Feminist Issues in The Handmaids Tale Essay - 1316 Words

Feminist Issues in The Handmaids Tale The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood, can be classified as a distopic novel. The Republic of Gilead in The Handmaids Tale is characteristic of a distopia in that it is not intended as a prediction of the future of our society, but rather as a commentary on current social trends. Atwood has created this nation by isolating what she might consider the disturbing aspects of two diametrically opposed factions of our society (namely the religious right and radical feminism) as a theory as to what would happen if these ideals were taken to an extreme. Because she points out similarities in the thoughts and actions of the extreme religious right and certain parts of the feminist movement,†¦show more content†¦This can be seen as an attempt to point out the neo-Victorian aspects of most anti-pornography ideologies. In past times, especially the Victorian era, the idea of protecting women from the varies dangers of society and exploitation has been used as an excuse to keep women f rom working outside of the home, voting, or participating in many other social and political activities. Even today many Islamic women will state that their veils and extremely modest dress are a form of protection from sexual exploitation. Atwood could be trying to show us that although pornography is degrading to women, this is an issue that is far outweighed by the greater issue of freedom of speech or expression, which goes against the many opinions from both the religious right and some extreme feminists. Another issue in which feminist and religious movements can be seen to converge in this novel is in the process of childbirth. To understand why this is significant a short history of childbirth is necessary. In early times all births were natural due to the fact that there were not any alternatives. Even after anesthetics had been regularly used for many medical procedures, however, childbirth was still not considered a situation that required pain relief techniques. This was partially due to the fact that until recently most births were attended by midwives or other women rather than by physicians and were not consideredShow MoreRelatedThe Characters of Women in The Handmaids Tale and The Bell Jar1504 Words   |  7 Pages Women in The Handmaids Tale and The Bell Jar nbsp; Sylvia Plaths renowned autobiographical legend The Bell Jar and Margaret Atwoods fictional masterpiece The handmaids tale are the two emotional feminist stories, which basically involve the womens struggle. Narrated with a touching tone and filled with an intense feminist voice, both novels explore the conflict of their respective protagonists in a male dominated society. In spite of several extraordinary similarities in termsRead MoreFeminism in Top Girls and The Handmaids Tale Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesBoth Top Girls and The Handmaid’s Tale relate to contemporary political issues and feminism. Top Girls was written by Caryl Churchill, a political feminist playwright, as a response to Thatcher’s election as a first female British Prime Minister. Churchill was a British social feminist in opposition to Thatcherism. Top Girls was regarded as a unique play about the challenges working women face in the contemporary business world and society at large. Churchill once wrote: ‘Playwrights don’t give answersRead MoreSummary Of Feminism In The Handmaids Tale724 Words   |  3 Pagesreligious conservative politics. Writer, Fiona Tolan analyzes Atwood’s work more in depth in â€Å"Feminist Utopias and Questions of Liberty: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as Critique of â€Å"second wave feminism†. 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While Atwood’s novel depicts a fictionalRead MoreThe Significance Of Feminism In The Handmaids Tale991 Words   |  4 PagesI agree to a large extent that a writer’s task is to make insignificant things significant. It allows authors to shed light on important, but maybe overlooked, issues plaguing society and make the reader appreciate what we originally took for granted. This is evident through Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, a work of speculative fiction that depicts a dystopian future world called Gilead. In this novel, Atwood does a great job of highlighting the significance of feminism or specificallyRead MoreFrida Kahlo Feminist Theory Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesThe feminist theory has been most commonly found throughout literature, as writers express their deepest concerns and criticisms. However, the feminist theory can be found in other mediums: art, journalism, and music. 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