Social Issues In The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel The Handmaid’s Tale is based in an imaginary country of Gilead, a palimpsest of the United States. The novel explicitly illustrates the inequitable life of women in the Republic of Gilead. The author connotatively portrays how women face problems like lack of freedom, lack of education and censorship in their daily lives. Margaret Atwood circuitously mentions several institutions, which she blames to be the reason behind social issues. The author herself does not write what the institutions are, however people speculate that she criticizes the Christian church for the social problems mentioned in the novel. The Handmaid’s Tale is a unique novel that raises awareness of society’s problems after the political uprising of Gilead and the new strict regime. The book portrays a life of a handmaid named Offred and the struggles that she goes through in her daily life. Since all women in Gilead are categorized into groups, varying from Unwomen to Wives; Offred has to serve the role of a Handmaid, which requires her to get inseminated by her husband. Handmaids have to recognize their husbands’ authority and have very little rights. In chapter 1, Offred discusses how they are restricted …show more content…
The author criticizes religion because of its connection to the new strict regime in Republic of Gilead. However, one should understand that religion, like any other influence, can be used for good or bad. The Handmaids Tale features an example of a corrupted and failed use of religion. It does not mean that the religion itself is bad; it is the way people use it. Therefore, it is essential to interpret religion and beliefs without influence and to always stay open-minded, not to be misled by anti-religious propaganda like The Handmaid’s