Summary Of Neologism In Handmaid's Tale

Neologism, Margaret Atwood’s brilliantly applied technique used as a interwoven blanket of words throughout the novel , Handmaid’s Tale, goes a far way in laying the foundations for the totalitarian social system to be acceptable as a normal way of thinking. Being that totalitarianism is defined as , ‘ a governing system in which a ruling elite holds all the power and controls all aspects of society,” it makes sense that one of the first steps to make it easier to rule, or control women and to get their participation is to use language to do so. Language becomes a tool of power by which otherwise immoral ideas become morally acceptable.

In order to perform any action by will or by force, it can be argued that inner or outer persuasion must …show more content…
Although at first the women in the emerging totalitarian system try to resist the new ideology, with time and conditioning of language they accept what is told to them and willingly fall in line like soldiers in an army or like obedient children to their parents. The use of the terms/concepts, Aunts and Guardians are clever terminologies that are used to get the girls to accept the new social orders. Obedient children listen to the directions given by their elders ( parents in this case Aunts or Guardians). The words of the narrator on page two, also creates the sense of helpless and obedient children or soldiers in barracks, “We had flannelette sheets, like children’s, and army issue blankets….” The tools of power used by Atwood are in the tone, concept, phrases, environment and words used by Atwood from the opening lines of the novel. An example of the tone of totalitarianism is introduced, is seen in the first page where the reader is introduced to the setting; a gymnasium (open space) turned into sleeping area and the description she gives by telling of the smell and the look of the …show more content…
These women are allowed to go off into ‘colonies”. The interesting word here creates a group of baboons or ants, animals that live together , no real benefit to society, only existing. The situation for unwomennnn, who are really Feminist, isn't really that they get to chose, actually they are choosing the freedom to not take part in the new society and the freedom to starve to death. Not much of a choice really as Cora states, ‘Go to the colonies, Rita said… and starve to death and Lords knows what