The Handmaids Tale Essay -- The Handmaids Tale Essays

In Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids yarn, 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, go incubators, whose role in breeding is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, audacious men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste. devotion is index. Fear is ever-present in Gilead it is implemented through violence and force. It is through misgiving that the regime controls the Gileadian society. There is no way Offred, or the other Handmaids elicit avoid it. The dead bodies hanging on the wall are a relentless reminder of what insubordination and conflict result in. The abuse of power is also present in chapter fifteen after Moira attempts to escape, she is taken to the oldish science lab and has her feet beaten with steel frayed wires and is then left field on her bed, Moira lay on her bed as an example. (pg. 102 ) She is an example of what rebellion results in. Therefore, creating fear in the other Handmaids to prevent them from rebelling. Handmaids are also mark like cattle, a numerical tattoo on their ankle consisting of an centre and four digits similar to the tattoos on Nazi prisoners, prevents them from escaping. Offred refers to it as, A passport in reverse. (pg. 75 ) this reference implies that there is no escape or passing her situation, as a passport would allow a person to bring a country. Atwood uses this tattoo to display the societys exploitation of power, and has been colligate to that of the cruel regime of Nazi Germany. The Gilead regime uses language, particularly... ...t create a pinch of disorientation towards the reader. Atwood does this to enable us to understand just how disjointed life is in Gilead. Offred continuously involves the reader, she directly addresses us and anticipates our response and even feels she has to free some of her actions, she is a self-conscious narrator. Atwood is also preparing us for the revelation in the Historical notes that Offred is recounting her story into a tape recorder. The story is assailable ended we are not told what exactly happened to Offred, Atwood does this in order to throw off more of an impact on the reader. Works CitedMargaret Atwood, The Handmaids Tale, (first pub. 1986) Publish by time of origin London 1996.Sandra Langdon, The Handmaids Tale, Letts Explore for A level, (first pub.1998) http//www.novelguide.com/TheHandmaidsTale/essayquestions.html (accessed 11/10/2014)