmaid; their sole purpose is to bear children for their Commander. One such handmaid‚ is the narrator of the novel‚ Offred. Prior to Gilead‚ Offred was an average woman with a family‚ but she was split from them after the Gileadean government came to power
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Margaret Atwood’s‚ The Handmaid’s Tale‚ constructs a near-future dystopia where human values do not progress and evolve‚ but instead become completely diminished and dominated under the Republic of Gilead. This powerful and secure new government gains complete political control and begins to abuse their power by forcing fertile women to reproduce. The Gileadean society is enforced by many Biblical laws‚ morals‚ and themes‚ yet the Gileadian religious ideologies are based on only a few specifically
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GILEAD AS A DYSTOPIAN NOVEL “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood takes place in the Republic of Gilead‚ a totalitarian and theocratic state where women are seen as an object. Because of low reproduction rates‚ the Handmaids are assigned to bear children for elite couples. Atwood wrote this novel based on a dystopian society to warn the reader about the dangers of a theocratic and oppressive society. She creates a dystopia with the elements such as; the oppression of women‚ the perversion
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society named Gilead. Although‚ there are many differences between modern society and Gilead‚ the most significant difference is the type of freedom given to women. The contrasting aspects of the two types of freedom is best described by Aunt Lydia‚ who believes‚ “There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of the anarchy it was freedom to. Now you are given freedom from” (Atwood 34). In her statement‚ Aunt Lydia identifies that women in Gilead are given the “freedom
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Moira¡¯s compensation was Jezebel¡¯s. A place where she did not have to accept all of Gilead and its ideologies. Serena Joy had power over the Handmaid¡¯s‚ which she enjoys as well as the power that she had over most of the household. Each of these people complain and suffer in the story‚ but once they have that one thing that makes it seem
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This quote shows the differences between freedom in Gilead and the freedom in the time before. This is said by Aunt Lydia when she is thinking of what life was like before Gilead. The world before had freedom because there were no set limits; people could do whatever they wanted. Therefore‚ they had "freedom to" do whatever they pleased and wanted. In the time before Gilead women could wear what they wanted‚ earn their own money‚ read and right‚ and do whatever they wished. This freedom‚ however
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Martha’s. The body and its functions especially the fertile female body have become more important than personality‚ education‚ or mind. This idea is highlighted by the fact that no character is represented by his or her real name. This gives the Gilead government power and order by categorising people and ranking them by their ability to reproduce or not‚ or their job classification. “Everything except the wings around my face is red: the colour of blood‚ which defines us”. Red represents women
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The Republic of Gilead undergoes a terrorist attack resulting in the death of the president and most of the congress which leaves the people of gilead in a totalitarian state. New regulations were formed by the government based on the bible which deprive many citizens from their rights. There is a division between the society in which Handmaids‚ Marthas‚ and Econwives all wear different colors signifying their role in this new dystopian society. Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale‚ Margaret Atwood’s dystopian
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longer exploited or disrespected as they used to be. Personal relationships are also prohibited for handmaids‚ as their sole purpose is just to produce a child for their commander. However‚ Offred and other handmaids refuse to completely submit to Gilead by storytelling‚ remembering‚ and rebellion. For anyone‚ having some relationship or communication is necessary. And although they are forbidden from this form of communication‚ Offred and the other handmaids find ways of sharing stories and experiences:
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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
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