Fear is defined as the emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. The emotion of fear is present in everyone's lives and we all have a variety of fears that are unique to us. However, in the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood, the society the book takes place, Gilead, is structured in a way to create a fear into the people who reside there. The way this type of economy is shaped has many characteristics that lead it to believe that no change can be brought upon it to overcome any fear that it gives off. This literary text delves us into the setting of the book and begins to instate fear into us, the readers. Anything that could potentially restrict the basic freedoms of our
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Not giving birth could result in a Handmaid being sent to The Colonies to work which is said to be filled with radioactive waste and would eventually kill you. When they go months with this idea that the only way for them to survive is to give birth, questions their idea of being fertile and the dangers of them or their Commanders being infertile. This makes them worry and creates this new fear from being in this society rather than it would be if they lived in the past society they all knew. Atwood doesn't directly point this fear out but does so over the course of the plot and the way see writes the thoughts and feelings of other characters and classes. At her doctor visit, the doctor says "I could help you… The door's locked. No one will come in. They'll never know it isn't his" (Atwood 60). These small encounters and pop-ups in the story elude to the idea that the Handmaid's are worried about having a child in order to keep themselves safe, and in this exact situation, they find other means of doing so to suppress that fear that is bestowed upon …show more content…
The reason why is to ensure that the society is not to be overrun by a revolution among classes. With a fear being present for each class and an adjoining consequence to follow, no one class would have the ambition to act out against such a strict society. In the book when Offred and Offglen are walking back to their respective residencies they encounter a black van, "I freeze, cold travels through me, down to my feet… the van pulls up… they grab a man who is walking along" (Atwood 169). These little encounters throughout the book create the overall fear of the book like I said before but also shows that specially this scenario creates an illusion that nobody is safe in this community. This whole idea of everyone being worried makes the classes afraid to speak out or against the values of the society because doing so would result in severe repercussions. This minimizes any revolting issues against the government unless small coalitions form under the view from the government of which they do begin
Not giving birth could result in a Handmaid being sent to The Colonies to work which is said to be filled with radioactive waste and would eventually kill you. When they go months with this idea that the only way for them to survive is to give birth, questions their idea of being fertile and the dangers of them or their Commanders being infertile. This makes them worry and creates this new fear from being in this society rather than it would be if they lived in the past society they all knew. Atwood doesn't directly point this fear out but does so over the course of the plot and the way see writes the thoughts and feelings of other characters and classes. At her doctor visit, the doctor says "I could help you… The door's locked. No one will come in. They'll never know it isn't his" (Atwood 60). These small encounters and pop-ups in the story elude to the idea that the Handmaid's are worried about having a child in order to keep themselves safe, and in this exact situation, they find other means of doing so to suppress that fear that is bestowed upon …show more content…
The reason why is to ensure that the society is not to be overrun by a revolution among classes. With a fear being present for each class and an adjoining consequence to follow, no one class would have the ambition to act out against such a strict society. In the book when Offred and Offglen are walking back to their respective residencies they encounter a black van, "I freeze, cold travels through me, down to my feet… the van pulls up… they grab a man who is walking along" (Atwood 169). These little encounters throughout the book create the overall fear of the book like I said before but also shows that specially this scenario creates an illusion that nobody is safe in this community. This whole idea of everyone being worried makes the classes afraid to speak out or against the values of the society because doing so would result in severe repercussions. This minimizes any revolting issues against the government unless small coalitions form under the view from the government of which they do begin