Introduction
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel illustrating a dystopian system in which fertile women become the maids of couples who cannot conceive. The United States (Gilead) has become a military, patriarchal, autocratic country where all males and females serve a purpose. Males, depending on their status, can form families or work for someone of a higher status. Females are also divided into several categories, including wives and handmaids. Handmaids are to assist the wives, bear children from the head of the houses, and give them away for the families to raise. The prominent theme that is one of the key concepts within the novel is the role each gender has in the dystopian world. Specifically, the gender roles present in the book as similar to the ones that exist now but emphasized and hyperbolized.
The Role of a Man
While a lot of attention is given to the role of the woman, men are to follow specific gender-based policies as well. It is important to mention that males are given military ranks, such as Commander. Thus, society reinforms the stereotype of males being in power. However, while men are more important than women in Gilead, there is still a hierarchy that either gives privileges or takes them away. For example, Nick, the Commander’s chauffeur, does not have a high enough position to be able to have a family of his own (Atwood 14). If someone’s status is low, that person cannot be issued a woman. Thus, the main goal, which is fatherhood, cannot be achieved. There is not a single male in Gilead who would say no to having kids since this is everyone’s primary purpose and objective (Atwood 227). Based on the circumstances described in the book, men are also oppressed by the existing system and have to follow a set of rules that are not necessarily beneficial for them.
The Role of a Woman
Women have one primary purpose in the Gilead system, which is bearing healthy children. All females have a much lower status than men, even the wives of the commanders. In fact, all the gender roles that are often attributed to women are emphasized and illustrated in the novel. As mentioned prior, women are to have children because otherwise, the unfertile ones are sent to the Colonies. Moreover, only men are allowed to work, read, engage in intellectual discussions, leave the area, and do many other activities females are not allowed to do. However, pregnancy grants privileges that emphasize the only important thing a woman can do in Gilead. Thus, being pregnant means fewer chores and shopping, which is met with excitement by all the handmaids(Atwood 23). However, the children are then given to the wives since they have a higher status and the fathers are their husbands.
Illusionary Difference
A common illusion is that the wives are not oppressed into following strict gender roles, unlike the handmaids. In reality, every female in Gilead does not have the right to an opinion or a voice. An example is Serena Joy, the wife of the Commander. Serena, while having more privileges than June, cannot enjoy her freedom. In regards to privileges, it is certain that Serena’s life is different compared to the lives of the handmaids. For example, wives were never spotted on sidewalks since they would only travel by car (Atwood 21). However, these illusionary privileges were not substantial enough to refer to certain women as free or allowed to have individuality. Specifically, June refers to Serena as someone who became speechless (Atwood 38). Serena was among the protestors who were willing to create a patriarchal society from the very beginning (Atwood 38). Her speeches were supportive of such an autocratic dystopia. It is safe to say Serena thought traditional gender roles were healthy, yet she ended up unhappy with the choice to give up her freedom.
Fertility
Since fertility is a primary role attributed to women, the fictional country Gilead is based on this particular concept. As mentioned prior, the fact that fewer women were able to bear children was the impulse that contributed to the creation of such an autocratic society. Thus, the whole system revolves around the concept of fertility. However, it becomes something distorted, as in the case of housemaids, they are kept solely for their biological role. Once this role is fulfilled, the biological mother loses her rights and has to give the child away to the family. Such a traumatic experience causes the victims to suffer from physical and emotional distress (Atwood 108). Again, the author portrays a somewhat animalistic hierarchy where women’s fertility is essential, yet only the ones with higher status have the priority to raise the kids. Furthermore, once the female fulfils the ultimate goal, she is to continue to offer her biological functions to men who want to experience fatherhood. The harsh and accentuated similarities between women and simple mechanisms with one purpose and no intrinsic desires and traits directly dehumanize females as individuals.
Outcasts
Another evidence for the theme of explicit gender roles being portrayed all throughout the novel is how society deals with those who rebel against the system. Specifically, this applies to women who chose to express their dissatisfaction, pain and suffering openly. However, open verbal and physical expression are not the only reasons why women can become outcasts in Gilead. This reflects back on the topic of fertility as the primary purpose a woman can fulfil. An example is how the older females are sent to the Colonies because of their inability to bear children (Atwood 197). Both women and men could be punished, sometimes for similar reasons. Women could be killed and hanged on the wall for mistreating the families where they work, disobeying, or planning an escape. Men who were hanged on the wall were first dressed in grey dresses (Atwood 228). This is another portrayal of women as weak and men as humiliated when associated with the other sex. Moreover, such males were disregarded as “gender traitors” (Atwood 228). Thus, the phrase “gender traitor” is one more symbol that suggests the overall topic of gender inequality and discrimination.
Based on the punishments, it is certain that women are being abused in case they have shown disobedience, inability to bear children, a personal opinion that contrasts with the general one, and a desire to change something. Such specific points contrast with the typical female-attributed traits such as obedience, fertility, a lack of ambition, and overall submissiveness. Thus, the opposite of such stereotypical female characteristics is suppressed and punished in the patriarchal society.
Conclusion
The common theme of gender roles is highlighted all throughout the book. The author has created a dystopian world where existing stereotypes are exaggerated and included in a patriarchal structure. Thus, women are either wives or child-bearing maids, and men hold military ranks and have every right to treat females as desired. Both men and women are to follow specific rules and act based on their status. However, the lack of freedom, the inability to openly express emotions, and the oppressiveness of Gilead illustrate the problematic society in which gender roles replace individuality and personality.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. McClelland and Stewart, 1985.