The Role Of Power In The Handmaid's Tale

Power is a fragile notion that can be easily used and abused. When societal power is absolute and dominant, it often leads to oppression and persecution of people. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale examines the dangerous impact of a governing body embracing complete power whilst substantiating as a warning to modern society, if people refuse to fight back dominant groups with strong ideologies, the outcome could be devastating. On the other hand Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery embodies societal power in the essence of tradition, urging readers to think critically of old customs that are illogical and cruel. Furthermore, social power often pushes individuals to the extremity of maintaining their own autonomy with the only solution being to
The fact that the ‘paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago’ suggests that this ritual holds significant power within the village. The lottery’s importance is further demonstrated by the metaphorical ‘black box’, which represents death and hence foreshadows the dark outcome at the end. The ‘three legged stool’ that holds the box ironically alludes to the Christian Trinity as the latter represents purity and holiness, thus conveying how the power of tradition can fool people into behaving in an inhuman manner. The villagers’ regressive mindset is exemplified through Old Man Warner, who argued that quitting the lottery is ‘nothing but trouble’. The apathetic and complacent nature of the crowd is also shown through their swiftness with which they turn against Tessie when she was marked by the symbolic ‘black dot’. Even her husband ended up participating in the stoning, exposing the danger of conforming to social expectations as he went from joking with his wife to ‘forcing the slip of paper out of her hand’. Although family ties form the lottery’s basic structure, these relationships mean nothing against old customs. The Lottery therefore serves as a didactic tale, an indirect warning to societies ruled by outdated