Justin Wong
Mr. Oppedisano
Dystopian Literature
14 November 2017
Exploring Oppression Through the Handmaid’s Tale and the Movie Pleasantville
“Oppression means the prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control (Google search).” It is a powerful human condition along with it dramatic stories that was first told through the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood in 1985 and then 13 years later in a fantasy-comedy movie titled Pleasantville directed by David Ross. These two very different works of fictions allow the authors to share their views on different social and political problems.The forms of oppression are powerful and cruel in both stories. Oppression is imposed upon the weak by the more powerful and it can also be dictated into the way …show more content…
There is a scene where David took his girlfriend Margaret, to a date on Lover’s Lane. The Lover’s Lane resembles the Garden of Eden and it has at its center an apple tree. This tree represents the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Margaret depicting Eve, goes to the tree and picks an apple and gives it to David, who is seen as Adam. No sooner does David take his first bite from the apple, a rare thunderstorm occurs. The rain pours and pours, transforming the black and white town to one full of beautiful colors. No one knows where the rain came from or what it represents. This is similar to the Handmaid’s Tale where women are influencing the men to do sinful activities.
The biblical inferidea of gender role was evident in both literature. Handmaid’s Tale displayed this theme when Gilead fire all women from their jobs and drain their bank accounts leaving women like Offred desperate and dependent. Soon Gilead take all the right from women, form their right to choose what they wear to being able to read. Men within the Gilead society controlled the work-force, control government, and has access to illegal products like books and black market. The scene when Offred walking into Jezebels, a nightclub, Offred has a discussion with the …show more content…
The theme of censorship was repeated again and again in the Handmaid’s Tale. Gilead had absolute control of information and what is accessible to the very day people. It controls what is shown on television and what books people can read. The consequence is that people who disobey can be taken away in vans and never to be seen again. When Offred was watching the news she said, “They show us only victories, never defeats. Who wants bad news?” (Atwood 83). She also noticed how the government of Gilead selected programs on television to show that Gilead was winning the war. The goal was to boosts public morale and gets rid of potential rebellious thoughts. Another example is that all Montreal satellite stations were blocked from viewing. Offred believes this is because Canada is free and along with it the freedom of thought and press. Gilead does not want its citizens to be influenced by
Mr. Oppedisano
Dystopian Literature
14 November 2017
Exploring Oppression Through the Handmaid’s Tale and the Movie Pleasantville
“Oppression means the prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control (Google search).” It is a powerful human condition along with it dramatic stories that was first told through the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood in 1985 and then 13 years later in a fantasy-comedy movie titled Pleasantville directed by David Ross. These two very different works of fictions allow the authors to share their views on different social and political problems.The forms of oppression are powerful and cruel in both stories. Oppression is imposed upon the weak by the more powerful and it can also be dictated into the way …show more content…
There is a scene where David took his girlfriend Margaret, to a date on Lover’s Lane. The Lover’s Lane resembles the Garden of Eden and it has at its center an apple tree. This tree represents the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Margaret depicting Eve, goes to the tree and picks an apple and gives it to David, who is seen as Adam. No sooner does David take his first bite from the apple, a rare thunderstorm occurs. The rain pours and pours, transforming the black and white town to one full of beautiful colors. No one knows where the rain came from or what it represents. This is similar to the Handmaid’s Tale where women are influencing the men to do sinful activities.
The biblical inferidea of gender role was evident in both literature. Handmaid’s Tale displayed this theme when Gilead fire all women from their jobs and drain their bank accounts leaving women like Offred desperate and dependent. Soon Gilead take all the right from women, form their right to choose what they wear to being able to read. Men within the Gilead society controlled the work-force, control government, and has access to illegal products like books and black market. The scene when Offred walking into Jezebels, a nightclub, Offred has a discussion with the …show more content…
The theme of censorship was repeated again and again in the Handmaid’s Tale. Gilead had absolute control of information and what is accessible to the very day people. It controls what is shown on television and what books people can read. The consequence is that people who disobey can be taken away in vans and never to be seen again. When Offred was watching the news she said, “They show us only victories, never defeats. Who wants bad news?” (Atwood 83). She also noticed how the government of Gilead selected programs on television to show that Gilead was winning the war. The goal was to boosts public morale and gets rid of potential rebellious thoughts. Another example is that all Montreal satellite stations were blocked from viewing. Offred believes this is because Canada is free and along with it the freedom of thought and press. Gilead does not want its citizens to be influenced by