Democracy Lost
Suddenly, having a new change in the Gilead people’s society while having their lives being ripped of them, Atwood presents a new type a Dystopian fiction. Offred is the main character who goes through terrifying times throughout her new, unwanted life. The primary situation that Offred and her peers go through is the struggle for freedom and sexism.
Offred was brainwashed and manipulated into doing activities that are only beneficial to the Commander, Aunt Lydia, or the society Gilead. Offred has lost the feeling of how her body was before Gilead was made. “Men are sex machines, said Aunt Lydia, and not much more. They only want one thing. You must learn to manipulate them, for your own good. Lead them around by the nose; that is a metaphor. It’s nature’s way. It’s God’s device. It’s the way things are” (Atwood 144). Aunt Lydia seems to be right in this society, to manipulate a man is the only way to survive in Gilead. Women are things in Gilead; they are property to men of high status. So, the way Offred tries to survive is to tempt and manipulate the men in her life. She knows that she is only there to reproduce for the man she is accompanying, but as the audience …show more content…
“The novel's characters debate the theory of "essentialism," the notion that gender distinctions denote some fundamental and crucial differences between human beings” (Feuer 87). As clearly shown in the novel, women are lower in status; nonetheless, the distinctions are also appointed to men as well. In the novel there are extreme differences between the high status and low status people. For example, the Commanders are considered the high status because they are able to have a Wife, a Handmaid, and a Martha. The Guardians are considered low class until they are appointed to be a Commander. Not only are the classes distinguished by the power they have but also by the clothes and colors they
Suddenly, having a new change in the Gilead people’s society while having their lives being ripped of them, Atwood presents a new type a Dystopian fiction. Offred is the main character who goes through terrifying times throughout her new, unwanted life. The primary situation that Offred and her peers go through is the struggle for freedom and sexism.
Offred was brainwashed and manipulated into doing activities that are only beneficial to the Commander, Aunt Lydia, or the society Gilead. Offred has lost the feeling of how her body was before Gilead was made. “Men are sex machines, said Aunt Lydia, and not much more. They only want one thing. You must learn to manipulate them, for your own good. Lead them around by the nose; that is a metaphor. It’s nature’s way. It’s God’s device. It’s the way things are” (Atwood 144). Aunt Lydia seems to be right in this society, to manipulate a man is the only way to survive in Gilead. Women are things in Gilead; they are property to men of high status. So, the way Offred tries to survive is to tempt and manipulate the men in her life. She knows that she is only there to reproduce for the man she is accompanying, but as the audience …show more content…
“The novel's characters debate the theory of "essentialism," the notion that gender distinctions denote some fundamental and crucial differences between human beings” (Feuer 87). As clearly shown in the novel, women are lower in status; nonetheless, the distinctions are also appointed to men as well. In the novel there are extreme differences between the high status and low status people. For example, the Commanders are considered the high status because they are able to have a Wife, a Handmaid, and a Martha. The Guardians are considered low class until they are appointed to be a Commander. Not only are the classes distinguished by the power they have but also by the clothes and colors they