Literary Techniques In The Handmaid's Tale

The historical lens is the most effective lens with which to view the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood because it leads the reader to the intended purpose of the novel. The purpose of Atwood’s novel is to warn the society of what the future will hold if the political and social trends found in the 1980’s were to continue. Atwood uses her skilled writing techniques to allow the reader to reach this purpose; an important secondary lens in which to view this novel is therefore the formalist lens. Although the lack of women’s rights in the novel might lead the reader to allege that the feminist lens would be effective, after researching Atwood’s purpose, this is tenable.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a fabulously written dystopian novel. In it, Atwood creates a society completely controlled by the intransigent totalitarian government. The women in this society have zero rights and are forced to live their …show more content…
The purpose of this lens is to engage the readers long enough for them to understand the novel’s intended purpose. Those who read using a formalist lens, focus on the formal elements of a novel, meaning its language, structure, and tone (Meyer). They specifically consider the relationship between the form of the writing and the meaning of the piece (Meyer). In a literary work, formalists specifically look at intrinsic matters. (Meyer). Intrinsic matters include diction, irony, paradox, metaphors, and symbols (Meyer). Formalists examine how all of these elements work together to create the meaning of the written piece in order to gain a more full understanding of the literature (Meyer). The formalist lens allows the readers to stay intrigued in the piece at hand. The purpose of the novel will not be realized without reading the novel. Therefore, the formalist lens is initially needed to hook the reader to the plot of the