Women in the Handmaid's Tale: Objectification and Value in Reproductive Qualities.

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Women in the Handmaid’s Tale: Objectification and Value in Reproductive Qualities

Sarah Bell

Eng. 110.6 (19)

J. Stothers

Feb. 26/2004

Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale is a work of speculative fiction.  The Republic of Gilead is a dystopic society, especially for the women.  Women in the novel are stripped of their freedom, while men are entitled to a portion of their freedom.  This novel is one that illustrates inequality towards women.  A focus for the Republic of Gilead is to increase the declining birth rate.  Within the phallocentric society of the Republic of Gilead, re–population results in women being objectified and valued for their reproductive qualities.

The division of women in the Republic of Gilead is based on their reproductive qualities and status.  Anatomy is destiny in the society of the Republic of Gilead.  Wives are classified as elite and are typically infertile.  These infertile women usually have gardens to compensate for their lack of child bearing qualities: “many of the wives have such gardens, it’s something for them to order and maintain and care for” (p. 14).  Infertile women that possess leadership qualities typically are Aunts.  Aunts are in charge of schooling handmaids and enforcing female obedience to the regime.  Other infertile women lacking leadership qualities are Marthas.  The Marthas exist as servants, who cook and clean for the elite.  Jezebels, who serve as prostitutes, are also infertile: “nobody in here with viable ovaries either, you can see what kind of problems it would cause” (p. 313).  Econowives have a lower status than wives, but are fertile.  The role of the Econowives encompasses all functions done by the Wives, Marthas, and Handmaids.  Handmaids are fertile women used by the elite to produce children.  They generally serve as sexual servants to the elite: “we are for breeding purposes: we aren’t concubines, geisha girls, courtesans” (p. 170).  Women in the novel are reduced to their sexuality as the basis of status.

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Women’s uniforms in the Republic of Gilead represent their functions within society.  The varying colors of uniforms denote the status of the women wearing them.  Uniforms can not ultimately be changed: “some people call them habits, a good word for them.  Habits are hard to break” (p. 31).  Uniforms consist of a dress and a veil.  The function of the veil is to conceal and hide women as well as to prevent women from seeing.  Wives wear powder blue uniforms, which are representative of the Virgin Mary and melancholy.  Daughters of Wives wear white, which is symbolic of virginity. ...

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