The Handmaids Tale

'The Handmaids tale', written by Margaret Attwood, known for its confronting storyline, is a novel praised throughout the world. This feminist text was aimed to caution the readers against conforming to patriarchal ideologies and taking their freedoms for granted. Atwood uses language and the construction as tools to enforce these ideas.

The author warns the female readers about becoming complicit to a male dominated society. Using confronting language, she emphasises these gender imbalances in the society of Gilead. Atwood draws our attention to the way that the men of Gilead appear to objectify and view women. 'He looks over us as if taking inventory...We watch him: every inch, every flicker. To be a man, watched by women. It must be entirely strange.' The verbs 'watch' and 'look' indicate power that the commander possesses and how he is able to look at them as if they were objects. The use of the 'inventory' simile is used to highlight the sense of ownership that he has over the women. She also emphasises when men are 'watched by women' it further adds to their power. It shows how men are seen as the superior class in society and the women are subordinated. Atwood selected this language to provoke the readers into seeing the gender imbalances and to support her message. The composer also alerts the readers in order to realise how women can often internalise and even perpetuate patriarchal ideology. The Aunts are used as key tools in Gilead society to do exactly that. 'It's Janine, telling us how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion...But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up her plump finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison.' The writer forces the readers to consider how women internalise blame for men's sexual misconduct. The Aunts are used to put forward the ideas of Gilead and to brainwash the Handmaids into sharing these ideologies. The repetition and italics of 'her fault, her fault, her fault' shows how women become complicit through indoctrination into conforming to a male-controlled society. It is evident that Atwood successfully provokes the reader into becoming aware of these language features used, which warns the reader against becoming complicit in a male-controlled society.

The author's decision to include the historical notes at the end of the novel isn't always recognised as significant and is often overlooked. They are used not only, to somewhat conclude the handmaids tale, but to also reinforce the oppressive attitudes men have towards women. Piexoto the key speaker in this future set conference, re-asserts the male gaze by undermining Offred's voice. He does this by questioning her identity and the validity of her account. 'Had she had the instinct of a reporter or a spy. What we would not give, now, for even twenty pages or so of printout from Waterford's private computer.' Atwood uses Piexoto to notify the readers how men oppress women's voices, and how they question the validity of their accounts. It also draws our attention to how men's versions are privileged over women's as they are seen as more factual and therefore more accurate; Piexoto exclaims 'what we would not give' to get even 'twenty pages' of the commanders 'private computer'. We can see how the writer positions us to question how men can objectify her story and whether Offred's recount is correct. She also uses the historical notes to further support her ideas of patriarchal societies. Piexoto