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the handmaid's tale themes - Coggle Diagram
the handmaid's tale themes
identity
key way in maintaining control
loss of identity represents loss of power on a fundamental level - without identity there is no basis for individuality and becomes easier to dehumaise someone
particularly used against women who lose their jobs, money and bank accounts which go to their husbands and they lose the right to their reproduction
"nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating bathtub you'd be boiled to death before you knew it "
by the end they are only able to identify as the state issued role assigned to them
names belong to someone else
gilead able to reduce women to one aspect of the feminine ideal identity and thus not acknowledge them as complete real individuals
"I feel as if there not much left of me; they will slip through my arms as if im made of smoke, as if im a mirage...dont think that way Moira would say" - smoke, mirage convey offreds powerlessness and shows she no longer has a sense of identity outside of being a handmaid
despite mourning her identity she still hears Moira who encourages her to hold onto aspects of her identity giving her some sense of power
rebellion
the commander
rebels against gilead when it suits him but wont rebel in any way which could hunt his power
"he is demonstrating to me his mastery of this world. he's breaking the rules, under their noses" - hubris makes him rebel (excessive pride), breaks the rules to demonstrate is power and wants people to understand that
ofglen
directly rebels against Gilead and is a member of the resistance Mayday
"you can join us" chapt 27 - sense of security and hope for offered like Moira
"now that of glen is gone, I am alert again, my sluggishness has fallen away" - as she knows there is a resistance group offred is relaxing and the pressure to rebel herself is gone - she has a comfort knowing there's someone else who is resisting for her
offred
after rebels are gone offered feels unsafe again as those who have directly rebelled have been killed and recognises the impact that Gileads consistent and violent oppression can have
relatively complicit in her own oppression
"I didn't go to any marches. Luke said it would be futile and I had to think about them, my family, him and her." - Luke echoes gileads patriarchal ideas implying family is more important than the individual
doesnt immediately try to help her situation, and makes a choice to prioritise her own safety and not to rebel
"thinking can hurt your chances and I intend to last" - determined to survive and plans to choose her survival above anything else
"nolite te bastardes carborundorum" - dont let the bastards grind you down
"fat lot of good it did her. why fight?" - connects her to the previous handmaid but eventually finds it futile
when questions the futility of rebellion it shows she is justifying her passivity - why would I rebel if im going to die
reproduction
dehumanised to the point that theyre only valued for their wombs "two legged womb"
"the colour of blood, which defines us" defined by fertility and are not viewed as people
"for our purpose your hands and feet are not essential"
the ceremony
has ritualistic language that conveys a repeated ritual and contradicts nature of sex and the typical idea of procreation
"there goes the ceremony as usual"
gilead perversely subverts the female body to a point where it merely a vessel of procreation
oppression, power and control
power is held by men even though handmaids are the most valuable - highlights patriarchal corruption as power is rewarded for value
handmaids commit suicide to regain power over themselves
the commander as well as most men have huge power compared to their women counterpart
"the commander could give me away so easily by a look, by a gesture" - shows offred as vulnerable and powerless as she cannot tell him no and she is under the constant threat of their power dynamic
people In power will control information in order to hold onto their positions - after of glen finds out about the commander and offred she says "but find out and tell us...anything you can" info is powerful and by gaining info it can be seen as resistance and withholding it gives them control
"I am above him, looking down; he is shrinking" at the end there has been a shift in the power dynamic of offered and the commander and the physical positions convey this - offred has the power now to dob the commander in for his rule breaking giving her power
"it may not seem ordinary but soon it will"- power gilead has in manipulating citizens into subversion and forgetting life before
power control they have is converting peoples beliefs and conforming them to society they have chosen to create
story telling
throughout were reminded that it is a story and the narrator is altering the details
"if its a story im telling, then I have control of the ending" - creation of a narrative gives her hope for a future and that there will be an ending
as her life is fully controlled by gilead having her thoughts and storytelling gives her power
language
language is used to control citizens
women and gender roles
religious patriarchy of gilead bases roles for women and men around biblical perceptions of gender
roles of women are reminiscent of the gender roles of 1940s and 50s eg handmaids to procreate and Marthas to do domestic jobs
women roles divided into different identities meant to show different feminine ideals - wives are domesticity, handmaids reproductivity, Marthas caregiving
envy is initiated between women
wives have more power but handmaids are reproductive so hold more value
women are taught to view each other as adversaries "they all envy each other something" chaps 8 - envy is strategic and prevents women from forming friendships and organising to overthrow gilead
wives symbolise the Virgin Mary and shows the important values to gilead eg motherhood and purity and used to symbolise gileads ideal version of a women
aunts are allowed to have power in gilead to oppress the younger women
"they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts" -aunts permitted to break traditional gender norms and hold violence, power and control ( usually associated with men)
women are allowed to exist outside feminine gender roles as long as they serve the patriarchy
aunts still don't hold full trust by men and are surveilled by angels and guardians who hold real guns
clothing
issued clothing is worn by groups to be able to identify their status eg handmaids red - physical representation of their societal group
women as resources
"we are for breeding purposes"
"carriers of life
"we are a national resource
"we are containers
women treated as a societal commodity and no longer can identify as even women
sexual violence
made to feel at fault for sexual violence as they are no longer women and men should not be at fault
religion as a source of power
Atwood criticises peoples manipulation of the bible in order to achieve own gain
handmaids job is a precedent of Rachel and lear
police are called "guardians" guarding the faith of gilead and soldiers called "angels insinuating that they are sacred when in fact they are killing the innocent which misleads citizens to believe they are doing the right thing
religious terminology used in everyday parts of life - ironic as the governments make their own bible and determine religion for everyone themselves
"god as a national resource" suggests leaders use god as a weapon to impose laws