ipl-logo

How Does Margaret Atwood's Use Of Moira In The Handmaids Tale

227 Words1 Page

Moira is the embodiment of defiance towards ‘The Republic of Gilead’ and its oppressive nature, Offred constantly reflects on memories of her for use as a symbol of hope and defiance. In Gileadean society the only purpose of handmaids is to be a vessel for children, so it was only natural for Moira, as a lesbian, to resist the changes that Gilead and The Red Center tried to enforce upon her. Margaret Atwood uses Moiras frustration to change the tone of The Handmaids Tale to a story that focuses on trying to resist the power of an oppressive regime rather than just revealing what life in such a society is like. Offred constantly looks to Moira as a guiding figure because she is strong and independent. This is why when the protagonist finds

Show More
Related

  • The Handmaid's Tale Feminist Analysis

    649 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a story about a society set in a future world where women’s rights have been revoked. Many values change with this new regime of controlled women and strict laws. Despite the changes in the world it maintains many conservative, religious beliefs while also containing liberal, feminist beliefs simultaneously. Society in the futuristic world of Gilead is structured heavily off of readings from the Bible and traditional views of gender that have been in place for a long time. An example of the Bible being an important part of society is the idea of the Handmaids came from a passage in the Bible about two women, Rachel and Leah.

    Read More

  • Motifs In The Handmaid's Tale

    1107 Words  | 5 Pages

    Often, we see a society’s cultural values reflected in its citizens. For example, the United States values equality, a standard that is shared in all facets including gender. The opposite is true of Gilead, a fictional society in Emily Bronte’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel’s main character, Offred, is subjected to degrading treatment simply because she is a woman. It becomes apparent that this repeated degradation has affected the protagonist’s mind.

    Read More

  • How Does Margaret Atwood Use Allusions In The Handmaids Tale

    2713 Words  | 11 Pages

    As many devout Christians would say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, takes the idea of political legitimacy in a corrupt society and identifies its source of power: God. Atwood’s narrative follows the life of a young woman named Offred, an independent woman working in American publishing when the country is taken over by the state of Gilead. In the newly formed Gilead, women able to have children are indoctrinated by the teachings of Aunts. These women, who are inspired by Nuns, restructure Offred and her peer’s views on social structures in the Republic of Gilead, which are subsequently conservative due to their religious allusions

    Read More

  • Femininity In The Handmaid's Tale

    1008 Words  | 5 Pages

    cultural constructs of femininity, identity, and the extent of government control. The story explores the affects social and political trends have on society. The Handmaid’s Tale evaluates gender roles and the subjugation of women. Atwood’s use of aphorisms, symbolism, and allusions urges readers to examine the juxtaposition of cruelty and vulnerability in femininity.

    Read More

  • Control Of Women In The Handmaids Tale

    678 Words  | 3 Pages

    “You wanted a women 's culture. Well, now there is one. It isn’t what you meant, but it exists. Be thankful for small mercies.” (Atwood 124) Offred is looking back on her past life to a story her mother once told her.

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    1101 Words  | 5 Pages

    Imagine a nation in which its government commands by a religion where women are separated into different titles and must conceive children for their commander. Their rights from before this regime, and anything deemed unholy by the government, are a thing of the past. This situation is the one represent in the Republic of Gilead, where the rules of society and its traditions are not taken lightly if broken. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood shows that an oppressive government leads to the inevitable neglect and remiss of the rules through Offred’s characterization, irony, and flashbacks. Offred 's character development can show that her actions change .

    Read More

  • Power And Power In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    1587 Words  | 7 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Handmaid's Tale

    1410 Words  | 6 Pages

    It is narrated by the protagonist, Offred who is a handmaid forced into sexual servitude. Facing a plunging birth rate, the fundamentalist regime treats women as property of the state. Handmaids are the few of the remaining fertile women and their sole purpose is to help the government into re-populating their society, where a lot of people are left sterile. The Handmaid’s Tale deals with the theme of women in subjugation to misogyny in a patriarchal society, primarily. It shows the struggle that women have to go through in that society, as a Handmaid or as not being able to be one.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Marxism In The Handmaid's Tale

    2035 Words  | 9 Pages

    Works of literature often portray ideas relating to Marxist theory, this is why in a dystopian society, class distinctions dominate the social climate, using Marxist ideologies as a tool to define the lives of the narrator and those around her. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, ideologies from Marxist theory dominate the society in which Offred, the narrator, lives in, evidenced by the strict class systems and limited interaction between them. In writing the novel, Atwood makes a point to create a world that could exist using technology and ideas already accessible in today’s society, meaning the events that take place in The Handmaid’s Tale could happen in present day. Offred lives in a reality where class distinctions dominate society, and women, especially fertile women. These women are displaced downwards, although there are those women who attempt to resist the grip of society.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Power In The Handmaids Tale

    1504 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the handmaid's tale, the Handmaids are treated poorly, making the person no longer themselves. The reader learns that Offred is being told what to do and has no say for her opinion, since it is against the law to go against the government. According to the handmaid’s tale, "You go out through the door and turn right. There's another door, it's open. Go up the stairs and knock, he's expecting you.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale

    1035 Words  | 5 Pages

    This year is the 30th anniversary of the publication of Margaret Atwood 's dystopian classic, The Handmaid 's Tale. The novel is told from a first person account of a young woman, Offred. In an age of declining births, she is forced to become a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, the imagined future in the United States. The Handmaids are to provide children by the substitution of infertile women of a higher social status. Through the creation of different characteristics of female characters – ones who are submissive yet rebellious, and like to take advantage of their power - Margaret Atwood portray themes of love, theocracy, rebellion, and gender roles.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

    996 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this written text, the emphasis will be on Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale and as well as the way Atwood portrays women and how it can be argued to show the oppression of women. The main purpose is to analyze the way women are treated throughout this book and depict why they are represented this way in the society in Gilead. Then, comparatively, observe the men’s domination over women and how they govern this society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are stripped of their rights, suffer many inequalities and are objectified, controlled by men and only valued for their reproductive qualities. The Gilead society is divided in multiple social group.

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale Analysis

    952 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Margaret Atwood’s novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Moira is depicted as the symbol for resistance to authority and represents hope to the Handmaids. Atwood presents her as a polar opposite to Offred. She is independent, strong-willed, and outspoken. Conversely, the pair can be argued to be doubles in the fact that they both ‘resist’ to the oppressive Republic in Gilead.

    Read More

  • How The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood Dehumanize Women

    981 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the Republic of Gilead actively represses women by forcing them into very narrowly defined, ultra-conservative gender roles. This totalitarian government strips women of all rights and protections, and imposes severe punishments for defiance. Pollution and disease had caused severe infertility in this society, drastically reducing birth rates. In an effort to reverse a drastic population decline, this thoroughly misogynistic and power-hungry regime, takes full control over the human reproductive process. Furthermore, the leadership uses various dehumanizing methods to achieve complete subservience of women to men.

    Read More

  • Resistance In The Handmaid's Tale

    928 Words  | 4 Pages

    At the same time, the Historical Notes reveal that other records of those who lived in Gilead also exist (346). Though Offred has never participated in a coordinated regime subversive activity, her story, along with those of other survivors, now form a polyphony of resistance. Storytelling in The Handmaid’s Tale performs various functions: it is Offred’s way of resistance, her survival strategy, her intellectual pastime, and a testimony to the future. By telling herself stories she escapes into memories, shape and change her experience, and substitute the lacking communication. She uses storytelling to preserve herself, to validate her existence, to prove her life matters.

    Read More

More about How Does Margaret Atwood's Use Of Moira In The Handmaids Tale

Open Document