The Handmaids Tale

• "The only thing that matters is the ceremony" - Serena Joy
• "I am not your wife, nor will I ever be" - Offred
• Key Themes

  • Love
  • Rebellion
  • Fertility
  • Gender roles
  • Religion and Theocracy
  • Storytelling and Memory
• Serena Joy


  Infertile but has a high standing in Gilead. Serena is jealous of Offred and her fertility. Serena advocated and encouraged women to stay at home and be a housewife now in Gilead she is forced to stay at home.
• Symbolic value of the names


  Commander's wives keep their names, they do not lose their identity as individuals.
• Aunts


  Train, prepare and indoctrinate the handmaids for their role. They uphold laws and values of Gilead and justify the laws of Gilead by using the bible, although it is unclear whether the aunts actually believe in Gilead. Some of the teachings on the bible are incorrect and Offred makes us aware she has no way of checking due to her restriction on reading and writing
• Marthas


  Perform domestic labour, practically servants, infertile women
• Econwives


  Convey domestic and symbolic value
• Unwomen


  Do tasks such as burn dead bodies or clean toxic waste, excluded from society
• Wives


  Only way they can care for children, their identity is tied to their husband
• Handmaids


  Fertile women, forced to bear children for the Commanders, their identity is stripped
• The banality of evil: some people participate in evil because they are following orders or for survival, whereas acts of rebellion in the novel against the Gilead regime show goodness as well as the faults/flaws in the regime, as it relies heavily on people being compliant with regulations
• Modern protests are acts of rebellion
• Rebellion


  Atwood uses rebellious acts performed by characters to question what is good and evil, as in the novel no one is purely evil. Atwood uses rebellion as a tool to oppose a dystopian and oppressive regime to highlight the desire for freedom. Highlights flaws in human nature, the desire for power
• Fertility


  Atwood uses the desperation and desire for fertility to question the view of women having to be fertile to be considered a 'woman' and how infertility can affect how society views women and their status. Atwood criticises the exploitation of female bodies
• Gender roles


  Atwood explores the oppression and exploitation of female bodies. Atwood questions the restrictiveness of binary gender roles, through the passiveness of Offred's character. The novel serves as a cautionary tale, urging readers to reflect on the importance of individual freedoms
• Religion and theocracy


  Atwood uses the dystopian setting of Gilead, which is founded on religion, using religion as justification to revert back to traditional views. Atwood criticises the use of religion as a means to justify oppression
• Love


  Atwood uses the absence of love to explore love as part of human nature. Atwood uses the character's desire for love and human companionship to explore rebellion and show the actions undertaken to reach love. Atwood explores the difference between sexual desire and love, and when both are repressed, it is love that is searched for the most
• Storytelling and memory


  Atwood uses memory as a form of Offred's identity to explore the impact past actions have on the present. Atwood explores storytelling and memory as a form of power to show the importance of learning from the past. Atwood criticises academic history in its ability to be biased, to remove voice and to remove elements of truth in order to question the reliability of storytelling, particularly one from a personal perspective
• "I wish it were more civilised" (pg.275): '"I'm sorry there is so much pain in this story" (pg.275)'
• The past allows Offred to maintain her identity pre-Gilead
• The Night chapters often give her time to explore memory
• How Atwood uses memory

  As a form of Offred's identity to explore the impact past actions have on the present
• Atwood uses 'The Historical Notes' to criticise historians in their inability to learn as there is clearly systemic male dominance
• Atwood explores storytelling and memory

  As a form of power to show the importance of learning from the past
• "I would like to believe this is a story I'm telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a greater chance.": '(225)'
• Offred's memories serve as her escape from the dystopian society in which she is living
• Some of Offred's memories, such as those of feminist protests, express her concern with the exploitation of the female body
• Offred speaks for many women, and her story represents the stories of those who weren't
• Historical Context: Puritan New England


  In the 17th century, English Puritans were forced to flee Europe due to their strict Christian beliefs to set up anew in America, the 'New World'. Although they aspired to a utopian society, the system that evolved was an oppressive, patriarchal theocracy (their society was based on strict religious values).
• Witch trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, where 25 women were hanged on the belief that they were witches, showing the little power women had in this society
• Puritan women


  Were given names like "silence, fear, patience etc to remind them of their 'feminine destiny'
• Puritan women were not allowed to use combs or mirrors and could only wear plain, functional clothing
• In the Handmaid's Tale, women wear clothing that covers themselves entirely, as to hide or not show themselves to others; are given different names; and do not have products such as hand cream so they cannot look after themselves


  Shows they are only used for reproduction, not allowed to change their look or with make up
• Atwood makes references to the Old Testament in relation to how women are portrayed, and then links this to the book
• Genesis 3:16, Genesis 16:2, 1 Timothy 2:12

  • These passages show women being portrayed as inferior to men
• Link to The Handmaid's Tale: women are portrayed as inferior to men, the handmaids in particular serve the sole purpose of carrying children for the commander and the commander's wife
• At the time of 'The Handmaid's Tale' being written, devout Christian, Ronald Reagan was the Republican president of the USA
• Reagan did little to support the arts, did nothing to advance gay rights and focused more on the economy than listening to environmental campaigners
• His religious beliefs meant popularity grew for Christian groups in the 1980s, who expressed concern about the right to have an abortion, the rise of divorce, and the Gay Rights movement