Margaret Atwood is the adult female behind the fresh ‘The Handmaid ‘s Tale ‘ . A Canadian, she foremost brought this book into the spotlight in 1986. She uses inventive female characters to expose jobs that adult females underwent when the United States is held at ransom upon the riddance of the so authorization by theocratic soldiers ( Mary 13 ) . The book revolves around one Offred who is the chief character with the writer utilizing such footings as ‘handmaid ‘ , ‘angel ‘ among others in a symbolic manner to pass on her thematic concerns in political and societal facet. The chief character is made to utilize a literary device of flashback in narrating her experiences. Her ordeals are made from the past although the information is being reported in the present ( Mary 15 ) . This article attempts to demo how the writer uses the historical events to admonish on the possible effects of modern-day tendencies. It links the literary event to the historical event and discusses why the events seem hideous or incredible in the context of the book and so why the foundation of these events is facts. It will besides try to link what happened with the current issues.
The writer begins by demoing how adult females are put on clasp and they are non allowed to interact. They are to a great extent guarded by soldiers and they are allowed to speak but merely in low tones. Offred is speedy to observe that easy by easy the society is traveling back to the old traditions ( Margaret 23 ) . They are encompassing the theocratic system where the authorization is integrated with the faith in inquiry. Peoples are subjected to merely one denomination and the Gilead society borrows a batch from the scriptural context. This close relation of the society to faith is merely meant to admonish on what is to go on subsequently in the book ( Margaret 25 ) . Like Offred observes, adult females are put in subjugation and this is one of the major thematic concerns ; political subjugation of females. This is done in the name of God. Womans are non entitled to any right and the lone manner out is for them to utilize sexual attractive force to maintain them traveling. This acts as a warning of yet more bad things to come as adult females are out to read and compose. Indeed they are traveling back to old ways ( Margret 27 ) .
In this book, the writer seems to warn on some of the archaic Torahs which hit the society so severely. For case, the guards are non allowed to hold sex or even admire adult females. They have to seek an blessing of the province to acquire themselves married womans ( Margaret 35 ) . The immature security forces are deprived of their rights and the authorization forbids any association with something likely to propose. The writer says that they hope against hope to turn into angels and likely that ‘s the lone manner they can procure fiancees. This serves as a warning of what happens subsequently. Some security work forces and a clergy are killed due to involvement in buggery. This proves what the terminal consequence is when people are forced to populate like animate beings ( Margaret 38 ) .
When the authorization takes away her babe, Offred is haunted by the memories of this sad event everyday and throughout the book. This is used by the writer to cautiousness on the unfairnesss that were being meted on adult females. The event had non taken topographic point many old ages back yet any clip it comes to her head it left her with tormenting hurting in her bosom. She says that those in power injected her to encephalon wash her ( Melanie 101 ) . This haunts her so much that she keeps trusting it was non existent. Her life is merely intolerable. One Serena was ever against the rights of fellow adult females but she ne’er saw the cautiousness of making all that. Her life is a entire incubus later when she realizes that this besides affects her severely as the hubby does non hold clip for her. If merely she could hold heeded to the cautiousness things would hold been different ( Melanie 103 ) .
In the novel, it seems unusual that commanding officers are supposed to kip with their servants so as to bear kids for them. At one clip, Offred went to see the physician to be tested whether she was pregnant. After the trials are carried o her, she is said non be pregnant. The physician pleads to take her to bed but she declines the offer ( Margaret 113 ) . The old work forces are said to be unfertile but the Gilead system does non acknowledge work forces as such. This is hideous and incredible. This clearly satirizes the beliefs of the society. The writer cautiousnesss on these want of sexual passion when the physician expresses his desire to take a adult female to bed. The Torahs forces people to make the forbidden knowing really good the effects ( Margaret 116 ) . This is a warning to the authorization that archaic Torahs and beliefs can take to people making things underground. The fact here is, though Gilead does non believe work forces can be sterile, this is nature and can non be denied. This farther cautiousnesss that when person is subjected to a batch of subjugation one becomes about used and sees no demand to alter his or her life. This is apparent when Offred chooses non to be helped by the physician to run off ( Margret 118 ) .
The unfairnesss meted on the adult females in the modern-day society come with a heavy monetary value to pay. It in most instances lead to loneliness and one lives like a malignant animal in entire isolation. Bing a courtesan of the commanding officer, Offred is non allowed to run into with her companions and people near to her ( Malcom 55 ) . She is controlled like a marionette on a twine and his consequences to her remembering all that has happened to her antecedently in the yesteryear. This sort of anguish leads to a adult female snaping her girl as she was in desperate demand of holding a kid she can name her ain. This is used by the writer to warn on the impacts of striping people their connubial rights.
In a society where people are non allowed to hold sex, the writer warns, the likeliness of the worst occurrence is really high. In this society, the commanding officer seems to bask all adult females and he sleeps with them merely to do them pregnant. The adult females do n’t look to bask a individual spot of it ( Coral 76 ) . As a consequence, many adult females fall victims of colza by work forces who are sexually starved. One Janine confesses that she fell a victim of this when she was merely 14 old ages of age. The terminal consequence is that adult females no longer value their organic structures as a tool of giving them pleasance. It is merely meant for giving birth and nil else. It is hideous how Gilead adult females are turned against fellow adult females. It is expected that when Janice opens up, it will move as a relive of the beastly act which was meted her. This is far from go oning as the incrimination is shifted on her and she is told that it was a penalty from God ( Coral 78 ) .
The modern-day tendency of suppressing adult females in Gilead society seems to hold a really large impact on them. Offred at any given clip keeps retrieving her girl, her biological female parent, her hubby and a long clip friend. Although the images of her silent keep looking rather frequently in her head it clearly indicates that she is desperate demand of a household ( Malcom 78 ) . The recalling of her kid is symbolic if person who would wish to hold a kid. The images of her hubby Luke is a clearly indicant that she misses love affair. Finally, the memory of her long clip friend shows person who would wish to hold a friend she can swear and portion her secrets with. This is used by the writer to demo that, in a society where adult females are non allowed to be themselves it wholly changes their lives to something bad ( Malcom 88 ) .
The overthrowing of the authorities comes with the effects. The province is taken over by Gilead and one is required to hold an individuality card to walk around. Printed money was no longer being used and one had to posses a computing machine card to entree the bank history. On the taking over of the authorities all the money that belonged to adult females is taken by their hubbies ( Coral 67 ) . The coming of new jurisprudence cautioned that adult females were non allowed to work and this meant they had to be sacked. On the same note no adult female was required to have any plus of any sort. The pandemoniums are used by the writer to warn on the dangers of holding unrest and the effects they manus on the lives of adult females ( Coral 78 ) . This and so many other incidences indicate hideous behaviour by the political events and cautiousnesss on the society on some of the beliefs we strongly hold onto.
To reason, I must acknowledge that some these instances are really rampant in the modern-day society. Sodomy and instances of sapphism have been witnessed in this book. These are still at that place in many prisons and out at that place. Womans in our society, merely like in Gilead fraternity are still being despised although to some extent this is non rampant as such. Cases of colza are the most unfortunate incidences that we have to set up with in today ‘s society. Many adult females, particularly the aged and adolescents are the most targeted. These are merely a few issues that affect the society today that the writer have highlighted.
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