Literary Analysis of the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Essay

Offred, in Margargont Atwoods disturbing novel The Handmaids Tale says, But who can memorialize pain once its over? All that remains of it is a shadow, non in the mind even, in the flesh. Pain marks you, but similarly deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind. The society of Gilead causes the afore custodytioned pain and demoralization by using womens bodies as political actors. Similar to Atwoods novel, straight offs men put immense pressure on women to be a certain way, give them children, and take c atomic number 18 of the home and the desire. In Atwoods novel, The Handmaids Tale, she examines the theme of demoralization of women through graphic predictions of what womens futures may view like.In 1 Corinthians 6 19-20, the Bible states, Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You argon not your profess, for you were bought with a price. So tickle pink God in your body. In The Handmaids Tale, the society influences the citizens, like Ofglen, differently. The society wrong amplyy manipulates women to use their bodies for what the organization decides is right, not what God planned for their bodies. through this wrongful use, women have once again become less superior to men and treated more like an object than a person. Also in Corinthians 618, the Bible states, Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. The government in The Handmaids tale encouraged sexual immorality by passing the handmaids from man to man, ruining the womens purity and demoralizing their bodies by using them purely for reproduction methods.In the m period of The Handmaids Tale, the demoralization of women was normal and accepted, but even the supporters of the demoralization remembered the time when women werent being passed from man to man to reproduce and were respected and upheld in society. In todays society most of the biblical morals are upheld and for the most part, women are equal with men. Women arent forced to move from man to man for reproduction purposes and they have the choice of whom they will marry and reproduce with. The authorized purpose of a woman is to be the mans equal and to provide in her what the man doesnt have. The Handmaids Tale portrays women in a demoralizing way, giving them no choices, freedom, or say.The government in The Handmaids Tale enforced the demoralization of women in Gilead. The original government was overthrown by a group of inwardnessitarian men who enforced the laws that began the demoralization of the women. The government then takes complete control of everyone, making Gilead more like a communist country than democratic America. The Constitution is completely thrown out, taking away citizens, especially womens, freedom and rights. Most of the men are completely yielding and support the governments treatment of women. Even when the commander broke the rules and took Offred out, he made sure that she still understood he has complete and total control over her. Demoralization was in full effect, and there was no escaping it.In todays society women have similar roles to those of men. They work, provide for their families, and are seen as equal to men. In The Handmaids Tale, women are used as a tool to create children for the commanders and are treated more like an object than a human being. In The Handmaids Tale, the society is reverted back to when women had no rights and were seen more like a trophy that would respond to mens every beck and call. The handmaids roles in the novel are even worse than that of the olden day housewife. When the handmaids disobey, they are put to death or left in the wasteland of what used to be America. No one gives a harsher punishment than that. Even in todays society women dont receive that harsh of a punishment if they disobey. This just goes to show that in the society and time of The Handmaids Tale, the demoralization of women as political instruments was in full swing.Despite all of Gileads pro-women rhetoric, such subjugation creates a society in which women are treated as subhuman. They are reduced to their fertility, treated as nothing more than a set of ovaries and a womb. In one of the novels key scenes, Offred lies in the bath and reflects that, before Gilead, she considered her body an instrument of her desires now, she is just a mound of flesh surrounding a womb that must be filled in order to make her useful. Gilead seeks to deprive women of their individualism in order to make them docile carriers of the next generation.Throughout the entire text of The Handmaids Tale, the ruling totalitarian government does what is in its antecedent to attempt to isolate women from society. Not only do are the women isolated from society in terms of sexual contact (or any contact, for that matter), with men, but they are also individualized within the gender itself and separ ated from each other. Evidence of this isolation is available throughout the novel in different levels. The first level, maybe the harshest, is the division of genders, with women like the Handmaids unable to communicate with unmarried men. Offreds separation from men is apparent when she compares herself to the power of a dog trick out (29), but the bone is held out of reach (29).This depicts how there is a strict gender division that disallows them to even communicate with each other, much less have sex. For the Angels, they are not even allowed to look at the so-called dog bone. When we are first introduced to the idea of the Angels, Offred mentions that the Angels must stand outside of the gymnasium with their backs to us (10). Offred wishes that they would only look at her and if only something could be exchanged (10). The guards of the complex Offred is held in at the beginning of the novel arent even allowed inside it. With the men not allowed in the Red Center and the wome n now allowed outside of it, they are each isolated from each other.