Twentieth Century Novel
'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood is a story told through the eyes of a woman known as Offed, who tells us of her current situation. For the assignment I will be examining to what extent the novel is effective as a dystopian vision. I will also be addressing any important points within the novel to act as evidence, and explaining these further.The main character Offred is such an archetypal woman with a family, so it is therefore very easy to imagine oneself in her place. Prior to her arrest, she is in love, has a child, and has her own friends. She remembers talking with Moira in her apartment during college, which makes it easier for the reader to put themselves in her place. This also gives the storyline a very realistic effect as while reading some of the horrific events within the text that, to some, may appear far fetched, we are taken back and fourth to different times in Offred's life where things are a lot more normal.
I feel that Atwood is exploring many controversial issues that she believes might become more prominent in the future and therefore, is acting as a warning by making us aware of how fortunate we really are. Her action of telling a story at all is testimonial to her hope for change, and at the same time her lack of audience renders her hopeless. For instance, the women in the novel are forced to wear long dresses and, in The Handmaid's case, wings around their face so that the view is restricted. She says, "was bound but now am free" (Atwood, 1986: 64) but the actual words are, "was blind but now I see," and it makes sense, as we are made aware that no matter how much we are controlled both mentally and physically, or how much people try to suppress human nature, the human spirit somehow manages to thrive and deteriorate. We only have to look at Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, to see that what Atwood writes about can so easily come true. Throughout the novel the reader is subjected to a fictitious world which is not entirely different from the everyday reality of our present day life. The story bases itself around real life current problems such as low birth rates and environmental destruction, and Gilead's ideology comes entirely from other, real, totalitarian states, like Nazi Germany. This is not a far cry from the reality of the women in Afghanistan who, also, are required by law to cover their entire body, and are left with only the constant use of religion as justification for the inhumanity of the ruling power. After all, it was not so long ago that women could not have property in their own right, and women writers had to change their names to reflect their male owners. This in itself for the reader is quite frustrating as the effectiveness of this method makes the story even more believable, yet harder to read as we cannot rescue or help Offred in any way. There is a time within the novel when Offred is recalling 'Amazing Grace,' and changes the words to fit her situation. ConclusionThe novel is a constant reminder of what could happen, and what indeed did happen for women to some extent years ago.
Common topics in this essay:
Margaret Atwood,
Offred Conclusion,
Afghanistan Taliban,
realistic effect,
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atwood 1986,
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Acceptance Essays
