journeys in handmaids tale
Journeys Essay
We learn from the journeys we take, through experience, not from the destination itself. This statement is supported by both Margaret Atwood’s fictional dystopian novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and Oliver Stone’s crime fiction film ‘Natural Born Killers’. Through the use of multiple techniques Atwood makes it clear that the protagonist Offred undertakes inner and imaginative journeys during the course of the novel and learns from them. Likewise, Stone uses an array of film techniques to convey both physical and inner journeys. Both texts are formed so they unfold gradually taking the viewers on a journey and it becomes evident that there is much to be learnt from journeys.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, symbolism is one technique used by Atwood to convey both Offred’s journey and the journey of Gilead. There is a great deal of biblical symbolism and symbolism relating to clothing. The style and colour of clothing demonstrates the hierarchy of women and their different roles in Gilead. Handmaids wear red clothing which completely covers their skin to show they are fertile women and their role is reproduction. Red symbolises blood and also represents the menstrual cycle and fertility which illustrates that the Handmaids have a high ranking, higher than the Marthas who wear green and have the role of cleaning the house. This notion is supported by the quote ‘everything except the wings around my face is red, the colour of blood, which defines us’. The extensive amount of clothing they wear symbolises nuns who can be seen as messengers of god. Through the symbolism of the colour red and clothing, Atwood has effectively conveyed Offred’s inner journey through providing a clear social hierarchy and reinforcing the fact that Offred possesses a particular role in the society.
There are numerous biblical references spread throughout the novel. This technique is intertextuality. Biblical references enforce the idea that the republic of Gilead is built upon a
We learn from the journeys we take, through experience, not from the destination itself. This statement is supported by both Margaret Atwood’s fictional dystopian novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and Oliver Stone’s crime fiction film ‘Natural Born Killers’. Through the use of multiple techniques Atwood makes it clear that the protagonist Offred undertakes inner and imaginative journeys during the course of the novel and learns from them. Likewise, Stone uses an array of film techniques to convey both physical and inner journeys. Both texts are formed so they unfold gradually taking the viewers on a journey and it becomes evident that there is much to be learnt from journeys.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, symbolism is one technique used by Atwood to convey both Offred’s journey and the journey of Gilead. There is a great deal of biblical symbolism and symbolism relating to clothing. The style and colour of clothing demonstrates the hierarchy of women and their different roles in Gilead. Handmaids wear red clothing which completely covers their skin to show they are fertile women and their role is reproduction. Red symbolises blood and also represents the menstrual cycle and fertility which illustrates that the Handmaids have a high ranking, higher than the Marthas who wear green and have the role of cleaning the house. This notion is supported by the quote ‘everything except the wings around my face is red, the colour of blood, which defines us’. The extensive amount of clothing they wear symbolises nuns who can be seen as messengers of god. Through the symbolism of the colour red and clothing, Atwood has effectively conveyed Offred’s inner journey through providing a clear social hierarchy and reinforcing the fact that Offred possesses a particular role in the society.
There are numerous biblical references spread throughout the novel. This technique is intertextuality. Biblical references enforce the idea that the republic of Gilead is built upon a