The novel The Handmaid’s Tale is not merely a story about the experiences of one woman in a patriarchal society, but rather an examination of power and gender dynamics in such societies. The Handmaid’s Tale uses Margaret Atwood’s writing style to portray what life could be like under such conditions with rich symbolism and underlying themes of The Handmaid’s Tale.
One major theme of The Handmaid’s Tale is the relationship between power and gender. The Republic of Gilead takes away the citizen’s rights and instead gives them duties, depending on their status and ability. The protagonist Offred serves as a symbol for this theme: her name signifies that she is property of Fred, or that she is “of Fred”. This represents how the government has taken away Offred’s freedoms, but also how women are subjugated in this society.
Another major theme in The Handmaid’s Tale is language as a form of power. The novel depicts a world where powerful institutions control language to further their own ends; one example being when they force the Handmaids to remove their names, so that they are known only by their male masters. The novel also includes extensive use of euphemisms – many characters refrain from speaking by using euphemisms for words which have been outlawed. The government uses this language control as a power tool, and it is significant because it reflects how powerful institutions work in The Handmaid’s Tale to empower themselves at all costs.
A third major theme of The Handmaid’s Tale is resistance. The protagonist Offred resists through her thoughts, memories, and interactions with others – this subverts how women are expected to behave in Gilead society. She resents having no more rights than a “two-legged womb” (177), takes pleasure in the secret thrill of an “unwomanly act” (93), and rebels against The Eye by refusing to look down when she is being observed from above. These small acts of resistance help keep Offred sane, because they remind her that she is still a human being and not merely property for The Commander.
The Handmaid’s Tale provides three different perspectives: The first-person narrative offers insight into the protagonist’s experiences and feelings; The other characters provide information about how people think and behave in this society; The narrator occasionally inserts outside commentary as an omniscient presence. The novel’s use of multiple perspectives indicates how The Handmaid’s Tale examines power dynamics through its exploration of gender politics.
The major theme of The Handmaid’s Tale is women’s rights and how the society deals with them. The novel shows different examples such as how it affects their jobs, families, and their sexuality (BBC). The first example is the lack of reproductive freedom that many characters face. The role of a handmaid was not something that they had an option for; it was either this or death. The declining birth rates were seen as an act of treason by The Republic of Gilead.
This lack of reproductive freedom affects the characters’ lives in many ways. The main character, Offred, takes on a new name to hide her true identity so she won’t get caught and killed. The backstories of each handmaid are almost fully erased so no one can find out who they really are or where they came from (Atwood). The only reason why Offred still has memories is because The Commander (her boss) knows her secret.
The next example is that women are used for their bodies to provide children instead of what they can do for society. Women’s bodies are not seen as anything other than machines that can give birth to children. The narrator shows this about the society when The Commander’s Wife says, “I think sometimes they forget we have these different things going on inside us” (Atwood). The lack of respect for a woman’s body is also seen through Offred as she sees other handmaids being physically and sexually assaulted by The Guardians.
The Republic of Gilead fails to let women advance in society because they are only forced to be mothers and nothing else. The last example is how The Republic of Gilead treats women who don’t want to follow their rules. The rule that the people must follow is that you will not use contraceptives, read from banned books, or leave your designated areas. The novel shows a lot of examples in which the women break these rules and are harshly punished. The first example is that The Guardians can beat women who don’t follow their orders.
The punishments given to Offred when she fails to complete her tasks properly are also violent. The next example is when Janine, one of the Handmaids, gets gang raped for being defiant towards The Angels (Handmaids who watch over them). The last example is that Ofglen (Offred’s best friend) gets her tongue cut out because she was caught with contraband (Atwood). The severity of the punishments show how dangerous it would be if someone were to break any other rules.
The author uses dystopian fiction to show her readers what life could be like if reproductive rights are limited or outlawed completely so that certain people – mainly women – can’t have access to them.[1]
The result shows how powerful and important reproductive rights are, especially for women so they don’t become slaves whether it be to men or religious figures. Although The Handmaid’s Tale was written over thirty years ago it echoes into modern times with movements against women’s issues like abortion and birth control.[2] The major themes in The Handmaid’s Tale are the same ones that emerged during this time period – themes of religion, power, and control.[3]
The major theme in The Handmaid’s Tale is religion. The Gilead regime has taken control of women by using religion to oppress them. The society in The Handmaid’s Tale uses the bible as their guide for moral propriety which ends up benefiting men rather than women because it states that women are beneath them both physically and spiritually.[4] The leaders of Gilead use biblical scripture to justify banning what they consider “pleasures” like alcohol, listening to pop music, reading newspapers or books not written biblically.
They believe any distraction will away from God being present in every person.[5] The novel is set in Cambridge, Massachusetts but women are prohibited access to higher education. The leaders of Gilead believe that educating people will counteract their authority so they must eliminate it all together for this reason. The regime also veils women because men are believed to be lustful creatures that can’t control themselves when they see a woman’s naked face – disturbing the illusions that men and women are equal.[6]
