Explore the way in which Margaret Atwood presents Moira 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Refer closely to any literary and linguistic approaches where necessary.

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Explore the way in which Margaret Atwood presents Moira ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.  Refer closely to any literary and linguistic approaches where necessary.  

Within ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Atwood presents us with many characters that are

emotionally weak; Janine, Offred and even the Commander residing in the higher

echelons of society all possess a deprivation of spirit brought about by the oppressive

and restrictive nature of the Gileadean regime.  In contrast to this we are presented

with Moira and through her Atwood is able to create tension, conflict and a

rebelliousness that is otherwise only seen in the recollections of Offred’s mother.

 Moira acts as a representative for independence and liberty in the novel, she defies

her oppressors and is seen by Offred as a role model that she finds impossible to

aspire to.

Moira constantly battles the status quo; she parades her lesbianism and manages on

two occasions to defeat the system at the disgrace of the much-hated Aunts.  She is

confidant in both manner and speech.

‘“Don’t move said Moira or I’ll stick it all the way in”’

The boldness of this imperative paired with the violent connotations attached to the

verb ‘stick’ gives Moira the sinister tone she needs to intimidate Aunt Elizabeth.

Moira is portrayed as an activist, she does not merely contemplate the possibilities of

freedom as Offred does and Offred recognizes this with dissatisfaction as she muses

the prospect of what she can do with the fan that she has been given.

‘“If I were Moira I would know how tot take it apart, reduce it to its cutting edges.  I

have no screwdriver but if I were Moira I could do it without a screwdriver.  I’m not

Moira.”’

This quote clearly outlines the practical nature of Moira juxtapositioned with the

more theoretical approach that we would associate with Offred who loathes herself

for it.  The syntactic parallelism ‘If I were Moira…but if I were Moira…” points to

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 the irony that Moira, in the same situation as Offred could use the fan to aid her

escape.

When we first learn of Moira’s disappearance in chapter 22 we are not fully informed

as to the details of her flight; the thought of Moira’s freedom made the other

Handmaid’s feel ‘dizzy’.  Atwood purposely withholds this information to let the

reader share in this feeling of suspense; the mystery surrounding Moira at this point

enhances her charisma.  Offred recalls the Handmaids feeling a sense of victory over ...

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