Examples Of Freedom Of Choice In The Handmaids Tale

Improved Essays
17: In what ways does the concept of "freedom of choice" inform your reading in any two works you have studied?
Thesis Statement:
In The Handmaid 's Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell, the concept of freedom of choice is informative as it enables readers to consider the restrictions of a dystopian society, thus allowing greater understanding of the main characters, Offred and Winston.
1. Topic Sentence:
In The Handmaid 's Tale by Margaret Atwood, readers can clearly see the limits and restrictions that Offred faces in the dystopian society of Gilead. As a handmaid in Gilead, Offred is forced to conform to the requirements set by the government for the handmaids and this includes being allowing out of the house only once a day
…show more content…
Above, on the white ceiling, a relief ornament in the shape of a wreath, and in the center of it a blank space, plastered over, like the place in a face where the eye has been taken out. There must have been a chandelier once. They 've removed anything you could tie a rope to" (7) --> Gilead is very restricted and the citizens live in a regulated environment where all aspects of their lives are controlled including who they are and what they think o There is a lack of individuality as all of the handmaid 's are treated the same and forced into service. The decor is conservative and traditional, representing the views of the government. The windows in her room are symbolic of Offred 's contact with the outside world and they only open partially because she hardly has any contact anymore.
• Gilead is a theocratic government and has complete control over its citizens o "There is the same absence of people, the same air of being asleep. The street is almost like a museum, or a street in a model town constructed to show the way people used to live. As in those pictures, those museums, those model towns, there are no children. This is the heart of Gilead…" (29) --> the atmosphere of the society is controlled and
…show more content…
Topic Sentence: In 1984 by George Orwell, the complete lack of freedom in the society is obvious to readers as they can clearly observe the control the Party has on Winston and how they manipulate the society to gain control.
• The embodiment of the Party is the totalitarian government --> Has complete control over Oceania and citizens o Party represents a general loss of freedom o They are control of present and therefore past and even future --> change history and the past is whatever the Party decides o "War is Peace...Ignorance is Strength" --> Unification of ignorant masses of society --> they have no intellect --> people not in the Party do not matter and people in the Party must follow Big Brother or punishment
• The Victory Mansions in the novel represent the theme of oppression and lack of freedom o These are the home of Winston, the main character of the novel and therefore these mansions are important to understand how the society functions in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Margaret Atwood explores themes and beliefs such as oppression and the constant threat of an overbearing regime in order to present ‘The Republic of Gilead’ as the quintessential dystopian society. The theme of oppression runs rampant throughout the novel, the protagonist constantly lives in fear of saying the wrong thing and having it reported to the mysterious and terrifying eyes. These eyes are everywhere, throughout the novel ‘Offred’ lives with the weight of the eyes hanging over her, a prime example of this is during the sections of the book labeled “Night”, each of these sections is used to allow the reader to empathize with Offred and understand more about her character. When Offred goes to bed she has to lie “under the plaster eye in the ceiling”, this phrase is repeated multiple times throughout the novel. This repetition is used by Margaret Atwood to place emphasis on the idea of existing underneath the eyes, and that even in her room ‘Offred’ cannot escape from the confinement and oppression that the eyes are associated with.…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Handmaid’s Tale is an eye-opening tale as horrifying and real as they come. It explores ideas of feminism, the power of literacy, and the connection between sex and politics. Offred is a prime example of an ordinary woman being placed into an extraordinary situation. Offred faces enmity and oppression from other women and the society of Gilead itself while being coddled and engaged by the very men she should be distant from. She grapples with herself and her decisions while trying to hold on to her sense of self and person.…

    • 122 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical devices such as diction, satire, and sarcasm are heavily scattered throughout the Handmaid’s Tale, however, the paramount device present in the book the extreme use of symbolism. Margaret Atwood has made most everything in the story, whether on purpose or happy accident, into a symbol for some item of the past. In the story, the narrator, Offred, spends her life in a civilization known as The Republic of Gilead. While there, she discusses the trials and tribulations of all women to conceive a child and how few children, who are now called “national resources,” there are present. She also brings to light the rigidity of the government and how few liberties anyone, man or woman, has in the present days.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Handmaid's Tale Allusions

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Overall, this example of imagery creates a social and political issue where, the handmaid's (women in general) don’t have freedom to wear what they want but, instead they are forced into color outfits based on their roles in Gilead. In all, the author uses imagery to address the issue of theocracy and women’s rights, both political and social(poverty/lower class…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood links the United States of the past with the present totalitarian state of Gilead through the use of techniques and themes. Atwood utilises language techniques and literary devices to build the themes of infantilisation and paternalism, acceptance, and division between women. The use of these techniques, which link the past and present, highlight the past’s influence on Gilead’s current values. Atwood’s use of figurative language, flashbacks, and repeated language to juxtapose the infantilisation of women with the domineering nature of their oppressors illustrates Gilead’s roots in the past. Prior to Gilead’s inception, figurative language is often used to portray the infantilisation of women, depicting them as “like [children]” and “small as a doll” (p. 34 & 191).…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Treatment of Sexuality in The Handmaid’s Tale The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, presents the story of Offred, a handmaid in the oppressive Gilead, a heavily theocratic nation that emerged from the downfall of the United States. This society that Atwood creates, built simultaneously on religious fanaticism and desperation to reproduce due to rapidly declining fertility rates, paints a chilling picture where women are completely at the mercy of men, as well as the identity forced upon them by their own biology. While the main idea explored throughout the book is undoubtedly the oppression of women, as well as the suppression of their individual identity in a totalitarian state, The Handmaid’s Tale examines…

    • 1521 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel about a dystopian society that occurs when a conservative party takes control of a nation. Offred is the main character who is subject to this government. It changes her life in a way that completely displaces her from her old life in a negative way. Offred is shaped by her cultural surroundings. Specifically, the religious components of the world around her and the harsh government guides her thoughts and views.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Offred feels that “the night is my time out” (Atwood). She is allowed to relive sections of her life, which is completely forbidden in Gilead. When she was forced to go to re-education centers to learn how handmaids must behave, it was drilled in her brains that she must erase the past and be happy in the present state. She rebels by thinking about the past, which soothes her yet causes her to become distressed at the same time. The narrator wants to remember the past, but it also pains her that she has been torn away from her loved ones.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An oppressive dictatorship, the Republic of Gilead regulates every single movement of its people and distributes women to men as trophies It has prohibited many things, like liquor or coffee, while the people in high social status enjoy them from black markets. More specifically, the Gilead government has prohibited many things particularly to women, especially to handmaids: all the social or career activities, reading, purposeless talking, writing, wearing outfits other than assigned uniforms, having…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a book about an unethical world controlled by the totalitarian government known as the republic of Gilead. The government uses fear and manipulation to control the people in that society. In fact, Gilead controls every minute detail of its citizens’ lives. Atwood shows that using fear-based tactics is effective and the government is able to maintain its power in this way; however, the author reveals that ruling by fear has its limits, as the citizens of Gilead slowly start to rebel. Thus, the author may be showing that totalitarian governments, while powerful, are not flawless.…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The book is mainly about a society where women are not free. The book is written from a woman 's point of view who was living in Gilead experiencing restrictions in the society. Their freedom has been taken from them. They have no control over their lives or individuality. The society in the book is very controlled and they run on a system where each woman plays a different role in the society.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Essay question: The handmaid’s tale reveals that people are controlled by fear, abasement, and ignorance. Assess the validity of this statement. Arguments: 1. The regime is taking away any means of education other than the education they wish for the women to learn. Reading and writing are banned in order to maintain an ignorant population, Knowledge is power….critical thinking 2.…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is necessary for the government to impose a certain amount of power and control on its citizens in order for a society to function properly. However, too much power and control in a society eliminates the freedom of the residents, forbidding them to live an ordinary life. In the dystopic futuristic novel, The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood demonstrates the theme of power and control through an oppressive society called the Republic of Gilead. The government establishes power and control through the use of the Wall, military control, the Salvaging, and the Particicution. The Aunts indoctrinate the Handmaids and control them by using fear and intimidation.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Handmaids Tale is a book written by Margaret Atwood, that is narrated by a Handmaid named Offred and is about a dystopian society called the Republic of Gilead. The United States of America collapsed due to a chemical disaster, thus making the new society come to power. Another consequence of the American collapse, women became fertile due to the exposed radiation. In the gilead society, Offred’s sole purpose is to become pregnant for her commander since his wife, Serena Joy, is infertile.…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the story The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, the United States has fallen apart. It is now the Republic of Gilead and women have lost everything. They are stripped of their money, freedoms like being able to read, family, and they can no longer work. Fertility rates have decreased, and women are blamed for it. Women who are fertile are taken to the Red Center, where they are trained on how to be a handmaid.…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays