The handmaid’s tale by Margret Atwood
Section 8 (294-339)
Themes for this Section
- Power- Many people of Gilead manipulate power to get what they want. Many characters in the novel find a way to control others with what they have, Offred uses sexuality as her power, even though she has fear of controlling this tool, she try’s to imagine what men ( angels) think of her appearance when she sways her body, Offred uses her sexuality with the Commander to get out information. Offred has power but she is afraid of using it, she knows that her power is to an extend because if she gets caught, the commander will never protect her from the wrath of Serena Joy. On the other hand the Commander uses his power to meet handmaids behind Serena Joy’s back; he also has power when he takes Offred to Jezebel. Offred learns that to maintain power over their bodies and decisions some handmaids commit suicide and Offred too has thoughts of killing herself.
- Sexuality- Gilead’s society is revolved around controlling sex and human nature, Gilead has strict rules that enable everyone to be isolated and forced to follow Gilead’s regime. In Gilead males and females are executed if they are gay, pornography and sexual clothing are destroyed and they attempt to normalize weird sexual relations that they believe are in the bible.
- Women rights/ Feminism- Gilead provide protection for women by isolating them from men; women are expected to unite during pregnancy (of other handmaids), death and sickness. Females teach other females about the regime of Gilead and how it’s beneficial for them. Even though Gilead expects females to be loyal to one another, one of the flaws seen in Gilead is jealously and resentment between females. Gilead gives fewer rights to females versus the males who are allowed to have wives and handmaids, also they are suppose to have the “ability to feel”.
- The consequences of disobeying- in the society of Gilead there are consequences for everything, if you have sexual relations with someone who you are not assigned to, or refuse to fulfill a duty than the government of Gilead will kill you. And if you try to play around with their laws they will hurt you. Moira was similarly hurt when she tried to escape the red center. And even though she was successful, she wasn’t able to escape Gilead and now she is trapped in Jezebel as a prostitute or time pass.
- Cruelty /Human misery- this is a important theme because this has happened to all of the characters in the novel, Offred feels misery and continuously flash’s back to her previous life with her family, cruelty is shown when the handmaids have to give away their newborn babies, or when infertile are send to the colonies and unbabies have no future in Gilead. Handmaids are under so much pressure that some times they think suicide is the way out of Gilead.
- Violence- is seen throughout the novel, the handmaids legs and hands are broken if they attempt to read, execution is done as a punishment for rape.
- Isolation- The only place that people are free is in their own heads, creating a significant amount of isolation between individuals.
- Love / Hatred- love is forbidden in Gilead, every one is isolated from one another so love is not developed, and hatred is a result of no communication between people in this society. Offred hates Serena and vice versa because they aren’t allowed to understand one another and make a relationship, instead they are used only to repopulate Gilead, Offred makes the bay, and Serena nurtures it.
