Handmaid - 1204 Words

Charmaine Holliway Professor McRae English 1102 March 10, 2012 Escaping Gilead In Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, women are subjected to unimaginable oppression. Almost every aspect of their lives is controlled; they are not allowed to read, write, or even speak freely. Any type of expression would be dangerous to the order of the Gilead’s strict society, but the handmaids are conditioned to believe that they are safer and better off living there. However, not everyone is convinced that the Gileadean society is how it portrays itself to be. Through storytelling, past memories, and rebellion, the handmaid Offred is able to escape the reality of Gilead and cease to completely submit to its repressive culture. Rebellion is†¦show more content†¦With remembrance of her past she is able to have hope that there possibly could be an end to Gilead and that her present situation may not have to be a part of her later future. With the storytelling of her past and present experiences she is able to escape reality by letting out her internal angers and frustrations. She uses storytelling as an outlet of release and relief from how she is treated in Gilead. As Atwood states, Ill pretend you can hear me. But its no good, because I know you cant (40). Even though she feels as though no one will be able to hear what she is saying about Gilead, she still continues on storytelling acting like she has an audience because she is able to express and cope with her feelings by it. She literally can’t share her stories while she is in Gilead, but she mentally prepares them. Just the thought and hope of one day being able to tell her story is enough for her to maintain sanity throughout Gilead. For example Hansot states from her article that â€Å"Offred’s reviewing of her past and present is moral and intellectual-exercise as well as an exercise in survival† (59). She has something of value to grasp hold to: a story. The possibility of sharing her stories to others and letting them know what she went through gives her a goal. Her goal gives her the will to survive. In the Historical Notes partShow MoreRelatedHandmaids1019 Words   |  5 Pagestook on the biblical terminologies of â€Å"Guardians of the faith,† â€Å"Angels,† and â€Å"Commanders of the faithful†. The irony of the â€Å"Commanders† being â€Å"faithful† when, in fact, they are the ones who keeps forbidden texts and magazines and flirts with the handmaids indicates how the Bible is altered in order to pertain to the concept of the society in which the protagonist lives in. It also shows how, through the power of corrupting and twisting the bible, and aka the language, the leaders can effectively oppressRead MoreHandmaids tale1446 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Marlyn Barroso ETS 192 October 3rd, 2013 Hierarchy in The HandMaid s Tale Margaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale is a interesting novel that will have you confused but also have you bitting your nails with intrigue. So many questions might go in your head, at the same time; Atwood wrote this novel so her readers can have curiosity, even after reading the last word of the last paragraph of the last page of the book. One of the main topics of this novel is the effect on society when aRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale1450 Words   |  6 PagesJames Fils-Aime The Handmaid s Tale Fact or Fiction The Handmaid s Tale is a dystopian novel in which Atwood creates a world which seems absurd and near impossible. Women being kept in slavery only to create babies, cult like religious control over the population, and the deportation of an entire race, these things all seem like fiction. However Atwood s novel is closer to fact than fiction; all the events which take place in the story haveRead MoreHandmaids Reflection1095 Words   |  5 Pagesby the sun, half dead; flexible and pink like lips† (Atwood 17). The worms are meant to be the Handmaids, half dead in their lives, not fully there but needed to continue the society, â€Å"Caught† being by the Commanders, life, the Eye, instead of the sun. Fertility being the key to the Handmaids, the only reason for their lives. â€Å"Pink like lips† further connotes the flesh being the only currency the Handmaids have. â€Å"Women were not protected then† (Atwood 24). Offred is referencing the time before theRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale1256 Words   |  6 PagesDeisy Monterrozo English 101 S26487 Fall 2017 September 20, 2017 The handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is about a future version of the United States. Atwood introduces Offred as a handmaid in the republic of Gilead. Handmaids are assigned to bear children for couples that have trouble conceiving. Offred serves the commander and his wife, Serena Joy. Offred’s freedom is complete restricted. She can only leave the house only on shopping trips, the door of her room cannotRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale1246 Words   |  5 PagesThe handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is about a future version of the United States. Atwood introduces Offred as a handmaid in the republic of Gilead. Handmaids are assigned to bear children for couples that have trouble conceiving. Offred serves the commander and his wife, Serena Joy. Offred’s freedom is complete restricted. She can only leave the house only on shopping trips, the door of her room cannot be completely shut, and the Eyes, Gilead’s secret police forceRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale1234 Words   |  5 PagesDeisy Monterrozo English 101 S26487 Fall 2017 September 20, 2017 The Handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood s novel, The Handmaid s Tale, is a future version of the United States. Atwood introduces Offred as a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. Handmaids are assigned to bear children for couples who have trouble conceiving. Offred serves the commander and his wife, Serena Joy. Offred s freedom is completely restricted. She can only leave the house on shopping trips, the door of her room cannot beRead MoreReligion in Handmaids Tale814 Words   |  4 PagesReligion in Handmaids Tale â€Å"Religion is the opiate of the masses† by Karl Marx. This is a quote which states that religion controls the human mind because God can see everything at all times, all-seeing, and unlike the police or the government nothing can be hidden from God. This is the technique of control that is used in Gilead. The punishments given from the government and from religious societies are different. The government gives punishments as time in prison or fines which canRead MoreThe Fall Of The Handmaids Tale2017 Words   |  9 Pages 1. In the beginning of The Handmaids Tale, there are 3 quotations that form the front piece of the book and insight the readers into the important aspects of the book. â€Å"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quotation resembles how important it was to give children. That if Rachel gave no children she might as well die, â€Å"Give me children or else I die†. This quotation sets the theme for infertility. Rachel allows Jacob to get the maid pregnant because she wants to claim the childrenRead MoreSymbolism In The Handmaids Tale1025 Words   |  5 PagesHandmaid’s Tale The Handmaid’s Tale is a story told in the voice of Offred, who is the character of the â€Å"handmaid†, which is described best by women who are being forced and used for reproduction because they can make babies. In the Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood uses symbolism, which is the use of symbols to represent ideas, to show the reader the handmaid’s role in society of Gilead. The handmaids were women who had broken the law of Gilead, and forced into having sex and reproducing for the higher