Introduction
The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel where Margaret Atwood pictures a scenario of one way in which the world could develop. The story is set in a fantasy version of a near-future New England, in a regime resembling totalitarian theocracy. In this world, women have no rights or choice, they can only be divided into specific categories according to a function they can perform. In her book, Margaret Atwood mainly studies such topics as subjugated women in a patriarchal society and individuality suppressed by society. The author argues against the current stereotypical perception of feminism and draws readers’ attention to complicated political issues.
Feminism
It is impossible to deny that a book that describes women fighting for their rights or resisting in any way something powerful and threatening is dealing with feminism. However, this notion is multi-angled and, therefore, not every definition of it will apply to the book. According to Atwood, “if you mean a novel in which women are human beings — with all the variety of character and behavior that implies …, then yes, it is a “feminist” novel.” The story is not solely about displeased women, divinized or victimized, fighting against something they do not like or accept, it is much more profound. Firstly, the actions revealed in the book look as if they could happen in the real tomorrow’s world. Secondly, the author depicts various women absorbing and perceiving the situation diversely with different reactions. In other words, the novel contains feminism that allows women to be human beings with moral choices, emotions, ideas, and events that are interesting and crucial in terms of the developing plot.
Individuality, Society, and Control
One more central theme of the book is tyranny, suppressing individuality to gain absolute power and control. Interestingly enough, according to Scott, the passivity of the majority in the frames of cultural upheaval is what allows those in authority to obtain the power successfully (187). Then, the government creates an image of choice people have, although, in fact, this choice is already decided and made.
The most vivid example of such a situation is a woman called Ofglen. She actively and daringly fights against the regime by participating in the Mayday resistance. When Ofglen is arrested, the charges pressed against her imply that Ofglen chose everything, that she has done, by herself. In other words, she decided to violate the rules, and, as a result, she is accused of it and punished. However, the whole political and social situation with women and their new way of living cannot be considered humane or acceptable. What is more, people must protest and fight against it.
Conclusion
To sum everything up, in The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood analyses the current social situation and describes an utterly possible way of reality developing. Using the concise style and making sharp, even poignant statements, the author warns nowadays people about the consequences of their choices and actions. Besides, by developing credible characters and events, Atwood allows readers to gain deep insights into modern society and its crucial issues. For instance, the author promotes her understanding of feminism, which is different from the most common one, highlighting the idea that women solely want to be treated as human beings. Consequently, by absorbing the book, people can pay attention to essential things they may typically not notice and, therefore, prevent the events described in the book from becoming real.
As for me, the effect of the novel reflected in analyzing and rethinking the current social situation with feminism and other political and social issues connected with inequality and its consequences. By gaining insights from the story, I reconstructed my position towards some social events and people taking part in them. For instance, I now understand a bit better woman supporting radical feminism as a way to protect themselves due to some terrifying events that happened to them in their past.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. “Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’Means in the Age of Trump.” The New York Times. 2017. Web.
Scott, Abigail. “We Meant It, Which Is the Bad Part: Tyranny and Consent in The Handmaid’s Tale.” SIGMA TAU DELTA, vol. 94, 2019, pp.182-187.