Review Of The Dystopian Novel 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Independent Reading Assignment One Women are alive only for the sole benefit of the male population. They bear children for the purpose of continuing a man’s legacy, demonstrating their rightful ownership to the leader of the household through their service. This submission is rightfully deserved, as women lack the strength necessary to match the great power of the male gender. Throughout the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, author Margaret Atwood embarks on the mission of detailing the life of a female in a futuristic society in which such dominating ideals are valued by incorporating a restriction in regards to a freedom of language, demonstrating the lack of individualism amongst women as they forfeit their bodies to society as tools …show more content…
In an attempt to convert members of society that have grown familiar with the way of the past to a more structured future, many aspects of language are affected ranging from titles to public places. For instance, the character in which the story reflects goes by the name Offred, though this is not her born name. Instead, this name is gifted to her for being “of” her Commander “Fred”, property of him to someday harbor his child. In reference to her other name, Offred faces a battle in which she tells herself “it doesn’t matter, your name is like a telephone number, useful only to others” (Atwood 84) in hopes of convincing herself that through this seemingly unimportant renaming she is unaffected, and still uniquely herself. However, she cannot ignore the fact that she is indeed lying to herself in that “it does matter” (Atwood 84), for to lose her name is to lose her individuality. Through a name, one is viewed as a member of society, worthy of reference and remembrance. Yet with the new shift in language evident in this dystopian society, all senses of worth are revoked and one is diminished to nothing more than mere property. This lesser view of oneself provides the state with power, in that they are able to alter the ideals of its population through this new control because of others tendencies to look down upon those deemed lesser of worth. In comparison to the male members of society who are referred to by their military status, women are labeled by their roles to which they service men. By holding no more worth than an implemented job title, women are revoked of their rights to be of equal value as men. The submission to power by providing the ultimate sacrifice of their names eliminates any hope of maintaining individualism, therefore strengthening the control to which the state claims