The Handmaid's Tale Essay

Throughout history, women have been the target of animosity, abuse, and brutality. This phenomenon and its effects on a person’s character has been studied by psychologists and identified in literary works. The Handmaid’s Tale is a shockingly realistic representation of the extent of oppression of women and how it can alter their psyche. By using strict religious ideals and a totalitarian government, Margaret Atwood is able to portray a society in which women are forced to not only abide to certain rules, but to perform acts against their will. Women are stripped from their families and forced to conceive children for wealthy couples. Atwood’s dystopian novel is used to teach us not only that we do not have to follow societal norms, but how …show more content…
The handmaids are enslaved by their role and are subject to subjugation by the male rulers. Because of this ownership, the women have minimal freedom and must surrender their free will. The handmaid’s names all appear to show direct relation to men; no one if given traditional feminine names. Instead, they are named Offred or Ofglen. When analyzing these names closely, one can see that they are underhanded ways of calling the handmaids “Of Fred” or “Of Glen”. They are owned by men even through their name, and this allows everyone to know exactly who they belong to and what their role is …show more content…
They were told when they could talk, read, walk, or even use the bathroom. The women began to lose their sense of freedom, as shown by the following quote. “already we were losing the taste for freedom; already we were finding these walls secure,” (Atwood 217). The inculcation that took place at the Rachel and Leah Re-education Center was extremely damaging to the well being of these women. They began to internalize the lesson that were forced on them, and eventually were able to praise the Gilead society without any coaxing from the Aunts