Compare and contrast "The Wars" and "The Handmaid's Tale".

        Another way ordinary citizens are put at a disadvantage in the two novels is by the lack of facts they obtain concerning what is happening in their societies. In “The Wars”, young men are made to think that doing to war would offer them the opportunity of glory, even in death. “Death is romantic…Someone will hold my hand and I won’t really suffer pain because I’ve suffered that already and survived… the hero sighs his way to death while linen handkerchiefs are held against his wounds. His wounds are poems.” (Findley 49) This romantic image of death is shown to be far from the truth later in the novel. While posted overseas, Robert sees bodies in the mud all around him. “He saw that the whole field was filled with floating shapes. The only sounds were the sounds of feeding and of wings.” (Findley 82) Soldiers are made to think that the war will be over quickly. “Then he said to his departing troops: ‘you will be home before the leaves have fallen from these trees!’ And now the leaves had fallen twice” (Findley 47-8) Ceremonies are used to make citizens feel that the soldiers are losing their lives for a worthwhile cause, taking attention away from the lack of facts surrounding the war. Church services, when soldiers are present, are “militant and more than likely blood-thirsty” (Findley 52) Mrs. Ross recognizes the ridiculousness of this glorification of war. “She gestured back to the sermon in progress. ‘I do not understand. I don’t. I won’t. I can’t… What does it mean- to kill you children? Kill them and then… go in there and sing about it! What does that mean?’ ” (Findley 54) Most members of the Gileadean are not aware of what is happening in their society, save their own narrow worlds. When Offred is permitted to watch a small section of a newscast she thinks, “…who knows if any of it is true? It could be old clips, it could be faked… They only show us victories, never defeats.” (Atwood 101-2) Knowledge is seen as dangerous to the handmaids and any other unprivileged individuals. The Gileadean society in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, like “The Wars” uses a great deal of ceremony in their society to support the actions of the government. To make the Wives feel in control of the process of reproduction, certain measures are taken during copulation between the Commander and his handmaid. “My arms are raised; she holds both my hands, each of mine in each of hers. This is supposed to signify that we are one flesh, one being. What it really means is that she is in control, of the process and thus the product… The rings of her left hand cut into my fingers. It may or may not be revenge.” (Atwood 116) During childbirth, the Wife to whom the pregnant handmaid belongs goes through the motions of giving birth. “A small thin woman, she lies on the floor, in a white cotton nightgown… they massage her tiny belly, just as if she’s really about to give birth herself.” (Atwood 145) Citizens in “The Wars” and in “The Handmaid’s Tale” not only take part in ceremonies, which are designed to make them feel satisfied with the society in which they live, but are lied to by the government.

        Perhaps the most poignant criticism of the societies in these two novels is the violation of the principals and mores of modern society. In “The Wars”, death and injury becomes common place, and stopping to help a fellow soldier is not always permitted. “That was the rule. No one went back- even for a dying comrade. Only someone wounded could stay with another wounded man… No one spoke. The dead all lay with their faces in the mud or turned to the walls of the trench. This was the only way they could be told apart from the wounded.” (Findley 118) More difficult to accept that this apathetic view of death is the enthusiasm that some of the soldiers in “The Wars” felt for the war and the destruction it caused. After being rained on with shells, having a close brush with death, “a bright young man with popping eyes turned to Robert and gushed at him: ‘Isn’t it marvellous!’ ” Privacy is nearly impossible for ordinary soldiers. While on the boat, going to England the men “were cramped into spaces meant to hold a quarter of their number… The make shift latrines and showers were virtually open forums where privacy was unheard of… Up in the first class accommodations, the officers were somewhat better off.” (Findley 56-7) This also shows another disadvantage soldiers face that their superiors do not. Sexual abuse is seemingly common and goes unpunished in the novel. Four men rape Robert while his is in a changing stall at Asile Desolé. “His assailants, who he’d thought were crazies, had been his fellow soldiers. Maybe even his brother officers. He’d never know.” (Findley 169) Many aspects of the society in “The Handmaid’s Tale” also contrast modern societal values. Dead bodies are put on display for all to see. When on their daily walk Offred and Ofglen, “stop, together as if on signal, and stand and look at the bodies. It doesn’t matter if we look. We’re supposed to look: this is what they are there for, hanging on the Wall. Sometimes they’ll be there for days, until there’s a new batch, so as many people as possible will have the chance to see them.” (Atwood 40) Death does not have much shock value to individuals in the Gileadean society, as they have been exposed to it frequently. The Handmaids take part in the execution of a man who has performed crimes against society. “There is a surge forward, like a crowd at a rock concert in the former time… Now there are sounds, gasps, a low noise like growling, yells… he’s obscured by arms, fist, feet. A high scream comes from somewhere, like a horse in terror.” (Atwood 349) These women, who are not violent in every day life, are so desensitized to death that they are able to vent their anger through murder. Rape is common with the Gileadean society, although it is not recognized as such. Handmaids are required to copulate with their Commander, if the choose not to, they will be sent to the Colonies. With citizens being desensitized to death, enjoying killing and destruction, and the acceptance of sexual exploitation, the societies in “The Wars” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” transgress the morals of contemporary society.

        “The Wars” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” take place over dissimilar time spans, there are many societal parallels that are criticized in both novels. Soldiers are exploited by their superiors in “The Wars”, just as the unprivileged citizens in “The Handmaid’s Tale” are used solely to benefit the government. Ignorance to the true motivations and actions of the government are evident in both novels. Social mores and values of present-day society are infracted in both “The Wars” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Regardless of occurring over different time periods, there are several analogous aspects in the two societies represented in “The Wars” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”, which are criticized.