The Handmaid's tale takes place in Gilead, a Totalitarian government where women are governed by men. The novel is based on a futuristic time period where women are restricted from their freedoms and are under surveillance being watched by the eyes, the secret police force. The story is told by Offred, who explains the woman’s primarily purpose in a society directed by the Christian government's strict policies. Offred tells her story in the present test and on occasions shifts to the past on flashbacks. Offred was married to Luke and had a daughter that she was separated from, never hearing from her again. During her flashbacks Offred’s emotions are affected by her memories from the past. Realizing that she is no longer happy, she …show more content…
In Gilead, woman’s only purpose is to reproduce, they are treated as political instruments who are deprived from their rights. The different levels of power are identified based on their rank in the army and the woman are either called wives, Martha’s or Handmaids. Martha’s are infertile woman who do not qualify as wives, so they work as servants for wealthy families. Offred is a handmaid, she is forced to bear children for elite wealthy couples. During this time period there is no equality, woman are not allowed to vote, read, hold properties or be independent in any form. Offred later befriends Ofglen and gets used to a daily routine, often walking with her on shopping trips. In her daily routine Offred is required to have sex with the commander often in attempt to get Puga 2 pregnant; however, after several attempts she is unsuccessful. Every encounter with the commander Offred gets a little of her rights back by speaking to the commander and even gathering information. However, being able to get woman pregnant is important for the commander, so in secret the commanders wife tries to get Nick to get her pregnant to pretend
She is kept alive for purely that reason in the first chapters, as the story progresses and she is invited into the Commander's office, where they play Scrabble and he reveals to her hidden or contraband aspects of the new society, such as fashion magazines and cosmetics, which he allows her to read, an activity otherwise prohibited for women. In these meetings Offred is treated more humanely than she has in years. She's treated more like a human should instead of a slave to her own body and “Commander”, which is suggested in her name in of its self, which means “of Fred”, conceding the point that the Commander's name is
Her belief gives her a false sense of security as well as her unwillingness to rebel due to fear of the Eyes. Her conversations with others are "Praise be," "Blessed be the fruit," and "May the Lord open" it is difficult for Offred or any women to really have a meaningful conversation for fear that anyone is a spy. Everything that Offred does is now part of the norm of society. She doesn't question her duties just does what is expected of her. As Offred begins a secret relationship with Nick she believes she has reclaimed a tiny piece of her past. She becomes addicted to the small amount of companionship from Nick, causing her to turn a blind eye to the injustices going on around her. She feels empowered because it was her own choice. When in reality she did what was expected of her. Using her body in order to produce a child.
When Cora finds Offred sleeping on the floor, she panics and gets in trouble as a way to cover for Offred. As spring comes to an end, the secret night time meetings of Offred and the Commander becomes more sophisticated as they develop a code for when they want to meet, though it doesn’t always work as Serena is sometimes in the way. Soon, Offred begins to like the Commander, and realizes she is his mistress, which makes the ceremonies awkward. Meanwhile, Offred and Ofglen become friends. It is revealed that Ofglen is a member of the resistance against government and when Offred and Ofglen share the same view on the printed prayers, they trust each other.
Although Offred accepts the standards and criterions of her society, she keeps her individuality and refuses to forget the past. She remembers having had an identity of her own and strives to hold on to it as best as she can. She puts a claim on her temporary room in her Commander's house; it becomes a sanctuary for her true self. Her room becomes a place of
( Atwood 72). The commander gets to use Offred for sexual purpose without the consent of his wife. However she looks like she does not want but has no choice but to accept. “But to refuse to see him could be worse. There’s no doubt about who holds the real power.
Offred is stating that is she does not bear children to the Commander and Serena Joy she will be killed, because her ovaries are not viable, therefore, she is useless to society. Despite being already married, and educated, she is no longer seen as that, but rather a sexual instrument. Offred is forced into having sexual relations with Nick, the driver, since the Commander is infertile, and Serena Joy wishes to have a child. This is highly illegal, and Gilead executes those who do so.
In “The Handmaid 's Tale” by Margaret Atwood, there is the addressing of freedom, abuse of power, feminism, rebellion and sexuality. The audience is transported to a disparate time where things normalized in our current society are almost indistinguishable. Atwood uses each character carefully to display the set of theme of rebellion within the writing, really giving the reader a taste of what the environment is like by explaining detailed interactions, and consequences as well as their role in society.
In the book, the Commander is seen as basically self-incriminating himself once Offred is taken away. Also, towards the end of the book, Offred almost gives up and accepts her role in this new society so she doesn’t get into trouble.
the novel is a role model for Offred and serves as a part of Offred’s conscience. The
The commander can be seen as a man torn between two worlds, he was one of the founders of Gilead yet still enjoys and yearns for the pleasures of the old society he managed to break. The commander is cool and collected on the surface but underneath he is bitter and corrupted for the world he has managed to create. The commander secretly longs for the world to be as it once was and this is why he savours his time with Offred because she may remind him of life before Gilead. It is also ironic how both characters feel under the surface an anger and repression of Gilead and they both want to break free. However on the surface when they play scrabble with
Offred's purpose is to serve the Commander and his wife, Serena Joy. When Offred is at the crucial point in her menstrual cycle when she is most fertile, the Commander must have passionless sex with Offred in order to accomplish the objective of impregnating her. This is Offred's third attempt; she was not successful with the two Commanders before this one. If Offred fails again she will be declared an Unwoman and sent to the colonies for hard labor. Offred's freedom is completely restricted. She can not have the door to her room totally shut, and she can leave the house only on specific purposeful trips such as to visit the wall or for purchasing grocery items. All the while, Gilead's secret police forces, known only as Eyes', are scrutinizing every move she makes.
Despite the little dependence on women, they are still objectified and subjected to injustice because of their gender, regardless if they were a female in general or as a poor female. As something as simple as what a person is born with affects the respect that is given to them. Margaret Atwood formulates Offred’s personality much like any other handmaid in the community. Offred becomes familiar with the functionality and role of women in the community, therefore she adjusts herself in order to be up to par with the unethical standard. “I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born. (Atwood, 75). To be what is required of her, Offred must act unhuman because the expectations of females exceed the
Offred, within the novel, is seen as being in one of the lowest classes within the hierarchy of women only putting her above the women who are sent to the colonies. Unlike the handmaids, the Martha, who are helping ladies to the Wives, talk about Offred like she is not in their present but viewed her as “a household chore,one among many”(Atwood 48). Although the Martha are women too, they have more control than Offred. By viewing Offred as a household chore conveys that Offred is an inconvenience but still a necessary part of Gilead. Speaking about Offred like this emphasizes that she is below them in the status of society and they are not seen as equals. In addition, Offred, being a handmaid, wasn’t allow to talk to the Wives in a direct manner (Atwood 14-15). By Offred not being allowed to talk to the Wives illustrates that the Wives authority over the handmaids. Furthermore, the handmaid’s are viewed as less and “[reduced]... to the slavery status of being mere ‘breeders’” (Malak). By conveying the handmaids are slaves shows are they force without consent to have sex with men and that the handmaid focus is to breed, unlike the Martha, aunts, and Wives. Moreover, the class system within the female hierarchy of Gilead is utilized as a political tool thus adding to the assumption
Clearly, Offred has done nothing wrong and till this point, has lived up to everyone 's expectation so that everyone (being men) can live satisfactory lives. If she had made the decision to avoid the risk of essentially being a sex slave, she wouldn’t have to lose her
Subsequent to the emergence into a new era, laws were passed in the late 1800’s, which essentially prohibited women from any self rights or power. The passing of the City, Town, and