How Does Atwood Use Satire In The Handmaid's Tale

“Do you believe a woman’s place is on the kitchen table?” (Atwood 138) While most would be outraged if this question was posed to them and others would likely cite some response similar to “this is the twenty first century” or “absolutely not”, Atwood’s dystopic novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, makes one question what real progress has been made with respect to women’s rights. Though it was written some thirty odd years ago, Atwood’s depiction of women in the oppressive Gilead society and the questions that are raised alongside it are, unfortunately, of great relevance today. Through the use of contrast, irony and satire, Atwood critiques aspects of second-wave feminism and ultimately pushes for social reform against the oppression women face on …show more content…
Though the novel itself is a satire, satirical elements are more prevalent in specific parts throughout the novel, and are especially thought provoking in Offred’s encounter with the Japanese tourists and in the Historical Notes section. Atwood uses satire to exaggerate the fascism that ultimately created Gilead. Therefore, when the Japanese tourists asked whether or not Offred was happy, she replied “Yes” as she was fearful that the Eyes were watching her. Atwood believes that her insignificant and untrue response is really the only measure that moral and cultural relativists can use to judge whether or not people living in another society are content. Moreover, in the Historical Notes, Atwood exaggerates the productivity, or rather unproductivity, of conferences and is critical of historians caring more about the facts and statistics than the story itself. For instance, Professor Pieixoto reminds the audience that they should know better than to judge Gilead by their own standards and culture. This is met with a tremendous applause from the audience. Throughout the whole novel, Atwood validates the reader’s judgement by depicting the grotesque acts that Offred and the rest of the Handmaids have to endure and perform. Therefore, Atwood is pushing for a universal ethics system which does not necessarily need to be specific to feminism, but rather basic human rights. This can be paralleled with the way that many Iranian women and men were treated during the Iranian Revolution in the 1980s. It is through the use of satire that Atwood is able to create a fictitious dystopia and therefore allow the reader to judge the actions of Gilead within his or her own paradigm. Ultimately, Atwood’s impact makes the reader question other society’s treatment of women around