Handmaids Tale :: essays papers

Handmaids Tale In what ways can The Handmaid&rsquos Tale be considered a feminist novel? The Handmaid&rsquos Tale is narrated by an oppressed woman, so it is to be expected that feminism becomes a recurring theme. Women have no rights or money unless they have a valid marriage to a man. They are given few options&ndash if they are fertile they can become sex slaves&ndash&lsquo womb on legs&rsquo to Commanders or choose to go to the colonies. Infertile women or&lsquo unwomen&rsquo are seen as having no use so they automatically go to the colonies where they will die from disease or radiation. Their use and status is totally dependent on their relationships with men and ability to have children. Women are used by men and treated as far inferior, in Gilead women are the men&rsquos property. The handmaids especially&ndash&lsquo We are a commodity&rsquo, their names in the household reflect this&ndash Offred&ndash Of Fred. They can be disposed of at will, even the Commander&rsquos Wives have little real importance and are given menial tasks such as ordering prayers at Soul Scrolls and knitting the Guardians scarves&ndash&lsquo Maybe it&rsquos just something to keep the Wives busy, to give them a sense of purpose&rsquo. But this concept of women being extensions and property of men is one used in our own society. Though mostly out dated now,&lsquo Mrs Peter Watson&rsquo is similar to&lsquo Ofglen&rsquo. But practically all terms for women are the extension of the term for men&ndash Mr/s, fe/male, wo/man. This leads to the idea that Atwood is really just exaggerating the current situation of the world. The second quote at the beginning of the book from Swift&rsquos&lsquo A Modest Proposal&rsquo indicates that The Handmaid&rsquos Tale is Atwood&rsquos own satirical view of present times. In an interview Atwood says&lsquo theres nothing in the text that hasn&rsquot already happened&rsquo. The third quote&ndash&lsquo There is no sign in the desert that says&lsquo Thou shalt not eat stones&rsquo&rsquo indicates that she believes Gilead could never come into existence because of the common sense of people, no one could really believe in its philosophy and beliefs, the society&rsquos flaws are too apparent. Another interpretation of the novel is that it is a reaction against any idea that the woman&rsquos place is in the home, that her sole use is one of reproduction. It demonstrates where these views could lead if encouraged or entertained. It gives the idea that men would act that way if given the power, that they would like to be in control and superior. That although men outwardly accept and respect women, inwardly they do not see them as equals&lsquo I sense in him (the Commander) none of the