ENGLISH CONTEXT NOTES- ATWOOD
- Atwood’s work often focuses upon the dynamics of power.
o She is explicitly critical of the oppression of women under patriarchy and utilises her
literary work to explore the ways in which people interact under oppression through
mundane, daily events.
- While her work is mainly dystopian and surreal, Atwood maintains that even the most unsettling
parts of her fiction are based upon real events, often that have happened within the US and
elsewhere.
o “All of the things I have written about have been done before, more than once” (Atwood)
o This means that much of her writing is chillingly believable, even at its most dystopian.
- We see this within HMT in her descriptions of the rise of Gilead
o People neglected to notice the regime’s growing strength before it was way too late.
o This happened due to complacency; and associated political upheaval as something that
happens elsewhere, not under their own noses.
o Atwood’s work reminds us to resist complacency and to understand that civil stability is
never promised.
Stasi and the Berlin Wall:
The Handmaid’s Tale was written in 1984 whilst Atwood was living in what was then classed as
West Berlin.
o The Cold War was at a moment of particular intensity in the 1980s, and Berlin was a
focus for the tensions between the West and the Soviet Union.
o This was due to the Berlin Wall, which split the city into the US-controlled ‘West’ and
the surrounding Soviet-controlled ‘East.’
- Having grown up during World War II, Atwood knew that established social and political orders
could very well ‘vanish overnight’, as she wrote in her 2017 introduction to the novel.
- Encircled physically by the Berlin Wall and metaphorically by the threat of Soviet attack,
Atwood wrote HMT as a piece of speculative fiction that examined the idea that “Change could
be as fast as lightning.”
After WW2, Germany was split between the allies: Britain, the USA and France = West Germany
and West Berlin, USSR = East Germany and Berlin.
The two were extremely different: The West quickly recovered from the war and became a
prosperous democratic country, meanwhile the East was made communist (led by the USSR and
Stalin). The same applied to East and West Berlin
This caused tension between the two countries and its leaders (west and the USSR). This led to
the Berlin Blockade in 1948 where Stalin cut off all land access to West Berlin in an attempt to
take over. This was the first ‘battle’ of the Cold war, in which the West came out victorious.
Several other things happened to increase the tension between the two countries: the West joined
NATO in 1955, and the East joined the Warsaw Pact (the USSR’s version of NATO), the Space
race from 1957, Nuclear Weapon testing, the Vietnam war and the brain drain.
All this tension led to the building of the Berlin Wall:
o In 1961, Khrushchev, the leader of the USSR, under the pretense of stopping Western
spies, decided to build a barrier between East and West Berlin
o This wall led to increased tensions, tanks were placed on either border and there were
nuclear weapon threats.
o The wall lasted from 1961 – 1989 and was a symbol of oppression to the west (and the
east)
, o In 1989, the wall was torn down after the collapse of the USSR and communism, several
protests, and a failing economy. So by 1991, Germany was a unified country.
It's clear that the Berlin Wall - a symbol of segregation and isolation - hugely inspired Atwood,
especially as the Wall in The Handmaid's Tale is a symbol of fear, punishment and ideological
control.
o People wanted to escape the Soviet controlled East Berlin- an anti-fascist protection
barrier.
o Restricted Travel & Escape Attempts: East Germans were forbidden from traveling to
the West, and those who tried to escape were shot at the Wall.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, Handmaids and Marthas are unable to leave Gilead, and
escape attempts (like Moira’s or the Mayday resistance) are met with severe
punishment.
o Borders as a Symbol of Control: The Wall in The Handmaid’s Tale functions similarly
to the Berlin Wall—it is both a physical and psychological barrier.
Just as the Berlin Wall symbolized the Cold War’s ideological divide, Gilead’s
Wall symbolizes the strict separation between the oppressed and the powerful.
o Propaganda & Justification: The East German government justified the Wall as
protection against Western influence;
Much like how Gilead claims its restrictions protect women from the dangers of
the past (rape, violence, infertility crises).
THE STASI:
o These were secret spies set up by the USSR and leaders of East Germany, and were
extremely feared; a link to the The Eyes in HMT
o It was discovered that at least 25% of the East German population worked for the Stasi
and had files on at least 6 million people.
o However, this quickly developed into total surveillance of public and private lives; and
people started to turn on each other.
The Stasi were notorious for their extreme surveillance tactics, which Atwood
likely drew upon when crafting Gilead’s rigid control system. Some key parallels
include:
Surveillance & Informants: The Stasi had an extensive informant network
where ordinary citizens, including family members, spied on one another. I
o In The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilead employs a similar system with the
Eyes, Guardians, and even Handmaids expected to report on each
other. The phrase “Under His Eye” reflects the constant state of
paranoia, much like life in East Germany.
Control of Communication: The Stasi intercepted letters, monitored phone
calls, and censored media to prevent rebellion.
o In Gilead, communication is tightly controlled, Handmaids cannot read
or write, and even personal conversations are restricted to pre-approved
phrases (“Blessed be the fruit”).
Punishment & Fear: Those suspected of resistance under the Stasi were
interrogated, imprisoned, or "disappeared."
o Similarly, in Gilead, rebels and dissenters (like Ofglen and Mayday
members) are tortured or executed and hung on the Wall, a public
warning much like Stasi-era executions and imprisonments.
- Atwood’s work often focuses upon the dynamics of power.
o She is explicitly critical of the oppression of women under patriarchy and utilises her
literary work to explore the ways in which people interact under oppression through
mundane, daily events.
- While her work is mainly dystopian and surreal, Atwood maintains that even the most unsettling
parts of her fiction are based upon real events, often that have happened within the US and
elsewhere.
o “All of the things I have written about have been done before, more than once” (Atwood)
o This means that much of her writing is chillingly believable, even at its most dystopian.
- We see this within HMT in her descriptions of the rise of Gilead
o People neglected to notice the regime’s growing strength before it was way too late.
o This happened due to complacency; and associated political upheaval as something that
happens elsewhere, not under their own noses.
o Atwood’s work reminds us to resist complacency and to understand that civil stability is
never promised.
Stasi and the Berlin Wall:
The Handmaid’s Tale was written in 1984 whilst Atwood was living in what was then classed as
West Berlin.
o The Cold War was at a moment of particular intensity in the 1980s, and Berlin was a
focus for the tensions between the West and the Soviet Union.
o This was due to the Berlin Wall, which split the city into the US-controlled ‘West’ and
the surrounding Soviet-controlled ‘East.’
- Having grown up during World War II, Atwood knew that established social and political orders
could very well ‘vanish overnight’, as she wrote in her 2017 introduction to the novel.
- Encircled physically by the Berlin Wall and metaphorically by the threat of Soviet attack,
Atwood wrote HMT as a piece of speculative fiction that examined the idea that “Change could
be as fast as lightning.”
After WW2, Germany was split between the allies: Britain, the USA and France = West Germany
and West Berlin, USSR = East Germany and Berlin.
The two were extremely different: The West quickly recovered from the war and became a
prosperous democratic country, meanwhile the East was made communist (led by the USSR and
Stalin). The same applied to East and West Berlin
This caused tension between the two countries and its leaders (west and the USSR). This led to
the Berlin Blockade in 1948 where Stalin cut off all land access to West Berlin in an attempt to
take over. This was the first ‘battle’ of the Cold war, in which the West came out victorious.
Several other things happened to increase the tension between the two countries: the West joined
NATO in 1955, and the East joined the Warsaw Pact (the USSR’s version of NATO), the Space
race from 1957, Nuclear Weapon testing, the Vietnam war and the brain drain.
All this tension led to the building of the Berlin Wall:
o In 1961, Khrushchev, the leader of the USSR, under the pretense of stopping Western
spies, decided to build a barrier between East and West Berlin
o This wall led to increased tensions, tanks were placed on either border and there were
nuclear weapon threats.
o The wall lasted from 1961 – 1989 and was a symbol of oppression to the west (and the
east)
, o In 1989, the wall was torn down after the collapse of the USSR and communism, several
protests, and a failing economy. So by 1991, Germany was a unified country.
It's clear that the Berlin Wall - a symbol of segregation and isolation - hugely inspired Atwood,
especially as the Wall in The Handmaid's Tale is a symbol of fear, punishment and ideological
control.
o People wanted to escape the Soviet controlled East Berlin- an anti-fascist protection
barrier.
o Restricted Travel & Escape Attempts: East Germans were forbidden from traveling to
the West, and those who tried to escape were shot at the Wall.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, Handmaids and Marthas are unable to leave Gilead, and
escape attempts (like Moira’s or the Mayday resistance) are met with severe
punishment.
o Borders as a Symbol of Control: The Wall in The Handmaid’s Tale functions similarly
to the Berlin Wall—it is both a physical and psychological barrier.
Just as the Berlin Wall symbolized the Cold War’s ideological divide, Gilead’s
Wall symbolizes the strict separation between the oppressed and the powerful.
o Propaganda & Justification: The East German government justified the Wall as
protection against Western influence;
Much like how Gilead claims its restrictions protect women from the dangers of
the past (rape, violence, infertility crises).
THE STASI:
o These were secret spies set up by the USSR and leaders of East Germany, and were
extremely feared; a link to the The Eyes in HMT
o It was discovered that at least 25% of the East German population worked for the Stasi
and had files on at least 6 million people.
o However, this quickly developed into total surveillance of public and private lives; and
people started to turn on each other.
The Stasi were notorious for their extreme surveillance tactics, which Atwood
likely drew upon when crafting Gilead’s rigid control system. Some key parallels
include:
Surveillance & Informants: The Stasi had an extensive informant network
where ordinary citizens, including family members, spied on one another. I
o In The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilead employs a similar system with the
Eyes, Guardians, and even Handmaids expected to report on each
other. The phrase “Under His Eye” reflects the constant state of
paranoia, much like life in East Germany.
Control of Communication: The Stasi intercepted letters, monitored phone
calls, and censored media to prevent rebellion.
o In Gilead, communication is tightly controlled, Handmaids cannot read
or write, and even personal conversations are restricted to pre-approved
phrases (“Blessed be the fruit”).
Punishment & Fear: Those suspected of resistance under the Stasi were
interrogated, imprisoned, or "disappeared."
o Similarly, in Gilead, rebels and dissenters (like Ofglen and Mayday
members) are tortured or executed and hung on the Wall, a public
warning much like Stasi-era executions and imprisonments.
