Oppression Of Women In The Handmaids Tale - 1732 Words

The Oppression of Women that is shown in The Handmaid’s Tale When describing the newly established society in The Handmaid’s Tale, the Commander states that â€Å"better never means better for everyone [...] it always means worse, for some† (Atwood, 244). This accurately describes the nature of patriarchal societies, such as the society that is described by Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale. The Republic of Gilead is a patriarchal society that has religious, and patriarchal values that benefit the men in the society, at the expenses of the women of the society. Atwood also develops the oppressive nature of the society through the use of her stylistic choices throughout the novel. Finally, Offred’s experiences in her past life, and her†¦show more content†¦The women of the society are reduced to clearly defined roles that have been traditionally been assigned to women in the past. By being required to fulfil their roles, the women of th e society are treated as objects that are solely valued for their functionality, and are discarded when they are no longer needed. Another way that the women of the Republic of Gilead are oppressed is by preventing women from reading. In the society, women are not allowed to read, and to deter this, the government removes any literature that women may possibly be able to read. For example, the signs for shops are replaced by images of what the store sells, and Offred explains that the government â€Å"decided that even the names of shops were too much temptation for us† (Atwood, 28). This policy demonstrates the totalitarian control that the government has, and how it uses its power to suppress women. In addition to the control of the government, the social hierarchy of the society shows how the position, and roles of women are less valued than the positions that are reserved for men. In the Republic of Gilead, males are able to hold dominant positions such as lawmakers, sold iers, guardians, or as members of the Eyes, which is a secret police. The positions that are reserved for women mainly involve doing household chores or bearing, and taking care of children. These roles are thought to be traditionalShow MoreRelatedOppression on Women in Margaret Atwoods the Handmaids Tale and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis966 Words   |  4 PagesOppression on Women in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, is memoir of a little girl growing in Iran. She refers to a secular pre revolutionary time through contrast, the oppressive characteristics of the fundamentalist government upon women in particular. 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