Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” is about Gilead in a dystopia where women, under the guise of religion, were treated as sub-humans. The women had no self-identity and played handmaids, Econowives, wives, and Martha’s roles. The women survived in a highly patriarchal society that saw them stripped of their individuality, including their original names. The women were considered walking wombs and were only seen as necessary when pregnant. For instance, the lead character, Offred, is deprived of her real name and is identified with her the commander’s name “Fred,” preceded by “of,” which shows possession. In short, she was Fred’s property rather than a woman. The women in Atwood’s dystopia functioned as mere servants and property to the men who took pride in impregnating them.
The imagery of red color is used to symbolize women’s fertility. The handmaids wore everything red to suggest the menstrual cycle and childbirth. The handmaids, although gave birth, they were not married but were supposed to have sex with their commanders to bear them children. The sex was one of a kind, as the handmaids had sex with the commanders in the presence of their wives. For the commanders, sex was not considered adultery, as the wife’s company suggested they were okay with it as long as the women bore children. Offred realizes her position in society. She knows she has a name, but which did not matter. She thirsts for freedom as her life feels like that of a prisoner. She narrates how the aunts always manned them, and the handmaids could not even touch or talk to each other. Offred says, “we learned to whisper, even without sound…we stretched our arms when the aunts weren’t looking and touched each other’s hand across space.” (Goggin 157) The women were simply prisoners. They were not allowed to interact freely or stroll around without supervision. Their red outfits only worked to show their importance as fertility and not valuable human beings with rights and freedoms. Gilean shamelessly had a law that protected men from infertility issues, and the women had to carry the blame solely.
“The Handmaids tale” is also a feminist work. The tale shows how women advocated for feminism in a political environment. Although most women were oppressed and used as sexual objects, they were aware of their situation and had hope of liberation someday. About her name, Offred says, “I think of this name as buried…treasure I’ll come back to dig up” (Goggin 157). The women are oppressed both sexually and emotionally. They were powerless even over their bodies. They had no chance to make choices or to enjoy romance in their sexual encounters. They were barely supposed to exist and become men’s sex toys and walking wombs (Surmund 3). However, Atwood also shows that women encouraged oppression. It was their fellow women that allowed the handmaids to suffer sexual violence. The aunts and the Marthas manned the handmaids and ensured they did whatever pleased the men.
In the tale, womanhood is equated to childbearing and obedience to men. Women are made to turn against their fellow women. Offred is an excellent example of that. Although she hates the fact that women are oppressed, she makes the men more successful when she turns against Janine. Offred enjoyed taunting her, knowing that she was a victim of gang rape. Offred succumbs to mass hysteria and is actively involved in a public execution (Atwood 3). Offred knows that she has offended womanhood and hides her face when a Japanese tour group intends to take a picture of her. She affirmatively replies to their question when she says, “Are you happy” (Atwood 3). Aunt Lydia is another woman that helped oppress fellow women. She did not care what the women underwent under her as long as she pleased the men. She was iron-spined and did not give the women any chance for individuality. Aunt Lydia was only concerned with knowing that the handmaids were secure and that they sexually satisfied the oppressive men of Gilead. Serena Joy is another woman with no compassion. To her, womanhood was equal to pain (Surmund 1). She hoped for a day when womanhood would return to its tradition, but her heart has grown too cold to care about women’s happiness.
In conclusion, “The Handmaid’s tale” presents a theocracy government that thrives in oppressing women whose only importance is giving birth. Women had no rights and lived brutal lives with no hope for a better tomorrow. Imagery largely shows how women were viewed and why they existed in Gilead. The red color was used mainly on the handmaids as that was the only color they were allowed to wear to symbolize fertility, menstruation, and childbirth. The tale shows how subhuman women were believed to be. They were not considered as important as the men and were only tolerated because they would bear children who gave Gilead power.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. McClelland & Stewart, 1985.
Goggin, Joyce. “You Are Here: The Handmaid’s Tale as Graphic Novel.” Adapting Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale and Beyond (2021): 157-175.
Surmund, Maike. The Roles of Women in “the Handmaid’s Tale.” A Comparison between the Relevance of the Novel Then and the Series Now. GRIN Verlag, 27 Feb. 2019.
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