The Handmaid Tale Essay Example

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian novel highlighting the issues of feminism and gender disparity. The narrative focuses on the life of Offred, an inhabitant of Gilead, which is a dictatorship and totalitarian state that oppresses while undermining the abilities of women. Atwood seeks to present the stereotypes in the society, which describes individuals by their gender while asserting male superiority over the female. Moreover, women in the Gilead society experience extreme gender roles and have no rights or opinions on all issues affecting their lives. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood highlights that although we live in a male-dominated society, it is vital to challenge female oppression and subjugation and focus on gender performances and individual freedom.

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Women and wives are sex objects defined and imprisoned by their bodies. Although wives married to commanders and the elite held a high social status and exempted from domestic chores, they were unable to engage in meaningful activities and could not lease their husbands. The handmaids in Gilead are given new names comprising "of" to depict their role as sex-objects of men. For example, Offred's name suggests that she is Commander Fred's property and although she may not be sexually attractive, she is used for procreation "We are for breeding purposes...there is supposed to be nothing entertaining about us... no special favors are to be wheedled" (Atwood 149). Denying women the right to use their names contributes to the loss of personal identity. As a result, the women lacked an ideal identification and the significance of individualism. The stereotype presentation of women highlights that the society compels them to play contradicting functions. Atwood challenges female oppression and their inferior social status while highlighting the exploitation of their body. Moreover, she portrays the women suffering while confined in their gender role where the society denies them freedom while compelling them to serve the nation in different ways. The contemporary society advocates for sexual objectification of females as depicted through the reconstruction of bodies to appeal to the male. Orbach argues that "thin has become a requisite for the young wishing to enter global culture" (250). Women undergo plastic surgery to double their eyelid, increase their breasts, and reduce body mass index. Health professional dictate the acceptable foods and body size, therefore instilling fear of food and weight gain (Orbach 246). The contemporary society should learn how to manage the media propagation on food and diets by consuming healthy and balanced meals. Despite the socially acceptable definition of body weight and size, all individuals are unique and cannot be compared with each other.

Gender performance in The Handmaid's Tale is manifested through the low birthrates and fertility, which compelled the government to construct brainwashing ideologies of assigning fertile females as handmaids to influential men. As a result, the society developed stringent and restrictive gender rules and norms that restricted the thinking and actions of women resulting in the loss of personal identity. Atwood explores the expression of gender through clothing where the handmaid's dresses depict them as societal prisoners. Moreover, she acknowledges the repetitions in gender expressions when she states that handmaids are like "a flotilla of swans...with minimum grace and without variation" as manifested through their loose-fitting dresses that cover their bodies from head to toe (Atwood 224). Coded clothing results in the loss of personal identity as they distinguish a group of women from the rest. At the beginning of the narrative, Offred's the dressing process highlights that she is putting on a socially defined costume. The contemporary media plays a crucial role in the perception of an ideal body. As a result, individuals undergo plastic surgery to reshape their bodies according to the acceptable mainstream standards. Cosmetic surgery on genitals and visible body areas has become a common practice. Orbach asserts, "We could call it body hatred. We could call it fashion. We could call it psychopathology. We could call it opportunistic medical greed" (245). The definition of the ideal female body by the media has resulted in the loss of personal identity and love among most women who strive to live according to the social expectations. Schwartz (186) encourages the contemporary society to look beyond the cultural construction of behaviors, values, sexual norms, and perceptions.

Women are seen objects as manifested through the socially conditioned gender roles and norms. The gender norms of Gilead compelled women to live and perform according to the societal expectations and conditioned standards. As a result, the women were constantly monitored to ensure that they do not deviate from the cultural requirements. The behavior of Offred while engaging in her daily activities indicates that there were eyes constantly observing her and listening to her communications. As a result, the Gilead handmaids were tattooed like cattle and prisoners. The marks scared the women because it meant that they were under unseen surveillance therefore defining their gender performances. Similarly, modesty is considered a female character trait. Therefore, when a Japanese tourist approached Offred, she looked down while shaking her head modestly (Atwood 38).The women of Gilead manifested their humility through their dressing and soft voices.On the other hand, Offred's behavior depicts a visual culture that manipulates people by depicting a false reality of issues. Although she behaved according to social expectations, she lacked the freedom to express her opinions. Offred is aware of the cultural manipulation when she states "my indoctrination" indicating that she is not fooled by the deceptive ideologies (Atwood 165). Women of Gilead live in isolation under strict rules where they were not free to visit even the washrooms. Moreover, they were compelled to please men by satisfying their desires (Hemmati 88). Orbach asserts that the contemporary culture normalizes and reshapes the body according to nationality, gender, social status, customs, and ethnicity (247). Similarly, the society defines an individual based on their costumes, physical appearance, and clothing. The western nations have introduced a culture of body rejection to the developing societies. As a result, women around the globe seek for modernized silhouetted by reshaping their bodies to become as thin a possible. Individuals are losing their bodies to the commercial pressure of destruction as perpetuated by the media (Orbach 250). Globalization is a form of oppression that has reshaped the corporeal and private identity of people into setting socially acceptable definition for beauty and body shape. Gender abstractions threaten personality and individualism. As a result, women lack the freedom of thinking like an individual

In The Handmaid's Tale, women lack the right to express their opinions. As a result, majority of independent women are reduced to objects of bearing children for the affluent members of the society. The Handmaids engage in maternal roles of childbearing while facing oppression due to the gender restrictions and subordination (Zarrinjooee and Kalantarian 69). Moreover their bodies are sexualized, degraded and reduced to male sexual objects subject to violation.The female desire to express their opinion on love and sex are suppressed, compelling Offred to engage in sex with Nick and the Commander. Moreover, handmaids are denied the right to read, write, have friends, drink alcohol, ask questions, or enhance their appearance. As a result, gender is culturally and socially construct. Offred is compelled by the society to take up a role that deprives her off independence and freedom. Women who resisted the imposed constructs were taken to Colonies to work alongside the rebellious men. The authority manipulated the handmaids to accept the set norms by brainwashing them into believing that they are lucky and valuable to the society. Gilead is a utopian place that exercises a deep feminine culture. Women assist each other "each performing her appointed task" (Atwood175). Offred's mother and friend believe that if women were to live alone in the society, and then most of the problems facing women in Gilead would end. However, Schwartz asserts that heterosexuality is better than homosexuality despite the challenges (187). Atwood detests the dystopian tradition that subjects women to suffering under the patriarchal and political ideologies. The relationship between men and women is based on subordination and domination as manifested copulation where the female are forced to bear children regardless of their wishes (Zarrinjooee and Kalantarian 70). As a result, Atwood expresses her concern over the gender based discrimination and oppression. Focus on personal looks distracts individuals from exercising their rights and expressing their personalities (Orbach 247). Therefore, the society should allow individuals to express their opinion through dressing and personal looks without focusing on the socially set standards.

Conclusion

In conclusion, in the Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood expresses her concern on the oppression and objectification of women. The narrative highlights issues affecting women due to the stringent cultural control on all the aspects of their lives. Moreover, Atwood depicts women as sexual tool manipulated by men and the orthodox doctrines. As a result, lack of freedom and right to express opinions has contributed to mental enslavement due to the patriarchal ideologies. Moreover, women have been reduced to sexual objects and men's property who lack identity as propagated by the exaggerated gender norms.

References

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. London: Vintage, 1996.

Hemmati, Zahra. "The Handmaid's Tale: A Feminist Reading." Human Rights International Research Journal, vol.5, no.1, 2017, pp. 87-91.

Orbach, Susie. Losing Bodies

Schwartz, Pepper. Construction of Heterosexuality

Zarrinjooee, Bahman, and Kalantarian Shirin. "Women's Oppressed and Disfigured Life in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale." Advances in Language and Literary Studies, vol.8, no.1, 207, pp.66- 71.