In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, there are many hidden themes and meanings throughout the story. The government’s strategies for complete control typical have an underlying meaning as a nudge to the world’s problems today or a warning shot to the readers. Atwood uses women and women’s body as a tool for sexual reproduction for the Gilead society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood uses sexism towards women in order for Gilead’s politics to function.
Throughout the story, it is obvious that women are mistreated and are not equal to the men of the society in anyway. Women are decided at birth what their job will be and they have no say later in life. Only the handmaids of the story are allowed to reproduce. However, these handmaids do not even have the choice of when, where, or with who they may procreate with. Reproduction in this society is centered around a rape-like acceptance in which there is little to no pleasure or desire to mate. The main character Offred cannot simply accept it and all she is told is that “it will become ordinary” (33).
Offred and all the women have no rights, they cannot read, they are lesser than men, and they cannot speak up for themselves. Offred “used to think of [her] body as an instrument” but now her body is nothing but an object of the structure of society. Offred, as well as the women of Gilead’s society are used as a way to earn dominance and political power. With women disrespected so badly and shoved aside, the men have the ability to do whatever they want. Although, there are some rules for the men of the society, multiple times throughout the story they break them with no real consequences. Gilead dehumanizes women as a whole to just a set of ovaries. Ovaries needed for reproduction because of their recent lower birth rates. Offred views herself as nothing but a lump of flesh surrounding a womb.
molnarja 