Atwood’s use of symbolism within the novel is shown through the expression of the urge for freedom amongst women, whilst still demonstrating the themes of power and manipulation. This allows for the exploration of discrimination towards female characters, thus supporting feminist ideology of striving for gender equality within our contemporary society. Offred unlike the other handmaids is aware that Gilead has full control over its people and is explicit throughout the novel.

Offred, our narrator, shares her story as a handmaid within the Gilead state. There is a contrast of both submitting through fear, whilst showing signs of rebellion and this is evident through her flashbacks and her thoughts towards the state. Power is portrayed through the use of language, the fact that Gilead can sustain control over women’s names shows that they maintain control over their bodies and essentially their identities, which is evident through the commander’s control over their handmaids. Offred reminds us that she has no name and that the state has complete control over her, it is only later in the book we are told the narrators name is Offred ‘My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden’, even when her name is mentioned she does not delay in disregarding it, showing that she wants to keep her past a secret, it is precious to her and allows her to have some hope. The dystopian genre shows the insignificance of woman; their roles in society are amplified, by creating the roles of handmaids, which shows how the state has control over these women. Offred reminds the readers that the handmaids are confined to the handmaid centre and furthermore the power possessed by Gilead is able to take away the freedom from women, in reference to seeing many bodies hanged she describes to us what Aunt Lidia states, ‘This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will’. In contrast we see how men are sorted hierarchically by their military ranks, but women are just defined by their gender roles as wives, Martha’s or handmaids, taking any sense of identity away from them.

When she first enters the Commander’s house, Offred notices one particular way in which the state are able to control her actions ‘I know why there is no glass….It isn’t running away they’re afraid of. We wouldn’t get far. It’s those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge.’ This shows that the handmaids have no free will, and do not even have the option to commit suicide. The language present suggests that the state want to control not only people physically, but in all aspects of their lives, including their thoughts. Once the state is able to control their minds, they will therefore possess ultimate authority over society.

Aunt Lydia, who leads the teachings in the handmaid centre, argues about freedom with Offred, confirming to the protagonist that women in society are completely indoctrinated, ‘There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia…Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.’ It has been made clear by Atwood however, that this is not a ‘feminist dystopia’, because the system is still run in a very traditional pyramid structure with there being both powerful men, in commanders, and powerful women, in the wives.[1] However it is hard to disagree with the fact that the novel presents the readers with a clear differentiation in gender roles, the women are controlled by the hierarchy in Gilead which is completely dominated by the patriarchy.

Feminism within The Handmaids Tale can be argued to challenge a lack of gender equality within our society. Atwood has created a society whereby the little power and respect women have are being amplified. Atwood segregates the handmaids by making them dress the same and live in the same quarters. Even their bodies are subject to control. Lack of power amongst the handmaids is symbolic of a contemporary problem within today’s society, where women are seen to be less powerful than men. The irony in this however is that without the handmaids, the system would collapse as it would mean there would not be a reproduction of offspring. However in this novel, even those women who hold power, such as the wives, have a degree of restriction in their lives, due to the fact that they are unable to independently create their own family. Perhaps this was done by Atwood to remind us that women are still restricted in society. ‘My nakedness is strange to me already. Did I really wear bathing suits…I did without thought, among men without caring that my legs, arms, my thighs and back were on display’.  Her dwelling on the past in this instance shows the loss of control over her body, perhaps she now appreciates what she could do previously. The relationship between herself and Nick show that there is potential to break away from such a society, but the ambiguous ending suggests that perhaps Offred is never happy, which in turn would support Atwood’s message of the restrictions women face.

Furthermore manipulation as a theme is explicit through the Gilead states control over the handmaids and how they can manipulate a society so as to take advantage of women who are fertile. The handmaids are made to believe that they are in a privileged position. Offred is starting to abide by the Gilead attitude towards women whilst in the red centre, and she now thinks of her body as an extension of herself, rather than an essential part of her being, this is because at the handmaid centre, teachings of how women are to behave is repetitive, their bodies are for the use of the commanders and are to be looked after by the wives ‘I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation… which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping’. Offred again dwells on the past and she suggests that she no longer has power over her body, and she also infers that she is no longer the person she once was when she suggests that she is not as real as her own thoughts. Furthermore the glowing red arguably demonstrates the loss of her innocence, not in a sexual meaning but in terms of her pure and honest thoughts being turned into what Gilead want. This not only denotes how Gilead has been able to manipulate these handmaids into their way of thinking, but now the reliability of the narrator is in question.

Offred describes the Gilead red centre as a ‘Palimpsest’ suggesting that the state had completely wiped out traditions, historical context and knowledge from their society. However due to the nature of a palimpsest where the writings are only scratched off, this could suggest that Gilead has only partially erased the old world. Therefore the system is flawed and cannot last forever, demonstrating that Offred remains free thinking, although, somewhat still in the control of the state, the fact she is able to identify this ‘palimpsest’ means she is still a free thinking women. Her relationship with Nick shows Offred’s desire to continue to have love in her life, however essentially if it was not for Nick Offred would not have been able to escape, Nick organises the escape, and this could connote that women are always reliant on men. Her thoughts and feelings represent what every woman in Gilead wants to feel and Offred turns into a symbol of rebellion, due to breaking the laws of Gilead. Atwood describes her novels as a speculative fiction rather than using its dystopian nature to describe it as a science fiction, suggesting that in her books she is not writing about the impossible, but simply employing the means of what already took place in our society, using a dystopian method. Atwood wrote this novel shortly after Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher gained power; there was a conservative revival in the Western world partly powered by a strong movement of religious conservatives whom perceived the 1960s and 1970s as a “sexual revolution”. Atwood attempts to explore the reversal of women’s rights in a dystopian environment, furthermore demonstrating Atwood’s attempt to convey the state’s power over all women.

Atwood’s influence by the “sexual revolution” allows her to explore the theme of sexual violence throughout this novel. The Gilead state prevents rape from occurring by punishing those who attempt rape through allowing the handmaids to physically tear apart the accused. However though Gilead seems to attempt to supress sexual violence and rape within their society, they are actually institutionalising it, with Jezebel’s, a club which provides commanders with prostitutes. Furthermore the ceremony where the handmaid is obliged to have sex with her commander also shows how Gilead is full of contradictions within their legal code. The fact that a women has to give their body to a stranger, yet the state are able to distort this and claim this act to be one of good, which helps create families. The gaze theory by Laura Mulvey is evident within this text, therefore can be considered as a feminist text. This theory essentially suggests that women are objects, whose sole purpose is to be at the disposal of men and is clear that this is the case within Gilead and how the handmaids are used as objects rather than having their feelings considered [2].

To conclude Atwood’s use of Offred provides us with an insight into a female’s perspective on extreme oppression amongst women. She wants to be with her family, and symbolises that she is her own person, who, as much as Gilead try to manipulate her, has aspirations to be happy again. This represents the contemporary issue of women wanting equality.

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/20/handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood- article exploring Atwood’s intentions and feelings towards her novel.

[2] http://www.slideshare.net/christimothy12/laura-mulvey-the-male-gaze-26381318

Bibliography 

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaids Tale, Bodily Harm, 1985

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/20/handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood

[2] http://www.slideshare.net/christimothy12/laura-mulvey-the-male-gaze-26381318