‘How do the writers of your chosen texts present a pervading sense of threat in their novels?
Both writers Shelley and Atwood use similar methods to present a pervading sense of threat in
Frankenstein and The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood depicts the dangers of factors such as language
and the efforts of the regime to pose a threat on society using visual and physical symbols of
power from Gilead. Shelley also depicts the dangers of factors such as enthusiasm and
knowledge by communicating to readers the threat of these through the results of the
characters' actions and foreshadowing their failures using the novel's structure.
Atwood uses symbolism such as the wall and Harvard University to present a pervading sense
of threat as they both highlight the oppression and control Gilead has over society. The power
the regime has is highlighted when Offred describes the men on the wall to ‘look like dolls’. The
noun ‘dolls’ indicates how people are subjective to the regime and possession under their
power, emphasising the sense of threat that is felt. Furthermore, the fact that Gilead has
transformed Harvard into a detention centre where bodies of executed dissidents hang from
the wall that runs around the college and where salvagings take place again depicts a sense of
threat. It is evident that Harvard has become a symbol of…
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Both writers Shelley and Atwood use similar methods to present a pervading sense of threat in
Frankenstein and The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood depicts the dangers of factors such as language
and the efforts of the regime to pose a threat on society using visual and physical symbols of
power from Gilead. Shelley also depicts the dangers of factors such as enthusiasm and
knowledge by communicating to readers the threat of these through the results of the
characters' actions and foreshadowing their failures using the novel's structure.
Atwood uses symbolism such as the wall and Harvard University to present a pervading sense
of threat as they both highlight the oppression and control Gilead has over society. The power
the regime has is highlighted when Offred describes the men on the wall to ‘look like dolls’. The
noun ‘dolls’ indicates how people are subjective to the regime and possession under their
power, emphasising the sense of threat that is felt. Furthermore, the fact that Gilead has
transformed Harvard into a detention centre where bodies of executed dissidents hang from
the wall that runs around the college and where salvagings take place again depicts a sense of
threat. It is evident that Harvard has become a symbol of…
Preview ends…buy to see the whole essay (which includes 6 paragraphs and a conclusion)
