Literary analysis of “The Handmaid’s Tale”
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Literary analysis of “The Handmaid’s Tale”
The Handmaid’s Tale is a landmark novel about women’s threats in a world that has dehumanized and criminalized them. The novel portrays a barbaric society where citizens refuse to exercise their right to self-determination. In ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ women are depicted as symbols of male egoism and happiness.
Men have stripped away all that might have made women’s lives worth living under this constitution. Gilead’s women are unable to learn, compose, or listen to music. Men are the only ones that like luxuries. Women are often refused natural pleasures such as passion and romance. They were used to reflect male satisfaction, male fulfillment, and none of the other human characteristics. Even a dark universe exists.
The narrator is the main author, who relates the narrative in the first person, rendering it an autobiography. Offred, the author, is an unbiased observer and performer. When telling a story in the first person, it’s important to prevent misinterpretations. As a result, the viewer will get proof that is as close to the facts as a first-person interpretation of precise information.
Her representation of herself may be used to establish a character understanding. While living in a world dominated by males, where women’s power has been drastically reduced, Offred remains aware of who she is and openly declares herself a feminist, with little indication that she belongs to anybody(brains 89).
The symbol of women’s physical suffering is still on display. The reader discovers her abilities as a woman, her repressed feelings, and her needs for intimacy as a result of her understanding.Offred is a perfect example of how women are often devalued as mere sexual artifacts for men’s amusement.
It is not also a woman’s power to withhold sex in this case. Although Fred, her master commander, is interested, Offred insists that her sexual encounters are seldom termed copulation. It just concerns the Commander in the true meaning since their senses, mind, and feelings are not. In her terms, sex is disgusting, degrading, and unemotional since it is only sexual and only provided at men’s request:
“My red skirt comes to a stop at my waist, but no farther. That’s the Commander who’s behind that. He’s fucking with the lower half of my body. I don’t pretend to be able to make love, but he doesn’t. Copulation is often deceptive since it affects two people instead of only one. Nothing I haven’t signed up for is happening here, and neither does rape ” (Atwood 94).
Women make for stronger protagonists when they are conceived. In order to make rulers infertile, Offered and other maids are removed . Serena Joy, who arranges for Offred to give birth to the Commander by sleeping with her driver, regards the Commander as clean. Women are often portrayed as overly ambitious and capable professionals as a result of this experience.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a novel about the possibilities and challenges that will arise as a consequence of the global technological transition. It’s not science fiction; rather, it’s futuristic fiction, a book of what could happen. It differs from feminist propaganda genres in that it has a more nuanced context, characters, and themes(Atwood 94).
Since it is a work of literature, the book shows how people in the Western world tend to be overlooked. As a result, the story focuses less on the male and more on the negative, which would cater to readers in both the book and the real world.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. New York: Anchor Books, 1986. Print.
Brians, Paul. “Study Guide to Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale (1986).” 1995. Web.
