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Dystopian Women In The Handmaid's Tale

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Unrestrained government control; limited or absolutely no freedom; no power to make your own choices. These things sound like the makings of a nightmare, which luckily is all they are. However, this is the reality that protagonists in dystopian novels must face. There are many other methods used in dystopian novels that fit this nightmarish life, including, a gender hierarchy, arranged marriages, and women having children to give to other families. Dystopian societies, conveyed through The Handmaid's Tale and Bumped, often control women’s relationships and bodies to stay in power.
In Handmaid’s Tale, there is a hierarchy based on gender, where the men are placed at the top or near the top. Women are lower, thus tend to end up being treated like property and have many more restrictions placed upon them. On page 28, Offred mentions, “Modesty is invisibility, said Aunt Lydia. Never forget it. To be seen-to be seen-is to be-her voice trembled-penetrated. What you must be, girls, is impenetrable. She called us girls.” Women have to have their entire bodies covered up, something the men don’t have to do. The society wants the women to be invisible; hidden until they’re needed, usually by a man. Other restrictions include replacing names of women with a brand of sorts, and they have to have a partner whenever they leave the house. This is, …show more content…

Methods include, a gender hierarchy, arranged marriages, and women having children to give to other families. Though these are just works of fiction, we as a society can learn from them so we don’t make the same mistakes. Dystopian societies lead to unjust treatment of certain people that live in it, whether it be based on gender, age, or even race. Sometimes, the governments of these societies manipulate and control everyone regardless. Whichever way they go, fear and death tend to be the

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