Summary:
This essay outlines the plot of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In the futuristic Republic of Gilead, under the dictatorship of conservative Christians, the minority of women who are fertile are trained to be “handmaids” - birth-mothers for the upper-class population.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopia about a world where unrealistic things take place, it is set in the futuristic Republic of Gilead. Sometime in the future, conservative Christians take control of America and establish a dictatorship. Most women in Gilead are infertile after being exposed to pesticides, nuclear waste, or leakages from chemical weapons. The few fertile women left are taken to camps and trained to be handmaids - birth-mothers for the upper-class population of Gilead.
Infertile women are sent either to clean up toxic waste (unwomen) or to become "Marthas,." No women in the Republic are permitted to be openly sexual; sex is for the means of reproduction only. Throughout the novel it is important to remember that it has biblical meaning, in the Bible Eve was the first woman. She was made from Adam as his companion and Eve committed the first sin. Also in Genesis 30:1-3, the passage makes it apparent that in the patriarchal Hebrew times, it was a normal occurrence for a male to have sex with his servants, particularly if his wife was infertile.
We first hear about the handmaids in chapter one. This chapter is set in the gymnasium, Offred mentions the names of the girls,
"Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June."
We learn that the handmaids have learnt one another's names through lip reading when the aunts were not around. We also discover a bit about the aunts, when Offred describes the aunts as women without guns. The fact Offred mentions 'guns' prepares the reader and gives an insight to the life of the handmaids. The next thing we learn about the handmaids is about the rooms they sleep in. The rooms have little in them, all things that could be used to hang oneself from have been removed and the windows barely open. These first few chapters are significant in giving the readers an insight on the restrictions the handmaids injure during the novel. They have had their freedom stolen. The handmaids must remain obedient and continue to follow orders, there are constant reminders (the wall chp 6) to keep them in line. The novel portrays Offred as fearing her body,
"Shameful, immodest. I avoid looking at my body, not so much because it's shamefull or immodest but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely."(P.63)
The handmaids have lost the love they had for their bodies, which is unfortunate because with love for their bodies they create power, by learning what they can do with their bodies. The situation has taken away the hope and dignity the handmaids need to free themselves. Also there access to knowledge has been diminished, knowledge is power and without this the handmaids can be brainwashed by the Aunts. However it is important to remember the handmaids are not the only women present in Margaret Atwood's novel.
The Martha's are a group of women who are dressed similar to that of the handmaids. The Martha's are infertile women who have been lucky enough not to be sent to the colonies. Mora and Rita are Martha's and are servants in the commander's house. They are heard talking in the early chapters by Offred. Rita states that she despises the handmaids position and she would rather be sent to the colonies than conform to the duty of a handmaid. Offred longs to talk to the Martha's, but Martha's and Handmaids are forbidden to speak.
The Commanders wife, Serena Joy belongs to the group of women with the greatest symbolic status. She use to be a gospel singer and anti-feminist advocate previous to the war and formation of Gilead. She use to make speeches stating a women's place was in the home, yet since the formation of Gilead she resents the values she once held. Serena also strongly resents Offred as the handmaids presence in the novel highlights Serena's failure to reproduce, which is the soul-purpose of a woman's life in the Gilead. She clings on to her status and is extremely cruel to the handmaids within her household.
The power structure of Gilead divides the women into different categories of uneven power. The most sinister perhaps, is the Aunts. They are the only women permitted to read and write. They also have access to weapons and behold more freedom than even the wives. Aunt Lydia teaches the handmaids at the Red Centre, she tells them they are valuable and important, like pearls. However Offred recalls a time when she heard that pearls were merely oyster spit. The aunts try hard to oppose the knowledge the handmaids have, and in many cases succeed in brainwashing the maids. The Aunts hold power, they have a status which allows them knowledge, even though the university is now closed.
Not all women in Gilead are equally oppressed. The handmaids are valued as precious resources but in reality they remain at the bottom of womanly status. Although some women have a higher status, they all remain lower to the status of men. The quality of life for women in Gilead is one of extreme measures, the wives are made to feel like failures, the handmaids are used as objects and the Martha's are made to be servants. However the aunts still have a channel of knowledge and seem to keep a higher status than all other women throughout the text.
This is the complete article, containing 906 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
