Merit Essay
Stronger perceptive comments needed for Excellence
Writers do provide glimpses of other worlds giving readers opportunity to reflect on their own
world. This is clearly displayed in Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood creates
and provides glimpses of her world – Gilead – a dystopia under a totalitarian government. The
exposure to this strict and controlling regime allows the reader to make comparisons and contrasts
to their own world or lives, thus giving them the opportunity to reflect on their world. Women
readers in particular can personally reflect on whether “freedom from or freedom too” is greater.
Also, all readers can reflect on the seriousness of Atwood’s message relating to the declining birthrate, how vulnerable and susceptible we could be to a government take over, and question how
possible a Utopia is in reality.
“There is more than one kind of freedom… freedom from or freedom to.” The Aunts tell the
Handmaids this in order to convince them that they are better off under Gilead than they were in
their past lives. “In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from.
Don't underrate it." This mainly refers to men. The Aunts continually amplify how rape and abuse by
men occurred in the past times. This is evident when they make Ofwarren (previously known as
Janine) tell her story of how she was raped by a group of men. They also showed the handmaid’s
shocking old pornographic movies of women “being raped, beaten up, killed.” “You see what things
used to be like” says Aunt Lydia. The Aunts teach that now they have “freedom from” all these
terrible things and can live without fear (though must regularly take part in state-sanctioned rape).
However, through Offred, Atwood shows us how lonely and distressed she is without the freedom to
have a relationship, to love. I believe female readers are caused to reflect on the fact that though
such events are terrible, not all women experience these horrible experiences. I believe women are
encouraged to deeply consider whether it is truly worth giving up the “freedom to” have real
feelings and relationships with men to have “freedom from” events that may, or may not occur.
Atwood uses Offred’s regular longing flashbacks of times with her husband, Luke, to show the reader
how she desires so desperately to be back in the ‘past times’ where she is free to live as she chooses.
Atwood’s Gilead is mainly derived to counter the declining birth-rate that threatens the human
population. Increased radiation amongst other aspects means that many are becoming infertile at
younger ages and a large proportion of conceived babies are born with birth defects and declared
unbabies - “with a pinhead or a snout like a dogs’…or webbed hands and feet”. This prefix
dehumanises these children and attempts to justify any breach of ethics when disposing of these
babies. Though science and technology enable us to prove that infertility is increasing, it is also
largely the cause. There is no shortage of evidence in our society suggesting that increasing toxins
and radiation could have devastating effects - an extreme example being the devastating birth
defects that occurred in many generations of children following the Chernobyl atomic disaster.
Atwood challenges the reader to view Gilead not as a science fiction story but as a potentially
suitable answer to such a major situation that could evolve if our world continues to deteriorate
rapidly. Though unimaginable, Atwood asks the question; could a Gilead-like system one day be
necessary for us?
Merit Essay
Stronger perceptive comments needed for Excellence
Atwood’s novel is of particular interest to the reader as it exposes how vulnerable we really are as
humans. The glimpse of Gilead acts not as a science fiction tale, but a warning or forecast of where
our world could be heading. The controlling forces of Gilead came into tyrannical power quite easily
and realistically. “They shot the President and machine-gunned the Congress” and then with all
authority transferred to them, the “Sons of Jacob”, they could remove modern women’s rights
entirely. Offred’s boss from her job in her previous life was forced to say to them “I have to let you
go… it’s the law” while gunman stood outside the office. They also cut off all access to women’s bank
accounts, eliminating the use of money – something our world is so heavily driven by. The Gilead
regime made women become entirely dependent on men. This is hugely frightening to the reader as
in out world, our monetary system is becoming increasingly digital. Real coins and notes are being
phased out for handier EFTPOS and credit cards, and so much of our banking is now done online. The
reader realises how easily they can be shut off, and with so little cash many people would become
completely isolated and unable to live without a man to provide. Female readers in particular are
encouraged to reflect on their own lives and how accustomed and dependent they are on their own
source of finance, which as Moira says, “All they need to do is push a few buttons [and] we’re cut
off.”
Lastly, Atwood’s glimpse of Gilead allows us to reflect on whether a Utopia is possible in our world. A
Utopia would require a perfect social system where everyone is equally happy. But as the
Commander says “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs”, something has to be
sacrificed in order for others to benefit. Atwood clearly establishes this in the novel as the Gilead
regime teaches of how everyone is better off now, but really Offred is an absolute example of
someone who has been negatively affected for the benefit of others – namely the Commanders. The
Commander also says “better never means better for everyone, it always means worse for some.” I
strongly believe this is entirely true, and even the Commander (who played a large part in
implementing this ‘idealistic’ system) can recognise that it is not possible for everyone to be
perfectly satisfied. For the Commanders to live in there idea of an ideal world, young women had to
unwillingly undergo state sanctioned rape and live under oppressive rules. Even their wives had
strict rules to comply with. We see this everywhere in society – for new roads that benefit some,
others have to give up their homes and property. Atwood allows the reader to make connections of
ways that a Utopia is not possible with their own world, and to recognise how likely a dystopia is to
develop, as it does in the Handmaid’s Tale.
In the Handmaid’s Tale, author Margaret Atwood uses a totalitarian government and a dystopian
society to give the reader opportunities to reflect and make connections with their own world.
Through the Aunts’ and Gilead’s teachings of how everyone is better off under this regime (freedom
from), and Offred’s regular flashbacks exposing us to how desperate and longing was for her old life
(freedom to), Atwood challenges the reader to reflect on whether being entirely protected from
terrible events such as rape or non-marital sex is worth giving up the freedom to make choices, love
and experience life. At the same time, Atwood also encourages us to reflect on the severity of our
consequences that could occur if we continually pollute the Earth and whether this could eventually
effect the birth rate so badly that a Gilead-like system of impregnation may one day be necessary.
We are also encouraged to realise how potentially realistic this novel is as we compare the steps
taken by the Sons of Jacob to take over the state and the enormous affect it would have on our
society today. Lastly, the Handmaid’s Tale triggers realisation that a Utopia is not possible as some
Merit Essay
Stronger perceptive comments needed for Excellence
will always have to suffer for the good of others, and also that everybody will never be equally happy
with what they have. In general, Atwood’s glimpse of Gilead – though it appears to be science fiction
- acts as a warning to the reader that their world could quite potentially head towards a similar fate
as those controlled by Gilead.