The Handmaid's Tale

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the female protagonist, Offred, is shaped by her society into a tool used solely for reproduction in order to serve the patriarchy. Comparably, the female protagonist, Furiosa, from the film Mad Max: Fury Road is shaped by her society into a tool used by the patriarchy to keep inhumane control over the people. Even so, both protagonists react to their objectification in contrasting ways. In the Gilead Age, women do not have as much…

Women have been oppressed from their emotional and sexual freedom since the beginnings of time. Margaret Atwood was able to write a novel where she is showing to her audience the oppressive and rigid hierarchy of Gilead which is full of Orthodox traditions, making it a symbolism from the reality where we have been living forever. In Gilead there’s only one power, the power of repression and women have no hope that there is an opponent power that can save them from misery. Even though nowadays…

The narrator, Offred, describes how she and other handmaids slept inside a gymnasium in the new nation of Gilead. There are two Aunt, Sara and Elizabeth, who has cattle prods around their waist in order to put fear into the handmaids. The women are not allowed to speak with one another so they must resort to lip reading when the aunts are not looking. The handmaids were allowed two walks a day around the former football field. While the women are walking , the guards stand with their backs…

Set after the collapse of the United States, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood tells the tale of a woman named Offred living in a totalitarian government. The Republic of Gilead dictates roles based on one’s sex organs and their viability, such as the Commander, Eye, and Handmaid. Through the narration of the Offred, the reader notices that the relationship she forges with the Commander emphasizes her strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing the bond the main character has with the foil,…

Margaret Atwood’s novel the Handmaid 's tale, uses repression, denial and sublimation to convey the tenets of psychoanalytic theory. Repression is when a person does something unconsciously because they want to hide what is going on with a specific situation. Denial is when someone does not want to accept reality, in most cases this can be not accepting the death of a lost one. Sublimation is when someone does something to hide their emotions. “The theory of psychoanalytic is fear of intimacy,…

identity—which has been a constant topic or struggle throughout all three works—, or social class systems, elements of dystopian concepts can be seen through Aldous Huxley's Brave New World as well as George Orwell’s 1984 and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. The audience simply could not have asked for a better protagonist than Winston Smith. Not only does the reader identify with him, but they also have the privilege of viewing the world through his eyes and his eyes only; they feel what…

is on the kitchen table?” (Atwood 138) While most would be outraged if this question was posed to them and others would likely cite some response similar to “this is the twenty first century” or “absolutely not”, Atwood’s dystopic novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, makes one question what real progress has been made with respect to women’s rights. Though it was written some thirty odd years ago, Atwood’s depiction of women in the oppressive Gilead society and the questions that are raised alongside it…

Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale Atwood uses language throughout the novel that would help the reader understand what is going on more in depth. Atwood’s use of language shows how language can be a form of power and a means of escape. This book has a lot of events that take place that would want to make the characters want to amongst characters. Atwood gives off the idea that certain things and certain phrases that there will be a way for someone to find freedom and make a better lives…

Shania Grant Ms. Milliner EES21Qh-04 October 20,2016 Novel Based Essay Margaret Atwood the author of “ The Handmaid's Tale” uses language to draw the reader's attention. Throughout the novel the author has several flashbacks. The flashbacks that she often has helps her escape from her reality. She also uses biblical references but her main focus is power. In the novel most of the women are fighting for power. Serena Joy tries to make offred look bad so she can conserve her…

Marsheley Souverin Ms.Milliner EES21Q5-05 October. 20th, 2016 In Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Atwood changes her language many times throughout the novel. The language shows a form of power and it is a means of escape. Offred, the protagonist, uses her language as a tool to escape the plight of her existence. After reading this novel, it is obvious that atwood wanted to show the reader’s the different ways characters throughout the novel use their language…