In what ways is misogynism portrayed in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"

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Alex Seamark        Page         03/05/2007

In what ways is misogynism portrayed in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”  

In “The Handmaid’s Tale” written by Margaret Atwood, Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian and theocratic state that has replaced the United States of America. Dangerously low reproduction rates mean Handmaids are assigned to bear children for elite couples that have trouble conceiving.

Offred's name says that she, like all Handmaids, is considered state property. Handmaids' names simply reflect which Commander owns them.

“Of Fred,” 

This is very misogynistic as it shows that a handmaid, has lost her identity and her name and therefore every time the women hear their ‘handmaid’ names, they are reminded that they are no more than property. Having made it illegal for women to hold jobs, Gilead creates a system of titles. Whereas men are defined by their military rank, women are defined solely by their gender roles as Wives, Handmaids, or Marthas. Stripping them of permanent individual names strips them of their individuality, or tries to. Gilead maintains its control over women's bodies by maintaining control over names.

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As Gilead was formed in response to the crisis caused by dramatically decreased birth-rates, the state's entire structure, with its religious trappings and rigid political hierarchy, is built around a single goal: control of reproduction.

“No woman in her right mind, these days, would seek to prevent a birth”

The state tackles the problem head-on by assuming complete control of women's bodies through their political overthrow. Women cannot vote, hold property or jobs, read, or do anything else that might allow them to become rebellious or independent and thereby undermine their husbands or the state.

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