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Analysis Of Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid 's Tale

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Sohul Kapil Mrs. Lilley Advanced Placement English Literature 9 September 2014 Freedom or Free“doom” Gilead’s society is oppressive and unjust to the point that the oppression causes delusion for the women. Gilead, through extensive efforts, tries to simmer their civilians by claiming that the incessant 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 beliefs. "There is more than one kind of freedom...Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don 't underrate it" (24). Gilead presumes that they offer females with freedom from both sexual harassment and the indiscretion of men, but instead Gilead only supports the harassment and indiscretion. Offred, the protagonist, states, “No man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us. No one whistles” (24). Daily, the handmaids are able to stroll through the streets of Gilead sans being eyed by men as fresh meat. On the other hand, young men are, “watching… touch with their eyes instead” (22). Gilead keeps women out of the

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