The symbolism of Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale is strong: the role of women is reduced to their reproductive functions, and the author emphasizes that it is not a dystopia since some things characteristic of Gilead are already happening in American society. This paper analyses the changes that happened to the main character of The Handmaid’s Tale named Offred, who has retained the ability to give birth and is kept in Gilead as a surrogate mother (Atwood 15). In this new totalitarian society, the woman goes through all stages, from misunderstanding, rejection, and resistance to some kind of adaptation. However, she continues to fight the regime and becomes stronger as a result of her terrible experiences in Gilead.
Describing the life of the main character, the author wants to convey that women in a totalitarian society are deprived of agency, but even there, they do not give up. Offred describes her state in the following way: “A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze” (Atwood 37). In these new conditions, the woman is unable to act independently. First, she shows her endless attempts not to fit into this society. However, exhausted from those efforts, Offred partly adapts to her gender role. From open resistance, she goes on to a certain kind of adaptation (Atwood 137). This does not mean that she gives up and agrees to be a Handmaid. She understands that she has to make concessions to stay alive. Thus, life in Gilead makes Offred stronger and more resilient. She wants to adapt in order to survive and help her daughter.
Although Offred is deprived of the ability to control her sexuality, she understands that it is necessary to adjust to certain conditions to remain alive. As she says, “Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it” (Atwood 95). The woman realizes that she has to start a sexual relationship with Nick to increase her chance of getting pregnant. Only in this case can she get some information about her daughter Hannah. At the same time, the words “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” (Atwood 89) show that she does not want to live like a slave. She understands that the women of Gilead must fight the attempts to oppress them over and over again. Margaret Atwood warns that ancient patriarchy is capable of adapting and resurrecting. Therefore, through her character, the author reminds women that they should become stronger, vigilant, and cautious. They should remember that sometimes adjustment does not mean giving up but becoming more resistant, like Offred. This woman carries out a fundamentally different, internal, and deeply personal resistance to the regime.
While other women in Gilead are in the position of passive observers and victims, Offred’s best friend Moira manifests herself as a rebellion at the beginning. She is impudent and rebellious, which can be seen in her dialogue with Offred: “Get right back here! You can’t stay” (Atwood 75). Offred only sympathizes with her friend in her quest to escape, but Moira is determined to flee. She has managed to escape from the Red Center, which has made her a living legend. Describing Moira, Margaret Atwood wants to convey that a woman will resist as long as she understands that there is something worth fighting for. However, later it turns out that Moira is caught, sent to the Jezebel’s, and her rebellious spirit is broken. At this point, she frightens Offred by assuring her that it is impossible to escape from there: “[…] what I hear in her voice is indifference, a lack of volition” (Atwood 180). Unfortunately, all the characters seeking active rebellion, escape, or resistance are defeated. The author makes Moira complacent to show that even the most active and strong women can be destroyed by the violence of the totalitarian regime. That is the real tragedy since being silent means giving up.
Work Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.