The Handmaids Tale
“The Handmaids Tale” is based on the story of a future imaginary world that does not respect the rights and freedoms of women. The Republic of Gilead is the country that replaces the US and is based on totalitarianism, with the population decreasing significantly due to high infertility rates. Excessive pollution is associated with reduced fertility, and women are thus viewed as tools of production. Offred is the protagonist in “The Handmaids Tale” and goes through a tough time growing up as a woman in a society that views women as an object and not as an equal human being as men. The idea of gender and body takes the central role in the novel, with the body of the female gender being the most important asset among the inhabitants.
The alarming rate of population decrease leads to an urgent need for intervention in the Republic of Gilead. The intervention strategy involves introducing the idea of handmaids. Women who have attained reproductive age and are believed to be fertile are used as tools of reproduction by elite couples who have difficulties having children. The arrangement allows the husband in the childless family to have sex several times with the handmaid. However, the kind of sex allowed is wordless, and the woman is not allowed to get intimate with the man. Generally, the wife to the man has to be present when the man is having sex with his handmaid to ensure that sex is only used for reproduction. Generally, the system in the Republic of Gilead does not allow women to have authority over their bodies, and the female gender is expected to remain submissive at all costs. Moreover, women appear to have acceptance of the position of their gender and have decided to avail their bodies for sex at no price.
The primary use of a woman’s body in the Republic of Gilead is to have sex. An institution has been set to train ladies on how to become good handmaids. The institution is unexpectedly led by women who have agreed to look as their fellow women go through emotional torture at the hands of men who are only interested in having sex and getting children. Aunt Lucy, for example, seems to agree with the situation of the Republic of Gilead and trains the women in the institution the roles of becoming a handmaid. Besides, Aunt Lucy believes that the system that allows for handmaids is saver for women compared to the previous regime that did not have a place for women in society. Therefore, Aunt Lucy motivates the women in her institution to take the system positively and to allow men to have children with them. Generally, women are trained in the best way to surrender freedom over their bodies to men in a bid to live peacefully in society. Moreover, the Republic of Gilead is a dystopian republic that pays no attention to the independence of the female gender.
Margaret Atwood presents a dystopian republic where the independence of the female gender is not recognized. In the Republic of Gilead, women are forced into subjugating for sexual activities with powerful men to produce children (Moeggenberg, Zarah, and Samantha, n. p). Sex, however, does not involve choosing the man of one’s choice. Instead, the women are sold as handmaids to elite couples who have difficulties bearing children. The protagonist, Offred, represents other women in the novel who have gone through similar experiences. Offred is a handmaid, serving the Commander and his wife Serena, who has not been able to get children in their marriage. The service offered, however, involves overlooking the rights of Offred, and she has to forego her freedom since the system has already been established. Offred does not have authority over her body, and she is forced to have sex with the Commander as many times as possible to increase the chance of becoming pregnant.
Furthermore, Offred is not allowed to engage in any activity apart from having sex with the Commander and going for shopping trips. Generally, Offred cannot smoke, drink, talk to people of her choice, or even choose where to sit. Total control is subjected over Offred, and her body belongs to the Commander.
The body is expected to be the primary source of freedom for an individual. The novel leads to the question of whether losing the freedom of having control over one’s body makes one have a desire to continue living. The case of Offred is not different from that of an individual who has lost freedom over her body. The only source of freedom remaining for Offred is her mind, although the system is attempting to take that too from her: “It’s also a story I’m telling, in my head, as I go along. Tell, rather than write, because I have nothing to write with, and writing is, in any case, forbidden” Atwood (38). Offred is forced to fake passion when having sex, although her mind is far away from having a passion for sex. The only reason why Offred has maintained control over her mind is that the system does not get a way of getting into the victim’s mind. When the Commander attempts to create intimacy over his relationship with Offred, Offred uses the chance to learn more concerning the republic and does not fall in love with the Commander. Instead, Offred decides to use the opportunity to prepare in case a chance to escape to freedom presents itself. Moreover, the female gender is portrayed as being weak and unable to persevere for a long time.
The female gender is portrayed as weak in “The Handmaids Tale” and unable to persevere in a bid to seek their freedom. Despite the resilience that women show in the initial stages of their experiences, the situation changes quickly to change the mindset of the women into accepting their current environments. Offred appeared to be against everything offered in the Republic of Gilead. However, time and weakness appear to have taken over her, and she no longer holds her position. The author shows that the primary question was supposed to be for how long would Offred manage to sustain her mental independence. Offred has, without a doubt, lost her mental independence just like her body freedom judging from her behaviors when she meets other women outside the Commander’s house: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen skirts that short on women,” Atwood (28). Offred has been brainwashed by circumstances to believe that women should stick to cover their bodies as a show of respect to men. Unexpectedly, Offred would criticize fellow women concerning their enjoyment of freedom, yet her initial attempt to flee the country was founded on the search for freedom. Generally, weakness is portrayed as a gender issue, with women being unable to persevere the attempts towards taking away their independence. Moreover, the freedom of the female body is further lost in the way the men in power treat them.
The Handmaids under the possession of powerful are treated as delicate objects that can break due to careless handling. First, the women are not allowed to read and write, and second, the women are checked to avoid killing themselves. One of the most personal decisions that a human being should not be separated from is the decision on what to do with their life. Secondly, the freedom to practice uncontrolled sexuality should not be taken for granted. Besides, when an individual has to be stopped from committing suicide, the situation is said to have gotten out of hand. The handmaids are not allowed to have objects that they can use to kill them. Generally, the Republic of Gilead is dystopic, and power is used as an excuse to have sex with women without their consent. The system argues that men in power deserve respect, and women should be will to subjugate their sexual rights in a bid to provide children for men in power whose marriages have not been lucky to give forth children. The loss of bodily control has a significant impact on the female gender: “My red skirt is hitched up to my waist… the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he’s doing,” Atwood (94). The men are only interested in having sex and not making to the handmaids. Generally, the feelings of the handmaid do not matter in the case of a dystopic society.
Atwood’s choice of words shows the nature of the treatment given to the handmaids. In her narration, Offred uses the word ‘fucking,’ which would be considered vulgar. However, the use of vulgar language presents the lack of dignity in the actions of the men in power (Himberg, 196). The handmaids are expected to keep their skirts raised so that the men can attempt to impregnate them at their convenience. The process of impregnating the women overlooks the desire for respect and intimacy and subjects the handmaids to emotional torture instead. Most of the handmaids become creative and commit suicide using available objects that their masters would not suspect. For example, some handmaids are reported to have committed suicide using bedsheets. Offred manages to be one of the bold narrators who decide not to keep quiet concerning the mistreatment of the handmaids. Generally, the power of women to conceive is controlled by the government, and men in power own their bodies. Therefore, being a woman only subjects one to a society that is obsessed with keeping men happy at the expense of suffering women. Moreover, Atwood presents a changing world where the government has taken control of all aspects of life.
The government appears to have taken control of all aspects of life. Unfortunately, the female gender seems to be the most targeted victim, with their bodies being targeted. Before the take-over, freedom was rampant, and women would be free to masturbate and choose their preferred sexual partner (Tennant, n. p). Also, women would dress as they so wished, and no one would have sex without their consent. However, things have changed in the republic of Gilead. Women’s bodies no longer belong to them, and no one masturbates freely. Sexual pleasure has been forgotten, and the women’s bodies are only meant for producing children. The men in power have sex with their handmaids as much as they can to improve the chances of making them pregnant. Generally, women have been denied the freedom to make decisions touching on their sexuality and the desire to be happy in life.
In sum, the theme of gender and body takes the central role in the novel, with the body of the female gender being the most important asset among the inhabitants. The alarming rate of population decrease leads to an urgent need for intervention in the Republic of Gilead, an intervention strategy that involves introducing the idea of handmaids. Moreover, the Republic of Gilead is a dystopian republic that pays no attention to the independence of the female gender. Women are forced into subjugating for sexual activities with powerful men to produce children. Sex, however, does not involve choosing the man of one’s choice. Instead, the women are sold as handmaids to elite couples who have difficulties bearing children. Generally, the feelings of the handmaids do not matter in the case of a dystopic society. The government appears to have taken control over all the aspects of life, with the female gender appearing to be the most targeted victim with their bodies being targeted.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. “Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’Means in the Age of Trump.” The New York Times 10 (2017).
Atwood, Margaret. The handmaid’s tale. Vol. 301. Everyman’s Library Classics &, 2006.
Himberg, Julia. “The Lavender Menace Returns: Reading Gender & Sexuality in The Handmaid’s Tale.” Communication Culture & Critique 11.1 (2018): 195-197.
Moeggenberg, Zarah, and Samantha L. Solomon. “Power, Consent, and The Body:# MeToo and The Handmaid’s Tale.” Gender Forum. No. 70. 2018.
Tennant, Collete. “Religion in The Handmaid’s Tale: A Brief Guide.” (2019).