Religion In The Handmaid's Tale

Atwood created a society, in where the people who did not respect the rules and regulation of the Gilead, were punished in a place where intelligence was once displayed by a diversity of students, were freedom and hope and was shown every day; and which would now be turned into the regimes detention center This community is implemented and control by violence, fear, and force. Doctors who once perform abortions, were executed during the era of the Republic Of Gilead. Rapist were also executed, based on the word of the bible. Aunt Lydia mentions This is evidenced when Aunt Lydia states: “The penalty for rape, as you know, is death. Deuteronomy 22: 23-29” (p.279).

Mark Twain once said, “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” Have you noticed that when something is forbidden or dangerous, it becomes more attractive? It is a result of man’s desire to learn about the unknown, so when something is forbidden, it immediately catches our attention and seems to coax the beholder into giving in to it. Mark Twain conveys this message in his quote. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the actions of Offred the Commander and Serena demonstrate through their characterizations and memories in a dystopian society how temptation leads to irrational decisions.

Conformity in the Handmaid’s Tale A Japanese proverb says, “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down”. As seen in several historical events such as the Salem Witch Trials or the Holocaust, this concept illustrates the idea that nonconformity will get punished or suppressed. During the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler’s populist regime led to subservience out of fear because resistance was too dangerous.

Regina Carla L. Silva 2015-01293 The Handmaid’s Tale The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead which is formerly the United States of America. The name comes from a place from the Bible. It is a totalitarian, theocratic government.

The subjugation of women is evident in the Gilead system as each Commander is given a handmaid whose name is “Of” the Commander’s name. Handmaids have no identity of their own and are similar to sex slaves at the mercy of

There were limits but my body was nevertheless lithe, single, solid, one with me. Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping.” (Atwood 91). This makes the reader believe that Offred has given into the social injustice at Gilead being the oppression of women.

Their relationship gave Offred a better understanding of what was occurring outside of the Commander's home within Gilead. Moreover, this led Offred into grasping that there was an “us” and a “we”, meaning that within their stern society, there was a unified group of the marginalized. This is represented by the group of handmaids in the bottom left corner of the collage, which shows the “we” that Offred mentioned, a community of

The name Handwife refers to the Old Testament, specifically Genesis 30:1-3. The fact that almost all the names given to the people in Gilead refer to the Bible suggests that the regime justifies the roles people have in society with certain events in the Bible.(Breuer) The place where the Handmaids are trained and

“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.”- William Gaddis. People take advantage of power when it is entrusted to them because of their own greed, which as a result lead to societal deterioration. In the story, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, the higher-ups from Gilead abuse the power that is given to them, ruining the life of the citizens in the society. This was the cause for the need of higher birth rates and fixing conflicts in the world, but this was handled immorally.

Imagine a country where rights were revoked. The withstanding government has long been destroyed and as a result, citizens are now labeled by economic status, age, and able bodiedness. The clothes you are required to wear show your status in society. No longer are you judged by the content of your character, but by the ability to reproduce. Believing in a religion other than Christianity is fatal.

The novel has created a society in which the only two important beliefs in a society are the ability to procreate and a strict belief in God. As mentioned above, Gilead was depicted as perfect by using the book of Genesis. The Handmaid 's tale holds several biblical references , some are obvious than others but most of them have been altered. The most important in a state of opinion would be. “It’s the usual story, the usual stories.

She is used by Commander for sex and companionship and had an affair with Nick (higher preganancy chance). Most of her actions are being forced “Which of us is it worse for, her or me?”(151) meant the sex between the narrator and commander is unbearable to the point of watching your husband having sex with another women right infront of you. Her only defiance done totally by herself is “I will use the butter later that night.” (113), everything else including escaping the Gilead, having an affair with Commander, having an affair with Nick and leaving the Commanders house are all stimulated by others. Offred represent those who does not stand against oppresion, being pushed around and used for sex.

Throughout the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, there is a corruption of religious values within the society of Gilead, which contributes to the justification of

In the book The Handmaid’s Tale a new society is created and put into standards. These people strengthen and maintain power of the society. The people in the society have little to no say in the society and have to conform to the society even know that they don’t agree to the rules. Offred’s surroundings control her as she has to follow the Gileadean society because there is no possibility of appealing against it because she has fear of appealing and that there will be big consequences if she breaks the rules and Offred conforms to the Gileadean society because if she doesn’t there will be consequences. Offred has little to no freedom or rights but she can’t really do anything about it.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a postmodernism novel that deal with skepticism. In the novel there is the presence of a metanarrative speaking about theocracy which is in control of the clergy or the people of God. At the time that Margaret Atwood wrote this story, Regan was in office and had a lot of back support of the Moral Majority whom preached that the political state of the United States should follow the Old Testament. The Republic of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale, would be the outcome of what will happen if there is no separation of church and state in the United States. Offred, the woman protagonist of the story, tells the reader of what life is in Gilead.