An essay written as extra work, graded A+, on the theme of Patriarchy in The Handmaid's Tale.
Note: the essay was a practice essay submitted to a teacher prior to studying quotes and hence, it focuses predominantly on the theme and not the quotes.
Patriarchy
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood features patriarchy as a pervasive and central
theme. The dystopian society in the book is one in which women are treated like property and
stripped of their rights. The Republic of Gilead is the ruling system, and it's a patriarchal society
where men hold power and women are pacified in institutions.
Gilead's governance is grounded on a strict patriarchal structure in which women are relegated
to subservient places and men hold all power. Women are reduced to the status of property,
whereas men are the decision- makers and hold all power. The promoter of the novel, the
biddies, are impelled to bear children for the ruling nobility because they're unfit to conceive on
their own. Their sole function is to act as reduplication vessels. The biddies are reduced to the
status of property as a result of this, which serves to bestialize them.
The novel also looks into the ways in which patriarchal society affects people's internal and
emotional countries. The biddies are stripped of their independence and individuality and forced
to conform to the governance's prospects. Any deviance from this is met with severe discipline,
and they're subordinated to constant surveillance and indoctrination in the testament of the
governance. insulation, despair, and a diminished sense of tone- worth result from this pressure
to conform.
The power of individualities to repel the government's control is also the subject of the novel's
disquisition. Offred, the main character, struggles with the oppression she goes through and
how it affects her internal and emotional state. Offred is suitable to maintain her sense of tone
and humanity in the face of the government's attempts to control her. Through her inner studies
and recollections, as well as her connections with other characters who give her a sense of
stopgap and community, she's suitable to repel the government's control.
To epitomize, The Handmaid's Tale is a potent examination of patriarchy. By subordinating
women and stripping them of their rights and autonomy, the new demonstrates how a
patriarchal society can control its citizens. It also looks into how people can repel this control
and keep their humanity and sense of tone. The story serves as a warning about the troubles of
patriarchal societies and the significance of securing individual freedom and rights.
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