Handmaids Tale - Power and Control - 1210 Words

‘How is Gilead presented as a place of power and control in the opening chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale?’ The Republic of Gilead is the fictional country which Margaret Atwood chose as the setting for her dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. We can infer from the first chapter that Gilead is within the borders of the USA from the fact that ‘old’ blankets still said US: this hints that some sort of major catastrophe has occurred before the time of the novel to change this. The first few chapters suggest a lot about the setting, and also how the transition of the country from being the United States of America to the Republic of Gilead may not have been a particularly positive one. The novel of The Handmaid’s Tale is based on the†¦show more content†¦The different uniforms worn within Gilead are another example of the state using the power they have to control their citizens. All women in the Republic are defined by the colour of their uniforms. These uniforms remove all individuality from particularly the submissive women, as well as camouflaging all signs of shape and figure. Gilead sees women’s sexuality as dangerous, which is why the uniforms they have prescribed are so concealing and unflattering. When Offred walks by the young Guardians, she moves her hips when she senses them watching her, and then states her hope that ‘they get hard’ as a result of her doing this. This shows how she feels that her ability to inspire sexual attraction, despite her uniform is the only power she herself retains. Fear is obviously used in Gilead as the main form of control, made clear by the fact that there are ‘men with machine guns in the pillboxes on either side of road’ – this indicates how strict the rules within the country are, and how severe the consequences are if you break them. The Guardians’ sexual desire is controlled by the idea of the ‘floodlights going on, the rifle shots’ which illustrates the extent of the power the state has over them – they have not yet earned the right to a women, therefore would be totally sex-starved as masturbation is a sin and porn is forbidden. The only hope for them of this changing is if they were promoted to AngelShow MoreRelatedHandmaids tale1446 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Marlyn Barroso ETS 192 October 3rd, 2013 Hierarchy in The HandMaid s Tale Margaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale is a interesting novel that will have you confused but also have you bitting your nails with intrigue. So many questions might go in your head, at the same time; Atwood wrote this novel so her readers can have curiosity, even after reading the last word of the last paragraph of the last page of the book. One of the main topics of this novel is the effect on society when aRead MoreMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale Essay1724 Words   |  7 PagesThe Handmaid’s Tale women’s bodies are used as political instruments. Because if the harmful pollution in the United States, a new Constitution has been made to address and correct the decline in birth rates. To do this the government has created Handmaids. Handmaids â€Å"are placed in the households of [army] Commanders whose Wives can no longer bear† babies anymore (Cameron 299). The future of the Republic of Gilead depends on the Handmaids ability to have a baby. The Ha ndmaids are kept underRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood And Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins1522 Words   |  7 Pagesenvironmentally degraded one† (www.oxforddictionaries.com).The text, The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins deal with the main idea of societal restraint. Both authors portray a protagonist who is living in a totalitarian society. The protagonists in both novels have harsh limitations which they must abide to. The authors use setting, oppression, and symbolism as restraint for societal control. Setting is a demonstration of restraint because in both novels the city/districtRead MoreIs Today s Society Becoming A Dystopian World?1313 Words   |  6 Pagesa dystopian world? Both the novels 1984 by George Orwell and The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood provide warnings of how each author sees certain problems in society leading to dystopian states. Civilizations are forced to live by rules and for certain purposes to ensure the governments own goals and aspirations, but arise for different reasons. Atwood is concerned with political groups and aspects of feminism; The Handmaids Tale illustrates how declining birth rates could lead to a state whereRead MoreAbuse of Power in the Handmaids Tale1174 Words   |  5 PagesWithin the totalitarian society created by Margaret Atwood in the Handmaid’s Tale, there are many people and regimes centred around and reliant on the manipulation of power. The laws that are in place in the republic of Gilead are designed and implemented so as to control and restrict the rights and freedom of its inhabitants. In the republic of Gilead, there are many rules and restrictions within all levels of the community, wives, econowives, common men and handmaid’s included, which limit theRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesAtwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste. Fear is power. Fear is ever-presentRead MoreMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid Tale Essay1166 Words   |  5 Pagescertain amount of power and control of its citizens in order for a society to function properly. However, too much power and control in a society eliminates the freedom of the residents, forbidding them to live an ordinary life. In the dystopian futuristic novel, The Handmaids Tale, Margaret Atwood demonstrates the theme of power and control through an oppressive society called the Republic of Gilead. The government established power and control through the use of the wall, military control, the salvagingRead MoreEssay about The Handmaids Tale889 Words   |  4 PagesAtwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste. Fear is power. Fear is ever-presentRead MoreThe Existence Of A Patriarchal Society1049 Words   |  5 PagesPatriarchal Society Throughout history, men have continued to hold the position of power and authority in society. Generally, men disregarded what women had to say and believed that women were incapable of making decisions on their own. Rather than creating a society, which established equal and fair power, the men wanted to control everyone including women. Some men even abused and manipulated women in order to get the power they desired. Men held more dominant positions in society and therefore had aRead More Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Essay1246 Words   |  5 PagesMargaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale In The Handmaids Tale, Margaret Atwood tells a saddening story about a not-to-distant future where toxic chemicals and abuses of the human body have resulted in many men and women alike becoming sterile. The main character, Offred, gives a first person encounter about her subservient life as a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, a republic formed after a bloody coup against the United States government. She and her fellow handmaids are fertile women that the