George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale are both novels in which the state‚ namely Oceania and Gilead‚ attempts to exert totalitarian control over the lives of its peoples. Through Orwell and Atwood’s subsequent portrayal on the ensuing dystopias we are clearly able to see the respective states desire to control love and emotion‚ which are considered undesirable distractions‚ as a means of achieving the totalitarian control that they so desire. It is thus in
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In The Handmaid’s Tale‚ Margaret Atwood employs symbolic colors and caste systems to create a world where the only significant‚ defining aspects of any one person are the traits and assigned colors of their respective caste. The removal of any individuality allows characters to conform to the stereotypes and roles placed upon them by this new society‚ effectively creating the disparities that keep each group from interacting and bonding with each other. This disunion between females is not exclusive
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violence‚ and the reoccurring pattern of the color red to illustrate the negative impact it has on women‚ especially the Handmaids. Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale‚ Offred recalls her past life before and during the creation of the Republic of Gilead. The radical political change was carried out by a coup to create a “right-wing‚ fundamentalist Christian theocracy” (Beauchamp). The goal of the new regime was to create a new society with cult-like evangelical culture that bases a majority of
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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
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The utopia’s in both Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale‚ use different methods of obtaining control over individuals weather its in a relationship or having control over a whole society‚ but are both similar in the fact that humans are looked at as instruments. In both societies‚ the individuals have very little liberty and are always controlled strictly by the government. Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale create fictional places where the needs and desires of humans are met‚ but not
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patterned throughout the narrative and they help to reveal Offred as an individual to the reader. The character’s isolation “Where should I go?” is both ironic and distressing because her reality is that she is trapped; this emphasises the only thing Gilead couldn’t take away from her old life was her memories and imagination. The reconstructed narrative allows the reader to question the reliability of Offred because it is all from her memory. Atwood uses the “Historical Notes” to provide a challenging
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Gilead’s totalitarian theocratic society may have on the growing children such as religious views. The letter is emotionally nonchalant despite the mother and child being separated for 15 years to deliberately show how apathy is spread in the society of Gilead. I have explored this literary work in detail. The Handmaid’s Tale is like Atwood’s nightmare journal. It shows her fear of the increasing religious fundamentalism. I have recreated Atwood’s world to fight off the monster in the nightmare. In addition
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not have to worry about harassment or jealousy because the woman are so overly protected. While woman involved in the feminist movement such as Offred’s mother ultimately get what they wanted they have to sacrifice their individuality to obtain it. Gilead has a theocracy based government. By the start of the novel‚ the woman are already brainwashed to multiply because that is what God wants. Atwood poses the question‚ is it better to stay unique in a world of pain or give up your individuality for
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The central social hierarchy within the novel is the gender hierarchy‚ placing men in a position of extreme power. This is evident in every aspect of the book‚ as the entire Gilead society is male dominated. The Commander is at the top of the hierarchy and is involved with designing and establishing the current society taking control of a nation of women‚ and exploiting their power by controlling what is taught‚ what they can teach themselves and the words that they can use. Soon all of the women
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belittle them. The prevalence of rape and pornography in the pre-Gilead world justified to the founders their establishment of the new order. The Commander and the Aunts claim that women are better protected in Gilead‚ that they are treated with respect and kept safe from violence. Certainly‚ the official penalty for rape is terrible: in one scene‚ the Handmaids tear apart with their bare hands a supposed rapist. Yet‚ while Gilead claims to suppress sexual violence‚ it actually institutionalizes
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