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THT Themes - Coggle Diagram
THT Themes
Rebellion/ surivial
Moira rebels boldly but this proves futile at Jezebel's, Ofglen's is community minded
Although Gilead should be his ideal society, the commander desires a deeper emotional connection, and cares enough about Offred to break the law
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No one in the book is purely evil, and no one fully embraces the lack of independence in Gilead.
attempting to destroy the Gileadean government or merely to make one’s personal circumstances more tolerable, each character commits rebellious acts.
highlighting both the unlivable horror of Gileadean society, and the unsteadiness of its foundations
Offred is characterised by her determination to survive - both physically, and in her personality- "I intend to last
Offred greatly admires rebellious Moira but she herself conforms- she is a rebel in her head, but not overtly
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Gender
they fire all women from their jobs and drain their bank accounts, leaving Offred desperate and dependent. Gileadean women find all liberties taken from them
Luke, however, doesn’t seem so furious, a subtle suggestion that even good men may have embedded misogynistic attitudes, and that Gilead merely takes these common views to the logical extreme.
Serena Joy once a powerful supporter of far right-wing religious ideas now finds herself unhappily trapped in the world she advocated for.
Though the story critiques the religious right, it also shows that the feminist left, as exemplified by Offred’s mother, is not the solution,
women are the main victims in the Republic of Gilead - and her vision of this society reflects many of the inequalities and abuses faced by women world-wide in the past and currently
Atwood describes how the film The Red Shoes suggest that women could not have both a career and a happy love life
‘Unwomen' were demonstrating against violent sexual attacks- dilemma that enjoying sexual and moral freedom may come at a price.
Atwood shows the power of language and of being aware of subtleties of meaning- the ability to communicate through language as the really desirable power
Control
The Handmaid's Tale could be seen as an examination of power. The most obvious form of power is the régime of the Republic of Gilead that came into being through violence
Offred says the public were told, ‘Everything is under control.'- ironic
Violence is one of the régime's most effective weapons. But fear and uncertainty are just as useful in controlling its citizens: spying is expected and, as Offred realises, the destruction of trust is one of the régime's greatest crimes.
But it is not only at a personal level that the state exerts power: Gilead is constantly waging war against other countries, communities and sects
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misuses language to control its citizens. Since it likes to pretend that its oppression is beneficent- Gilead knows well that language is a very powerful tool.
Gilead sees itself as a fundamentalist Christian régime, but the bible quotations used are subtly altered or perverted. More pervasively, education is strictly controlled, books and magazines are banned and women are not supposed to read or write
Fertility
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in a society that restricts women, treating the potential child-bearers alternately as precious objects, and prostitute-like sources of shame, how could anyone conceive?
Offred knows her life depends on a successful birth, the atmosphere of extreme pressure and fear can’t be as successful a motivator as the hope, love and liberty that characterized life with her first daughter
markers of fertility, such as flowers and worms, throng in the Commander’s Wife’s carefully tended garden.
her body’s functions are valued, but her personhood is not
This division is highlighted in Janine’s Birthing Ceremony, and the faked birth is treated as the authentic one.
Gilead manages to strip away even the Handmaid’s connection to the babies they bear in a version of a sharing, collective society gone totally wrong.
Individualism + identity
although we can never be entirely sure of the identity of this Handmaid - or, as Pieixoto points out, of her existence at all it is clear that we are focusing on one individual
‘The night is mine... the night is my time out.'
In 'night' sections, Offred explores her inner self, and her most personal memories
Gilead assigns her, Offred which makes her merely the property of a man. That identity has nothing to do with her as an individual
Gilead has attempted to remove the individuality of its citizens in many ways. Everyone is classified into a rigid hierarchy, with different uniforms to denote their role.
individual power is even more restricted, as women are no longer allowed to work in professions. Every woman must be under the control of a male.
‘One and one and one and one doesn't equal four. Each one remains unique.'
Throughout the novel Offred makes various attempts to assert her individuality
Seeing the bodies of victims hung on the Wall, their heads covered to conceal their identity, Offred tells us that ‘if you look and look', you can see the outlines of the features- their deliberate dehumanising which allows brutal murder by the régime:.
Religion + Theocracy
Gilead is a theocracy, a government where church and state are combined
religion, specifically the Old Testament, is also the justification for many of Gilead’s most savage characteristics
Offred’s job as Handmaid is based on the biblical precedent of Rachel and Leah, where fertile servants can carry on adulterous relationships for infertile women
The theocracy is so rigid about its religious influences, and so emphatic about its rules, that it even warps essential virtues like charity, tolerance and forgiveness
Salvagings and executions are supposedly the penalty for biblical sins but Offred knows that others are executed for resisting the government.
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Memory
The structure of The Handmaid’s Tale is characterized by many different kinds of storytelling and fiction-making.
“Historical Notes on the Handmaid’s Tale” frame the entire novel as Offred’s story, that she’s said into a tape recorder in the old fashioned storytelling tradition
small flashbacks can be triggered by the slightest impression, and they occur so often that it seems like Offred lives in several worlds, the terrible present, the confusing but free past, and the Rachel and Leah Center that bridged them.
A third form of storytelling comes about because of the constant atmosphere of paranoia and uncertainty. Offred constantly makes up fictions
Offred also uses storytelling as a pastime. Since she has no access to any entertainment, and very few events happen in her life, she often goes over events from other people’s points of view
With more stories and memories than current-time actions, the book is profoundly repetitive. It forms its own kind of simple, quiet hell—we, like Offred, are trapped within the echo-chamber of her mind.