Examine the significance of Gilead's rituals and ceremonies in The Handmaid's
Tale
INTRODUCTION In Margaret Atwood’s 1983 novel The Handmaid's Tale, the use of
rituals like Salvagings, Birth Days and the infamous Ceremony helps
to enforce compliance amongst Gileadean citizens in order to retain
the stringent male hegemony. Throughout the novel, rituals are used
to control Gileadean citizens, turn them against each other, retaining
control and to give the regime a basis in both the Bible and the
minds of its people.
PARA 1: Control Rituals help to control Gilead’s people by regimenting their daily
routine and demonstrating the consequences of straying from the
norm. The use of bells throughout impedes on especially Offred’s
sensory thinking, keeping them in a school-like/ convent-like life
where everything is regimented and they are both infantilised and
lacking control and shunned into silence. The humiliation of all
participants in the Ceremony “codifies procreation” (Cavalcanti) and
stigmatises it so it cannot take place outside of Gilead's “pattern of
life” (Malak). The unification of the handmaids during Birth day gives
them a channeled focus as they all labour together (”We grip each
other's hands, no longer single”), the loss of individual self prohibits
rebellion.
PARA 2: Betrayal Gilead’s rituals are imbued with internal hierarchies, often in physical
manifestations. For instance, the wife is always holding or above the
Handmaids (also in the hierarchal sense), the Handmaids are made
to sit at the salvagings whereas the wives and daughters stand
about. This leads to conflict between the citizens, especially jealousy
between wives and handmaids and between handmaids, creating
gynocentric misogyny. “The work women do conspires to maintain
the subjection of their own kind” Goldblatt. Outlets at the Salvagings
and the birthdays create dionysian events of base desire (fueled by
alcoholic grape juice, Dionysius god of wine). (”we are permitted
anything and this is freedom”- Salvaging)/(”we too need our orgies”)
—> “religion is the opiate of the masses” Marx
PARA 3: Basis The Rituals also create a biblical and mental basis for themselves to
exist, in this way they are self-fulfilling. Some rituals have direct roots
in the Bible, like Deuteronomy during the Salvaging but some of
Gilead’s mechanisms are excused by made up or altered bases like
“To each according to his need, from each according to her ability”
Originally a comment by Marx, twisted into something by St Paul by
Aunt Lydia, so that contrasting ideas are twisted into a stronger
ideology (”Its Genius was synthesis”- Piexoto).
CONCLUSION: All in all, rituals solidify Gilead’s self-sustaining synthesis, enabling
the promotion of internal hierarchies and evidenced by its
ever-changing dogma.
Tale
INTRODUCTION In Margaret Atwood’s 1983 novel The Handmaid's Tale, the use of
rituals like Salvagings, Birth Days and the infamous Ceremony helps
to enforce compliance amongst Gileadean citizens in order to retain
the stringent male hegemony. Throughout the novel, rituals are used
to control Gileadean citizens, turn them against each other, retaining
control and to give the regime a basis in both the Bible and the
minds of its people.
PARA 1: Control Rituals help to control Gilead’s people by regimenting their daily
routine and demonstrating the consequences of straying from the
norm. The use of bells throughout impedes on especially Offred’s
sensory thinking, keeping them in a school-like/ convent-like life
where everything is regimented and they are both infantilised and
lacking control and shunned into silence. The humiliation of all
participants in the Ceremony “codifies procreation” (Cavalcanti) and
stigmatises it so it cannot take place outside of Gilead's “pattern of
life” (Malak). The unification of the handmaids during Birth day gives
them a channeled focus as they all labour together (”We grip each
other's hands, no longer single”), the loss of individual self prohibits
rebellion.
PARA 2: Betrayal Gilead’s rituals are imbued with internal hierarchies, often in physical
manifestations. For instance, the wife is always holding or above the
Handmaids (also in the hierarchal sense), the Handmaids are made
to sit at the salvagings whereas the wives and daughters stand
about. This leads to conflict between the citizens, especially jealousy
between wives and handmaids and between handmaids, creating
gynocentric misogyny. “The work women do conspires to maintain
the subjection of their own kind” Goldblatt. Outlets at the Salvagings
and the birthdays create dionysian events of base desire (fueled by
alcoholic grape juice, Dionysius god of wine). (”we are permitted
anything and this is freedom”- Salvaging)/(”we too need our orgies”)
—> “religion is the opiate of the masses” Marx
PARA 3: Basis The Rituals also create a biblical and mental basis for themselves to
exist, in this way they are self-fulfilling. Some rituals have direct roots
in the Bible, like Deuteronomy during the Salvaging but some of
Gilead’s mechanisms are excused by made up or altered bases like
“To each according to his need, from each according to her ability”
Originally a comment by Marx, twisted into something by St Paul by
Aunt Lydia, so that contrasting ideas are twisted into a stronger
ideology (”Its Genius was synthesis”- Piexoto).
CONCLUSION: All in all, rituals solidify Gilead’s self-sustaining synthesis, enabling
the promotion of internal hierarchies and evidenced by its
ever-changing dogma.
