Hypocrisy is a major theme in The Handmaid’s Tale. The Gilead regime is built on hypocrisy, with the leaders preaching one thing while doing another. The handmaids are told they are valued for their fertility and their role in re-populating the country, but they are treated like slaves. The commanders claim to be pious men who follow the Bible, but they engage in sinful behavior behind closed doors.
The hypocrisy of the Gilead regime is most apparent in its treatment of women. Women are second-class citizens, treated as property of men. They are not allowed to hold jobs or own property. They can’t even read or write. The only thing they are allowed to do is bear children. And yet, despite their limited rights, women are still held responsible for all the sins of man. If a man commits adultery, the woman is punished with death. If a woman has an abortion, she is hanged. The Gilead regime claims to be based on Biblical values, but it’s clear that these values are not upheld in practice.
The hypocrisy of the Gilead regime is also evident in its treatment of sex and reproduction. The leaders of Gilead claim to be champions of chastity and purity, but they are actually obsessed with sex and reproduction. The handmaids are forced to have sexual relationships with the commanders, and they are constantly monitored for signs of pregnancy.
The goal of the Gilead regime is to produce as many children as possible, regardless of the consequences. The lives of the handmaids are sacrificed for the sake of procreation, and yet the leaders of Gilead claim to be acting in the best interests of women.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a scathing critique of hypocrisy in all forms. Margaret Atwood shows how a repressive regime can be built on lies and deception. The story is a warning about the dangers of giving up our freedoms in the name of patriotism and piety. The ultimate irony is that the Gilead regime is eventually overthrown by its own hypocrisy.
The leaders become so obsessed with controlling the lives of people that they lose sight of what’s really important, and they are eventually brought down by their own greed and corruption. The Handmaid’s Tale is a story about the dangers of hypocrisy and the importance of speaking truth to power.
The hypocrisy in this society allows the people in power to do whatever they want while having their citizens believe that everything is perfect and pure. The blatant display of hypocrisy makes it seem like Gilead society is nothing more than a facade to keep the citizens under control. The fact that the society is based on religion yet the people in charge are not following what religion preaches makes it hypocritical.
The way that Gilead society uses religion as an excuse to do whatever they please, including rape handmaid, shows how hypocritical it is. The Handmaid’s Tale highlights how a society can be built on hypocrisy and how it can be used as a tool for the powerful to control the citizens.
The rapist was brought before the handmaids to be disciplined. The handmaid was required to carry out bawdy acts and assault a stranger who fought against the regime, perhaps for something he had not done, according to Ofglen, who claims she knew him and that he was a decent man.
The hypocrisy in The Handmaid’s Tale is that the women are forced to punish someone for a crime they might not have even committed. The women are stripped of their own agency and are reduced to their bodies. Offred is reduced to her body when she’s punished by being made to look at her naked body in the mirror.
The men in The Handmaid’s Tale are allowed to keep their agency and their voices. The hypocrisy is that the men get to have power and voices while the women are treated like objects. The men can also hide behind their uniforms and masks whereas the women are easily recognizable because of their uniforms and red cloaks.
The hypocrisy is that the women are forced into a life where they can’t have their own voice or agency and the men are able to keep those things. The hypocrisy is that the women are punished for something they might not have done while the men are able to get away with anything. The Handmaid’s Tale highlights the hypocrisy of a society that is based on inequality and injustice.
Margaret Atwood is able to highlight the hypocrisy of a society in The Handmaid’s Tale. The hypocrisy lies in the fact that the women are forced to punish someone for a crime they might not have even committed. The women are reduced to their bodies and their voices are taken away from them. The men are allowed to keep their voices and agency.
Her entire goal in life is to reproduce. Nothing else matters to her body than reproduction. Her essence isn’t even in her body anymore because there are no linkages between them. It’s not only her personality that she lost control of, but also the body it represented her as herself.
The powerful elite class who are the commanders and their wives, get to decide when and how often the handmaids conceive a child. The whole hypocrisy in The Handmaid’s Tale is that these women, who are supposed to be pious and devoted to God, use their religious beliefs to control other women.
The handmaids are given a new name, which represents them as a property of somebody else. The name also signifies that they are not allowed to have an individual identity anymore. The fact that the government can erase someone’s name and identity just by giving her a new one shows how much power they have over the people.
The book is full of double standards where the men can do whatever they want while the women are punished for the same actions. The Handmaid’s Tale is a perfect example of how women are oppressed and treated like second-class citizens. The story also highlights how hypocritical the Gilead society is and how they use religion to control the people.