Commodification of Women and the Oppression of Feminism
Forms of literature which centered around postmodernism and the preceding modernism arose mainly during the 20th century. Such forms of literature were there to criticize the classical way of thinking and also critique aspects of what is wrong in the 20th century. “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald, and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood are respectively modernist and postmodernist forms of literature. They are both novels, which critique the idea of a hierarchal system, the oppression of feminism and portray characters who live in a world devoid of morality and value. Through the relationship between Offred and the Commander in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, and the relationship between …show more content…
When asked to describe the Nazi officer, the mistress describes him in an unexpected way, by saying; “He was not a monster, to her. Probably he had some endearing trait: he whistled, offkey...”. Gatsby was not a monster to Daisy and neither was the Commander to Offred. In fact, both men treated both women delicately, a characteristic they did not necessarily bestow upon the rest of the world. Gatsby is involved in an underground business, a business which is implied to be dangerously illegal. However, when he is with Daisy, he gives no inclination towards such behaviour that would label him as a “monster” in her eyes. This is similar to the Commander and Offred, in the sense that, the Commander is part of the leaders of Gildea. He is a a part of the system which systematically oppresses women. Yet behind closed doors, he treats Offred delicately and portrays an almost endearing naive facade. This facade painted by both men ties back to the theme of authenticity, or lack thereof. While the Commander shares with Offred very little of what he does, so does Gatsby. They believed in the idea that; “All [women] have to do... is keep [their] mouth shut and look
Forms of literature which centered around postmodernism and the preceding modernism arose mainly during the 20th century. Such forms of literature were there to criticize the classical way of thinking and also critique aspects of what is wrong in the 20th century. “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald, and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood are respectively modernist and postmodernist forms of literature. They are both novels, which critique the idea of a hierarchal system, the oppression of feminism and portray characters who live in a world devoid of morality and value. Through the relationship between Offred and the Commander in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, and the relationship between …show more content…
When asked to describe the Nazi officer, the mistress describes him in an unexpected way, by saying; “He was not a monster, to her. Probably he had some endearing trait: he whistled, offkey...”. Gatsby was not a monster to Daisy and neither was the Commander to Offred. In fact, both men treated both women delicately, a characteristic they did not necessarily bestow upon the rest of the world. Gatsby is involved in an underground business, a business which is implied to be dangerously illegal. However, when he is with Daisy, he gives no inclination towards such behaviour that would label him as a “monster” in her eyes. This is similar to the Commander and Offred, in the sense that, the Commander is part of the leaders of Gildea. He is a a part of the system which systematically oppresses women. Yet behind closed doors, he treats Offred delicately and portrays an almost endearing naive facade. This facade painted by both men ties back to the theme of authenticity, or lack thereof. While the Commander shares with Offred very little of what he does, so does Gatsby. They believed in the idea that; “All [women] have to do... is keep [their] mouth shut and look