Dystopian Society In The Handmaid's Tale

Aishwarya Srinivas
Ms. Lim
English ENG3U1-05
January 15, 2016
“You cannot control me”
People with younger siblings or kids will understand the above statement because they are curious and energetic beings who want to explore and know everything. This can also be seen in various individuals as well. It is important to teach a person, what is good and what is bad, at an early age as this would help in shaping the person’s future. In Margaret Atwood’s “the Handmaids Tale”, certain individuals in a dystopian society go against the government’s rules. The government of Gilead is a theocratic government that removes the rights from the women and creates a strict caste system. The residents in Gilead are supposed to follow the rules or else they would
An important character in the novel that shows clear resistance against the government is Moira. Moira is Offred’s closest friend and they were college mates before Gilead. Her fierce and resistant nature makes the Handmaids, as well as the reader, remember her. Moira comes up with plans to escape the Red Center. On her first try, she pretends to be sick because she knows they will send an ambulance to get her. Then, from the hospital she can escape on her own. (Atwood 111) Moira comes up with this plan as she does not want to be in the Red Center. The plan would have worked if the Angels in the ambulance did not report her. (Atwood 113) The punishment she gets for attempting a planned escape is getting her feet beaten. (Atwood 114) She was not successful on her first try, but this did not make her lose hope. She longed for freedom, so she plans another escape. She dresses up as Aunt Elizabeth, presents her pass to the Guardians who did not check her, and gets away easily. (Atwood 166) She is successful on her second attempt and this shows how she cannot be controlled by the higher authority. Knowing her very well, Offred says that “she’d been set loose, she’d set herself loose” and that, “She was a loose woman.” (Atwood 167) Moira has a very open and free-spirited nature. She is not afraid to do or say anything. This makes her stand out from the other characters
The same desire is also felt in those that have more privilege and power. One feeling that needs control sometimes is love. Love is powerful emotion and occurs naturally in most people. Though there are strict rules on the interactions between men and women in Gilead, a Guardian and a Commander showcase their feelings to a Handmaid in ways that are forbidden by the government. Both interactions happen in secret because they could not control themselves and keep following the rules. One of the characters who develop feelings for Offred is Nick. When Offred goes outside to do shopping, she sees Nick outside the house cleaning the car. She notices Nick smoking a cigarette, which is a luxury she cannot have. When Nick notices her looking at him, she whistles and winks at her. (Atwood 22) When Nick winks at Offred, she gets startled. This is because he, as a Guardian, is not supposed to do that. Handmaids are only supposed to have sexual intercourse with the Commander in a ceremony and get pregnant. Other man cannot have intimate relationships with the Handmaids. Nick’s intentions seem confusing at first, but whistling and winking is usually seen as signs of unnecessary flirting. Nick is not allowed to do this, but he is merely greeting Offred, as she is new to the house. Nick reveals his feelings for Offred by kissing her after he finds her in the sitting room at night. Nick is