Handmaids Tale Notes
What Atwood says about HT:
Atwood = "a study of power, and how it operates and how it deforms or shapes the people who are
living within that kind of regime”.
- Debate over whether the book a feminist novel
- Different branches of feminism, Atwood explains in an interview
- She believes in feminism founded on equality and equal rights
- Not that women are superior hence why there are females who abuse their power in the novel
- Instead the HT is a study
Critics:
- “similarities to President Donald Trump's misogynistic political agenda.” = Oppenheim
Background:
- Written 1985, in west Berlin (ally controlled when wall up)
- generic hybrid text, part realist part generic fiction
- speculative fiction (speculative the characters endings
- return to Victorian values
- purposefully disorientating text
- blurs the lines of realism
- theocracy
- different to most other dystopian texts as has a female protagonist
- not omnipotent narrator à narrowed perspective, first person narrative, we learn as she does
Links to other texts:
1984
- Dystopian text, written 1948 à predicating the future as he saw from 1948
- Potential inspiration set the year before THT released
- Winston Smith = everyman “Smith” à Winston = Churchill
- Newpeak = prescribed language, similar to biblical lingo in THT
Oryx and Crake
- 2003 dystopian text by Atwood
Clockwork Orange
- 1962
Main themes across Duffy, THT & Streetcar:
- Men’s violence perpetuated against women
- lack of ability to act with freedom / oppression / removal of human rights = tenant of characteristics
for dystopian novel
- lost
Retreat to Victorian values:
- love partings
In contemporary life we except progression however in THT
- insecurity
we have progressed so far they retreat à as a result of
- loneliness
yearning for the future they end up grasping for the past à
- gender
relatable, why text so shocking.
- hopes, dreams, desires
,pg 13
“We had flannelette sheets, like children’s, and army-issue blankets”
- simile
- figurative image
- return to childhood values
pg 17
• “wreath”
• “anything tie rope too” = difficult life, so hard women may take own life to free themselves of
oppression (Jane Eyre, Bertha Maison used in this text) only way for women to maintain a power of
their own. Suicide
• “window” = ionly opens partly = explicit here = struggle of women in this new regime (Offred one of
first handmaids) (a regime that has phases) they in first phase = moment of transition —> liminal
space
• “polish” = superficially perfect idea / cleaning something away
• Offred’s pros = stream of consciousness, poetic at time =
• Women according to some feminist critics, our thinking = circular = L’ecriture feminine = is this written
in a style that is consciously female
• women writing supposed to reflect a women orgasm = circular, repetitive —> contrast to mens which
climax’s —> linear way —> these feminists suggest men then write in a linear way
• L’ecriture feminine when applied to this text works well —> don't know whether Atwood did it on
purpose or not
• frequent use of anelepsis
•“ “ imagined time (present in streetcar)
Offred;
• her habit = clothing = exactly the same as other handmaids —> removes her individuality
• “I try not to think too much” = we follow her first person thoughts —. doesn't want to think about
Luke and her daughter (doesnt know where moyra is at this point or he rmother) all the people she
loved in past unknown of now
• it unhealthy for her to think
• she holding onto her sanity, deeply aware of fact if she thinks too much, or her alluring memory —>
she would loose her grip on reality / sanity cannot think in order to survive
• she possess strength determination hope and the desire to survive
• she descriptive or painterly with her narrative
• narrow limited perspective —> not omniscient or omnipresent
• pg 18 = distinguishes them as a handmaid
• red = symbols of fertility
• everything described as colour of blood
• sense of them being forced to conform —> indication into how limiting society is
pg 19 = “direct her vision” her vision limits only access to limited and info is deceminated piecemeal —>
first person limited perspective. This metaphor describes her first person limited perspective on narrow
rigid society
- myopic view
- she looks into the miorr numerous times throughout text, pg211
- whereas there are aspects of I find credible such as ….. there are some that appear unconvincing
…….
, Repetition of “distorted” à link to Atwood’s interview at pg77 of Bloom’s criticism
- power operates and deforms people living in these regimes à what Atwood says in interview
- so when she sees a distorted figure in the mirror that is her it is the way others power over her as
distorted and disformed her
- how power has the capacity to “deform” people reflected in Atwood’s distorted reflection.
dipped in blood; sometimes nun sometimes prostate but always fertility
commander cant even telll serena joy everything
2 Martha’s = Rita & Cora
Cora = nicer (comfy) more pleasant
on pg19 they judge and condemn her despite her having no choice as she occupies the laminal space
(nun prostetute) in new society
pg 20 “Today…” Offred colour
she aware of them judging her however she so desperate for human contact she wishes to stay with
them __. further wishes for information —> hears their gossip
pg 21; italics = disjointed info, glimpses of society reader knows nothing about, end of info left
ambiguous to us as well —> control of info one of mechanisms of totalaterain society
craves information, sex & intimacy
craves sex —> bit about bread
bottom of 21 find out rationing in place and limited resources avialible, society = is no consumerism or
marketing campaigns for unnecessary items —> attwood commenting / critiquing that in our society
(their past) their is too much materialism, seduced by marketing —> unsatisfactiary things in contrast to
this society where it is very limited and merely chicken sign above door stating chicken sold here
setting bit also early evidence of society’s high position in society
religious group in Giliad = sons of Jacob
pg 22; the garden; synonomous of commanders wife through text —> her domain
put under setting and wife
“the willow weeping ..” pathetic fallacy symbol of wires sorrow unhappiness maybe regret as often
appears in conjunction to her
in Hamlet = Offilia so unhappy she takes her own life, sings song about willow before her death
becomes a symbol for death their - intertextual illusion deeper symbolic meaning connotations of
mystery
separate spheres ideology some = private interior / men = public exterior —> women occupy interior
domestic space; garden part of SJ’s domain —> house = her territory
Historical notes;
320 = “when power is scarce a little of it tempting”
reflects SJ in garden and how she controls the plants —> uses sheers and string to tie plants together —
> tight control
What Atwood says about HT:
Atwood = "a study of power, and how it operates and how it deforms or shapes the people who are
living within that kind of regime”.
- Debate over whether the book a feminist novel
- Different branches of feminism, Atwood explains in an interview
- She believes in feminism founded on equality and equal rights
- Not that women are superior hence why there are females who abuse their power in the novel
- Instead the HT is a study
Critics:
- “similarities to President Donald Trump's misogynistic political agenda.” = Oppenheim
Background:
- Written 1985, in west Berlin (ally controlled when wall up)
- generic hybrid text, part realist part generic fiction
- speculative fiction (speculative the characters endings
- return to Victorian values
- purposefully disorientating text
- blurs the lines of realism
- theocracy
- different to most other dystopian texts as has a female protagonist
- not omnipotent narrator à narrowed perspective, first person narrative, we learn as she does
Links to other texts:
1984
- Dystopian text, written 1948 à predicating the future as he saw from 1948
- Potential inspiration set the year before THT released
- Winston Smith = everyman “Smith” à Winston = Churchill
- Newpeak = prescribed language, similar to biblical lingo in THT
Oryx and Crake
- 2003 dystopian text by Atwood
Clockwork Orange
- 1962
Main themes across Duffy, THT & Streetcar:
- Men’s violence perpetuated against women
- lack of ability to act with freedom / oppression / removal of human rights = tenant of characteristics
for dystopian novel
- lost
Retreat to Victorian values:
- love partings
In contemporary life we except progression however in THT
- insecurity
we have progressed so far they retreat à as a result of
- loneliness
yearning for the future they end up grasping for the past à
- gender
relatable, why text so shocking.
- hopes, dreams, desires
,pg 13
“We had flannelette sheets, like children’s, and army-issue blankets”
- simile
- figurative image
- return to childhood values
pg 17
• “wreath”
• “anything tie rope too” = difficult life, so hard women may take own life to free themselves of
oppression (Jane Eyre, Bertha Maison used in this text) only way for women to maintain a power of
their own. Suicide
• “window” = ionly opens partly = explicit here = struggle of women in this new regime (Offred one of
first handmaids) (a regime that has phases) they in first phase = moment of transition —> liminal
space
• “polish” = superficially perfect idea / cleaning something away
• Offred’s pros = stream of consciousness, poetic at time =
• Women according to some feminist critics, our thinking = circular = L’ecriture feminine = is this written
in a style that is consciously female
• women writing supposed to reflect a women orgasm = circular, repetitive —> contrast to mens which
climax’s —> linear way —> these feminists suggest men then write in a linear way
• L’ecriture feminine when applied to this text works well —> don't know whether Atwood did it on
purpose or not
• frequent use of anelepsis
•“ “ imagined time (present in streetcar)
Offred;
• her habit = clothing = exactly the same as other handmaids —> removes her individuality
• “I try not to think too much” = we follow her first person thoughts —. doesn't want to think about
Luke and her daughter (doesnt know where moyra is at this point or he rmother) all the people she
loved in past unknown of now
• it unhealthy for her to think
• she holding onto her sanity, deeply aware of fact if she thinks too much, or her alluring memory —>
she would loose her grip on reality / sanity cannot think in order to survive
• she possess strength determination hope and the desire to survive
• she descriptive or painterly with her narrative
• narrow limited perspective —> not omniscient or omnipresent
• pg 18 = distinguishes them as a handmaid
• red = symbols of fertility
• everything described as colour of blood
• sense of them being forced to conform —> indication into how limiting society is
pg 19 = “direct her vision” her vision limits only access to limited and info is deceminated piecemeal —>
first person limited perspective. This metaphor describes her first person limited perspective on narrow
rigid society
- myopic view
- she looks into the miorr numerous times throughout text, pg211
- whereas there are aspects of I find credible such as ….. there are some that appear unconvincing
…….
, Repetition of “distorted” à link to Atwood’s interview at pg77 of Bloom’s criticism
- power operates and deforms people living in these regimes à what Atwood says in interview
- so when she sees a distorted figure in the mirror that is her it is the way others power over her as
distorted and disformed her
- how power has the capacity to “deform” people reflected in Atwood’s distorted reflection.
dipped in blood; sometimes nun sometimes prostate but always fertility
commander cant even telll serena joy everything
2 Martha’s = Rita & Cora
Cora = nicer (comfy) more pleasant
on pg19 they judge and condemn her despite her having no choice as she occupies the laminal space
(nun prostetute) in new society
pg 20 “Today…” Offred colour
she aware of them judging her however she so desperate for human contact she wishes to stay with
them __. further wishes for information —> hears their gossip
pg 21; italics = disjointed info, glimpses of society reader knows nothing about, end of info left
ambiguous to us as well —> control of info one of mechanisms of totalaterain society
craves information, sex & intimacy
craves sex —> bit about bread
bottom of 21 find out rationing in place and limited resources avialible, society = is no consumerism or
marketing campaigns for unnecessary items —> attwood commenting / critiquing that in our society
(their past) their is too much materialism, seduced by marketing —> unsatisfactiary things in contrast to
this society where it is very limited and merely chicken sign above door stating chicken sold here
setting bit also early evidence of society’s high position in society
religious group in Giliad = sons of Jacob
pg 22; the garden; synonomous of commanders wife through text —> her domain
put under setting and wife
“the willow weeping ..” pathetic fallacy symbol of wires sorrow unhappiness maybe regret as often
appears in conjunction to her
in Hamlet = Offilia so unhappy she takes her own life, sings song about willow before her death
becomes a symbol for death their - intertextual illusion deeper symbolic meaning connotations of
mystery
separate spheres ideology some = private interior / men = public exterior —> women occupy interior
domestic space; garden part of SJ’s domain —> house = her territory
Historical notes;
320 = “when power is scarce a little of it tempting”
reflects SJ in garden and how she controls the plants —> uses sheers and string to tie plants together —
> tight control
