Analysis Of The Handmaid s Tale - 1031 Words

Alan Taylor Kenworthy Professor Yannakakis ENGL:1200:0066 10/03/2017 The Art of Storytelling Stories. The beauty of storytelling, what is it? What is its purpose? As Joan Didion once stated, â€Å"We tell ourselves stories in order to live† (Greenhouse 2014). And in the case of The Handmaid’s Tale, that this quote is relatable would be an understatement. The Handmaid’s Tale portrays a society that is colonized by a Republic that ironically coalesces two extremist ideologies: the Puritanical right that denotes women proper place in the culture – parallel to a horde of extremist countries – as the property of men, and the feminist groups that challenge against the objectification of women and their bodies under the grasp of patriarchy. The†¦show more content†¦In parallel, her creation of a narrative silences Gilead, as her narrative allows her to feel that she has control in a sense. Furthermore, Offred uses her narrative as a pastime. Because she has no access to the outside world and exposure to any â€Å" real† events, she creates events from other people’s points of view, making up very involved fictions about what others might be saying or thinking. An example of this would be at the beginning of Chapter 22, where Offred is creating an imaginary, fictional conversation between Janine and Aunt Lydia: â€Å"I feel like I can rely on you, Janine, Aunt Lydia would have said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Atwood 129). With this false, fiction-making narrative, it further gives Offred the ability to feel she has some sort of agency, while simultaneously serving as entertainment in such a torpid, suppressing culture. Consequently, as readers, we typically are not aware of what is always true about her story, and what is false fiction. For example, we don’t know what any character’s real names are, and this is part of Atwood’s design that reminds us that this is a story and the narrator is adjusting part of the details. Offred wishes she could change the horrific events that have happened to her through retelling them, or as she calls it: â€Å"reconstruction.† Additionally, even the epilogue, through its â€Å"Historical Notes,† further reiterates the notion that this is a tale, andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis : The Handmaid s Tale 1853 Words   |  8 PagesHandmaid’s Tale, is highly considered as a stimulating work of feminist dystopian fiction that examines the themes of fertility, rebellion, manipulation of power and love. All of these themes play an essential role in displaying the dehumanizing impacts of patriarchy on women and address the way in which society may be in the future. Fertility is believed to be vital for the future in Gilead because nobody is able to give birth to babies and it is the only source of power of the Handmaids. â€Å"There isRead MoreCritical Analysis : The Handmaid s Tale 1129 Words   |  5 PagesLidiah Zipp College English Critical Analysis Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Complacent Philip Zimbardo, an American psychologist said, â€Å"Bullies may be the perpetrators of evil, but it is the evil of passivity of all those who know what is happening and never intervene that perpetuates such abuse,† (â€Å"Philip Zimbardo Quotes†). In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, a pair Handmaid’s called Offred and Ofglen, and a wife named Serena Joy, clearly exhibit contrasting examples ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Margaret Atwood s The Handmaids Tale 1405 Words   |  6 Pagesthe corruption of governments before even if we didn’t even realize it. From communism to democracy, world wars to civil wars, genocides to religious upraises, government involvement has always been silently exalted. In Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we see the fear of the Gileadian society caused by a rà ©gime government who practices its inhumane beliefs through everyday life in Gilead. The uses of military corru ption, fear, and oppression are things that describe the everyday life of theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Handmaid s Tale By Margaret Atwood1401 Words   |  6 PagesAtwood has successfully described if not answer the issue of independence and passivity in The Handmaid’s Tale. A dystopian novel set in the post-apocalyptic America now so-called Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian government. With the critically low reproduction rates due to biological warfare, the Handmaids are allocated to give births within the oppressive regime. The story of the Handmaids has clarified the definition of freewill and independence by three kinds of autonomy: mental, physical andRead MoreAnalysis Of Margaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale847 Words   |  4 Pagesincessant restrictions are for their own good. No restrictions are more stringent than those bestowed on the women, and more specifically, the handmaids. Although, Gilead claims to be built on a principal set of values, its principles are ignored and challenged to ensure everything runs smoothly in the eyes of Gilead’s patriarchy. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the Republic of Gilead, a corrupt government adamant on supporting a better way of life for females, undermines their very own beliefsRead MoreAnalysis Of Margaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale843 Words   |  4 Pageslaws are not followed. The Eyes are at the top of the caste system; they make sure the laws are obeyed. Next are the Commanders and their Wives. The Handmaiden’s main task is to produce a child with their Commander. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, some unorthodox characters challenge the theocracy such as Offred, Ofglen, and Nick. â€Å"Waste not, want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?† (Atwood 7). From stealing butter for lotion to playing Scrabble with the Commander, plainly, OffredRead MoreAnalysis Of Margaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale Essay1623 Words   |  7 Pagessuperego. When examined using this theory, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel about a patriarchal totalitarian government that has replaced the United States of America, is particularly interesting. The story’s protagonist and narrator is a woman referred to as Offred, who lives in the fairly new Republic of Gilead which has taken the place of the United States. She is what is known as a Handmaid; alarmingly low reproductive rates led to young women whom are able to reproduceRead MoreAnalysis Of Margaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale1825 Words   |  8 PagesIn Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, we meet Offred, or so they call her, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, a futuristic dystopian society. Gilead tarnished traditional values and replaced them with shear corruption after the rebels killed the President as well as most of Congress, took over the government, and decided to throw out the constitution. Instead the society relies on the bible to justify its barbaric rules, limitations and practices. In a totalitarian society of decreasing birthRead MoreAnalysis Of Mary Atwood And Sylvia Plath s The Handmaid s Tale, And Moira Of Margaret Atwood19 05 Words   |  8 Pagesdespondent frame of mind, the woman of Sylvia Plath’s poem, Edge, and Moira of Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaids Tale, find themselves accepting their condemnation as their destiny. Both Margaret Atwood and Sylvia Plath use their works as emotional outlets to express the hopeless disposition one comes to embrace having reached the point of exhaustion. Together, Moira from The Handmaid’s Tale and the â€Å"perfected woman† from Edge exemplify the quality of life or lack thereof, one is left with afterRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale, By Margaret Atwood1629 Words   |  7 Pages Atwood s novel, The Handmaid s Tale depicts a not too futuristic society of Gilead, a society that overthrows the U.S. Government and institutes a totalitarian regime that seems to persecute women specifically. Told from the main character s point of view, Offred, explains the Gilead regime and its patriarchal views on some women, known as the handmaids, to a purely procreational function. The story is set the present tense in Gilead but frequently shifts to flashbacks in her time at the Red