The Handmaid's Tale Analysis
Divided: The Women of Gilead
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood depicts a dystopian society where the United States has been taken over by a monotheocracy and transformed into the country of Gilead. The majority of the woman in this society have been split into three basic categories: Wives, Marthas, and Handmaids. There are also Econowives, Aunts, and Unwomen. The main character, Offred, is a Handmaid. The Handmaids’ sole purpose in this society is to provide babies for powerful households where the wives are deemed infertile. Throughout the novel a struggle can be sensed between most of the women. In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood demonstrates the way that oppressors will use tension between minoritized groups to distract from their oppression.
One main example of this tension is the Wife’s hatred and contempt of Offred. This is seen from the very beginning, during a flashback to Offred arriving at the house. The Wife, Serena Joy, treats her coldly. She makes it clear that she has the power and claim over her …show more content…
“... the frown isn’t personal: it’s the red dress she disapproves of, and what it stands for … Once … I heard Rita say to Cora that she wouldn’t debase herself like that.” (Atwood 10). Marthas in Gilead take on the role of maids, cooks, and nannies of households. Once again there is a type of victim blaming between the statuses of women. Rita knows that Handmaids do not choose to be Handmaids, yet she still thinks that were she in Offred’s place, she would find a way out. The reality of Rita being different from all the other Handmaids is unlikely. If women in Gilead refused their roles they were made Unwomen and sent away to the Colonies, where they were tasked with cleaning up toxic waste. This sort of victim blaming misplaces the blame on the Handmaids instead of the government and once again prevents the unification of Gileadean
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood depicts a dystopian society where the United States has been taken over by a monotheocracy and transformed into the country of Gilead. The majority of the woman in this society have been split into three basic categories: Wives, Marthas, and Handmaids. There are also Econowives, Aunts, and Unwomen. The main character, Offred, is a Handmaid. The Handmaids’ sole purpose in this society is to provide babies for powerful households where the wives are deemed infertile. Throughout the novel a struggle can be sensed between most of the women. In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood demonstrates the way that oppressors will use tension between minoritized groups to distract from their oppression.
One main example of this tension is the Wife’s hatred and contempt of Offred. This is seen from the very beginning, during a flashback to Offred arriving at the house. The Wife, Serena Joy, treats her coldly. She makes it clear that she has the power and claim over her …show more content…
“... the frown isn’t personal: it’s the red dress she disapproves of, and what it stands for … Once … I heard Rita say to Cora that she wouldn’t debase herself like that.” (Atwood 10). Marthas in Gilead take on the role of maids, cooks, and nannies of households. Once again there is a type of victim blaming between the statuses of women. Rita knows that Handmaids do not choose to be Handmaids, yet she still thinks that were she in Offred’s place, she would find a way out. The reality of Rita being different from all the other Handmaids is unlikely. If women in Gilead refused their roles they were made Unwomen and sent away to the Colonies, where they were tasked with cleaning up toxic waste. This sort of victim blaming misplaces the blame on the Handmaids instead of the government and once again prevents the unification of Gileadean