Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale as an exploration of the dominant fears and apprehensions of her society

The Handmaids record?Every feature got is a sort of clump cloud thr cause up by a ample substance of material that has been accumulating for a life succession.?- Marg art Atwood. In reference to her own synchronous anti-utopian reinvigorated The Handmaids rumor, this is certainly a relevant articulate custodyt. It locomote be attainly in the genre of dy point in ageian speculative fiction, on come on otherwise large(p) dystopian texts often(prenominal)(prenominal) as Aldous Huxley?s insolent New World and George Or salubrious?s 1984. The refreshing, which tells the stratum of adult female?s altered circumstances, excessively weighs m either of the dominant concerns and apprehensions of Atwood?s ordering at the epoch which it was written. Some of these were, a groundwide aff accoun checkility of infertility in both(prenominal) sexs, the overthro vaporize of a inactive assurance by right wing Christian fundamentalists, the order of ontogeny of thoroughgoing womens rightists, the destruction of the environment, shrink a chance uponst feminist movement and the heart and soul of the Statesn citizens crossing the border to Canada. These fears were brought to the highest degree by a physical body of environmental, friendly and institutional factors that had a filchn throughout the 1960?s, 70?s and proterozoic 80?s, causing social analysts very much anxiety. Atwood, although it was non her profession, recognise these fears herself, extrapolating them to create the basis of the ?Gileadian? connection show in The Handmaids Tale. When analyzed, the raw likewise could be viewed as non expert speculative, on the button now as a prodigy for hereafter society if these fears ar ignored. During the the Statesn civil struggle, slaves were privy in houses in abolitionist states until they were ferried across the borders into the north and into Canada, via a system called the cloak-and-dagger Railroad. This expression of American tale repeats itself, this date in 1960; Canada is seen as a standn for men fleeing from America during the Vietnam War to avoid draft; as a import evading a political system. An estimated 500000 men and women go through offd to the north. The down the stairsground femaleroad mentioned in the appendix of the novel is a direct connect to a past occurrence, and Offred to a defacement describes hers and Luke?s attempt to escape to Canada. ?When we get to the border we?ll smoke were just going on a day trip.?-P95. To stop this happening a bring home the bacon, all servants argon branded with a bittie tat excessively to check them escaping. ?I can non avoid see it now, the clear tat in whatever case on my ankle, four digits and an eye, a toss in reverse?. Pg75. They smother without great deal resembling Offred their governance occupation entrust fail, just as American leading k young efforts in the contend would fail if too just about citizens left the country. Atwood offers a fortune telling for the future day through Gilead?s complete bigotry to passel escaping, if spate had kept move to Canada, much(prenominal) precautionary measures whitethorn hold in been taken. Atwood began writing The Handmaids Tale during the cold war, and atomic catastrophes much(prenominal)(prenominal) as Three land mile Island were fresh in everyone?s memory. There was a great fear widespread actinotherapy sickness sickness if such(prenominal) an possibility occurred again. This coupled with new centiliter containing pesticides creation used, such as DDT, and the devastating payoffs of ?Agent chromatic? lead to a worldwide make up in health problems related to harmful chemicals and radioactivity. Because of the thermonuclear activity and harmful toxins universe introduced in the 20th century, at that place were many bosom groups lobbying against the brass to stop activity harmful to the environment. Actions like these spawned organizations such as Greenpeace, who relieve like a shot fight corporations and government besides in many actions change the environment. Atwood has, through The Handmaids Tale, offered a prediction for the environmental state of the costly future. This is depicted through the colonies, places where ?unwomen? and other gender traitors be direct to work and eventual(prenominal)ly die from give out of light sickness. It is one of he only references we get to the world impertinent a commandants house, and it doesn?t bode well, as Offred speaks of it as a wasteland deemed unliveable by humans. There was a fear that aboutthing resembling a nuclear winter would blanket the acres if any country gnarled in the cold war instigated a nuclear strike, and this is Atwood?s prediction of what life would be like if a fear as great as this was ignored. As a result of these environmental factors and chemically heighten foods, kindred rates near the world were in the 1980?s, for the commencement exercise time ever in history, dropping. AIDS was starting to gain mainstream prudence as a disease that could ravage anybody, as well as diseases associated with radiation poisoning such as leukemia. star major type of radiation poisoning was a great(p) increase in sterility and experience defects, which lead to a fear of decreasing population. In 1979, the Chinese government introduced the polemic ?one son insurance?, whereby p argonnts were aloud to switch children until a boy was natural and and so must stop having children, in an effort to control the exponentially increasing population sizing of china. One extreme speculation regarding population deficit was that by 2010, at that place would be no more(prenominal) Germans, and Germany would fork up necessitate a Turkish nation. This particular(prenominal) fear of the time is essentially what created the conflict that is the basis of the novel: handmaids. The only fertile females are condemned to this job. The handmaids are seen as energy more than a ? uterus with legs?, soon enough ironically are the more or less important people in ?Gileadian? society. The Republic of Gilead justifies the genius of the handmaids through the biblical stories of Jacobs wives. ?And she said, behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her and she shall bear open my knees that I whitethorn likewise have children by her.? Pg 1, from genesis 10:1:3. This is the exact utilisation of the handmaids for the wives, even ?bear upon my knees? is an uncut physical description of the ambush monthly ?ritual?. Unbabies, as well as bashn as shredders, are babies that are born physically deformed or with some other birth defect. some(prenominal) of the preservatives and addatives bieng flummox into food had been crosstieed to an increase in babies born with defects, and the ?unbaby? design put forth by Atwood is an extrapolation of the fear of an increase in birth defects, and the lengths that we may go to in future if these chemicals overcompensate to be used. At the time of production, America and Britain were both under conservative governments, Margaret Thatcher in England, entirely more importantly, Ronald Reagan was president in the United States. Due to Reagan?s own apparitional sentiments, America had been experiencing a spectral revitalisation rooted in fundamentalism since the 1970?s, and Reagan align himself with a Christian dogma during his election. Reagan had tapped into the hearts of many Americans and was exceedingly well liked. Reporter Howard Kurtz referred to Reagans faculty to ?do approximately anything haywire and not get infernal for it.? A historied name from Paul Kengor likewise set forth reagans political actions, ? kind of than bring himself to church, President Reagan brought the church to his presidency.? If Reagan really possessed these abilities, then it would have been extremely easy for him in his position of tycoon to, in incremental stages, recreate the government into what is depicted in The Handmaids Tale. Atwood is also concerned more slackly with patterns of totalitarianism and theocracy as they have manifested themselves in various periods. ?I have coherent been arouse in the histories of totalitarian regimes and the antithetic forms they have taken in various societies.? It is this interest that lays the invention for the totalitarian country depicted in the text, some of Atwood?s focuses being Nazi Germany, southward Africa?s apartheid system, the Taliban?s mono-theocracy in Iran, but arguably most importantly, the puritans of the 17th century. Atwood says that she very deliberately used the manner of puritan rule as a precedent for the eventual birth of Gilead. It is easy to see how the puritans a model for Gileadian society, with much religious allusion and a literal recitation of the bible, as well as a strict affection to the teachings of the Old Testament.

An font of this is ?the salvaging, where women alleged of various crimes are hanged publicly. This is well-nigh a direct link to the Salem witch trials of 1692, where 19 accused ?witches? were hung to death. Atwood?s presage for the future is shown through a direct link to a past occurrence, and no doubt implying that if such a right wing government continues to be empowered, it may use its beliefs unto the large number however it pleases. In 1970?s, a rather monstrous smudge involving women?s liberties arose. Throughout the 1960?s and 70?s, women had begun to gain more control over their lives, some people believed women had too much power. Throughout the late 1970?s and 80?s, women were comme il faut more and more violent in feminist demonstrations, causing government leaders to be manage apprehensive. This new wave of feminism was dubbed ? primitive feminism?, and the ideology cornerstone it was that women were not just equalize to men, but more significant. Offred?s mother burning books suggests that modern feminism was becoming as well rigid. ?You young people assume?t appreciate things, she?d say. You don?t know what we had to go through just to get you where you are.?-Pg131. Atwood could see jr. women disregarding feminism, taking rights for granted, rights that have been long fought for, and therein lies the conundrum: Despite all these feminist acts and demonstrations, over the world there was a massive rise in anti-feminist behaviour. An example of this is the tab bieng put on the market place in the 1960?s, along with the blind of the abortion, allowing women to engage in cozy activities purely for fun without the campaign of procreation. There was also an general sexualizing of women through media and advertising, sex also bieng aimed at a young target audience. The republic of Gilead and its creators equilibrize this paradox through a complete abolishment of individuality, oppressiveness and desexualizing of women. An example of this is the handmaids having to relinquish their names, and get given new ones to confer their ?owner?. For example, the protagonist, Offred, belonging to the commander Fred is named ?Of? ?Fred?. The way Atwood describes the blandness of careless life in Gilead offers a prediction that if the increasing measuring stick of sexual material in society is ignored, over-reactive action may be taken in rectifying these mistakes. The fact that the novel was constructed during such a scope, and with such faith behind it, practically ensures its immortality. regular(a) though the novel is disconcerting, the reader must stay sensitive that it was ground on actual fears and apprehensions of the 1970?s and 80?s, and as Offred reminds us, ?context is all?. Although her prediction of future society is not just now what the 21st century is like, catastrophes such as Chernobyl have still occurred, sex is bieng targeted at younger and younger age groups, and the earthly concern?s climate is in a state of drop like never before. Thankfully, ?Gilead? has not yet come to pass, yet as Atwood said, ?There isn?t anything in the book not based on something that has already happened in history?, and The Handmaids Tale may serve as a process of admonishment to future societies to protect against any factor that may infix the integrity of an equal and emancipated society. BibliographyWebsiteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan#Cold_Warhttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_2004_May_11/ai_n6143344/-http://www.feministissues.com/radical_feminism.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/context.htmlgoliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5498/The-Christian-Faith-Of-Ronald.htmlBooksMargaret Atwood: The Handmaids Tale, McClelland and Stewart 1985James Dickerson: North to Canada, 1999, Praeger Publishers, 88 provide road west, Westport, CT 06681Class Discussions and HandoutsYork Notes handouts: critical approachesRobert McDonald: Handmaids Tale Study hightail it If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay

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