Sexism In A Handmaid's Tale

There is an undeniable, overarching presence of sexism and power that can be seen within modern day America. This presence can be seen within the struggles of women to command authority without being called derogatory names, reflected in the men who are persecuted for being ‘feminine,’ and illustrated in media representation of what a man and a woman should be. Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale is an imitation of the most dangerous parts of this presence and what it would mean if, through a regulation of language control, gender performance, and sex roles, its shadow would arch over America.
Atwood’s tale takes place in an America that has been thrust into an America overthrown by a Christian theocracy and renamed the Republic of Gilead. Published in 1985, this dystopian novel explores an anti-feminist American …show more content…
What was it about this that made us feel we deserved it?” (177). Even in the wake of a wave of the second wave of feminism, within the triumphs of the right to vote, the right to an abortion, and access to contraceptives, Offred had the sense that, as a woman, her hold on her small amount of power was shaky at best. It all depended on the government. How telling is it, then, that our current president is a sexual offender? A Handmaid’s Tale is not a perfect depiction of a state that we are bordering on becoming, but rather a novel that reveals the dangers of gender constructs, sex roles, and the control of language in American society. The people of the United States have worked tirelessly for social rights, but one can never know when the successes could turn on its head. In this novels illustration of Gilead’s dystopian, fear-filled state of inescapable negative government authority, there is a reflection of realities that have yet to be conquered, and warnings that anyone fighting for social rights must