The handmaid’s tale

Explore the ways The Handmaids Tale has sought to challenge or endorse your perceptions of what it is to male or female

Starter task 1)Describe what you see and what you think the artist is trying to portray 2)In relation to The Handmaids Tale, discuss the themes and issues explored in the novel which may be observed in the paintings.

Feminism “if Moira thought she could create Utopia by shutting herself up in a women- only enclave she was sadly mistaken. Men were not just going to go away” “just do the job, then you can bugger off… I make a decent salary, I can afford day-care” establishing how such aggressive feminism could perhaps promote the aggressive reactions from men which we see in Gilead.

Sexuality and intimacy Margaret Atwood distinguishes that a women’s identity to be a sexual object remains consistent no matter what her physical appearance Women were stripped of their properties, jobs, money and voices and soon enough they lost all rights over their identities and bodies The handmaids are seen as physical objects with no power over their bodies and are expected to sacrifice their lives in order to procreate

The Commander Offred enters into a more emotional relationship with the commander, which is forbidden. spending most of his evenings with offred in his study, offer her a small respite from the wasteland of her life His unhappiness and need for companionship symbolises how he is much a prisoner at Gileads than anyone else which makes Offred feel sympathetic for him. “I no longer sit stiff necked… instead my body’s lax, cosy even”

Task To what extent is the holocaust examined throughout the handmaids tale Discuss how the mistreatment of Jews may be significant in highlighting the social inequality of women and their situation

Lack of self and oppression Jewish Culture Blue and white interior and colour may possibly represent the blue and white outfits the Jews wore in concentration camps highlighting their captivity Handmaid’s small tattoo of “four digits and an eye” similar to the use of tattoo identification on Jews that consisted of “one letter and five numbers separated by a dash” Sexual abuse Torture Low classification Lack of self and oppression