The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
Core Themes:
Female Disunity
0 To be successful, the patriarchy of Gilead must re-assert male dominance.
Women are seen as potentially threatening and subversive, therefore requiring
strict contol
0 By relying on women to self-regulate, the founders of Gilead successfully
destroy female solidarity
0 According to the Aunts, as spokeswomen for the patriarchy of Gilead, rape and
other forms of sexual and domestic violence are consequences of women
possessing sexual #eedom and leading men on
0 Controlling Offred is the only outlet through which Serena Joy can express her
frustration with a system she once supported
0 Offred struggles to come to terms with her multiple losses as she performs her
rote duties within the system of female control
0 Though Offred desperately wants to rebel and reassert her agency, the
matiarchy ensures that she and the other Handmaids remain isolated and
powerless
Gender Roles
o Women and men have strictly defined roles and functions
o Women are stripped of all their rights and liberties, useirl only for their physical
abilities
o Expressions of sexuality that are not for the purpose of procreation are not
forbidden. Pornography, masturbation, homosexuality, and birth control are all
against the law
o Marriages that existed before the establishment of Gilead are no longer
considered legal
Identity
o in Gilead, women are stripped of their individuality
o Every person has a specific caste to which he or she belongs, which are
identified by colours which members of each caste are expected to dress in
o A person’s class and representative colour are considered more important than
that person’s name or individuality
o The Handmaids are the only classes that are completely stripped of their names
o The narrator’s true name is never revealed, and even her new name (Offred) is
only revealed in the fourteenth chapter
o Convicted criminals are executed with bags over their heads and signs
identifying their crimes are placed around their necks as they hang on the Wall.
Their crimes become their identities.
Language
o Language is a powerful tool in Gilead, used to control and oppress its people
but also as a tool of freedom
o Women are not allowed to read and even their spoken language is restricted
o Although the society and its customs is supposed to be based on the Bible, the
text is often changed when quoted and so that it supports Gilead’s politicised
regime. Most people are not allowed access to the Bible itself, and can therefore
not validate the accuracy of quoted scripture and remain at the mercy of those
in charge.
1
Margaret Atwood
Core Themes:
Female Disunity
0 To be successful, the patriarchy of Gilead must re-assert male dominance.
Women are seen as potentially threatening and subversive, therefore requiring
strict contol
0 By relying on women to self-regulate, the founders of Gilead successfully
destroy female solidarity
0 According to the Aunts, as spokeswomen for the patriarchy of Gilead, rape and
other forms of sexual and domestic violence are consequences of women
possessing sexual #eedom and leading men on
0 Controlling Offred is the only outlet through which Serena Joy can express her
frustration with a system she once supported
0 Offred struggles to come to terms with her multiple losses as she performs her
rote duties within the system of female control
0 Though Offred desperately wants to rebel and reassert her agency, the
matiarchy ensures that she and the other Handmaids remain isolated and
powerless
Gender Roles
o Women and men have strictly defined roles and functions
o Women are stripped of all their rights and liberties, useirl only for their physical
abilities
o Expressions of sexuality that are not for the purpose of procreation are not
forbidden. Pornography, masturbation, homosexuality, and birth control are all
against the law
o Marriages that existed before the establishment of Gilead are no longer
considered legal
Identity
o in Gilead, women are stripped of their individuality
o Every person has a specific caste to which he or she belongs, which are
identified by colours which members of each caste are expected to dress in
o A person’s class and representative colour are considered more important than
that person’s name or individuality
o The Handmaids are the only classes that are completely stripped of their names
o The narrator’s true name is never revealed, and even her new name (Offred) is
only revealed in the fourteenth chapter
o Convicted criminals are executed with bags over their heads and signs
identifying their crimes are placed around their necks as they hang on the Wall.
Their crimes become their identities.
Language
o Language is a powerful tool in Gilead, used to control and oppress its people
but also as a tool of freedom
o Women are not allowed to read and even their spoken language is restricted
o Although the society and its customs is supposed to be based on the Bible, the
text is often changed when quoted and so that it supports Gilead’s politicised
regime. Most people are not allowed access to the Bible itself, and can therefore
not validate the accuracy of quoted scripture and remain at the mercy of those
in charge.
1
