¨The Handmaid’s Tale” is a novel that takes us into the disturbing world of Gilead a theocratic regime characterized by control and manipulation. In Chapter 13 of the book, we are introduced to Janie, a character who shares a traumatic experience, which serves as a reflection of how oppressive societies can manipulate and control individuals. As Janine’s story unfolds, she shifts the blame onto herself, a response encouraged by the oppressive to real-world historical, religious, and societal contexts where victims of various forms of oppression are pressured to internalize blame, resulting in profound psychological consequences.

Janine’s harrowing story initially appears to be recounted with an unsettling sense of pride, which gradually transforms into an admission of guilt. This transformation highlights the psychological manipulation and coercion employed by the oppressive regime of Gilead. Janine, like many others in her society, has been indoctrinated to internalize blame, even for traumatic experiences that were beyond her control. Blaming the victim is a common response encouraged by oppressive societal concepts. Victims of oppression, whether it be gender-based violence, political persecution, or systemic discrimination, often find themselves pressured to shoulder the blame for their own victimization. This phenomenon reflects a deeply ingrained culture of victim-blaming, which has persisted throughout history. It insinuates that victims bear some responsibility for their suffering, a notion used to discredit their experiences and silence their voices.

The historical context of the inquisition serves as a poignant example. The Inquisition, established by the Catholic Church during the 5th to the 19th centuries, aimed to enforce religious orthodoxy but resulted in the persecution and suffering of those deemed heretics. Similarly, Gilead’s society wields religious authority to suppress dissent and manipulate personal narratives, particulary evident in Janine’s testimony.

Living in societies where victim- blaming is prevalent takes a toll on the psyche. In Gilead, as in many real-world situations, the widespread victim blaming and insistence on personal culpability for traumatic experiences can erode self- worth, self-esteem, and emotional well being. This reflects a harsh reality where individuals who have experienced trauma must contend with the weight of societal judgment and their own-self blame. In both the fictional world of the novel and the historical context of the Inquisition, we can observe the manipulation of religious institutions and the use of religious narrative to justify persecution and suffering are recurring themes. These instances underscore the importance of safeguarding religious freedom and maintaining the separation of church and state.

Aunt Helena’s role in Janine’s testimony is significant, as she represents a figure of authority within the regime. Her manipulation of religious rhetoric to justify Janine’s suffering evokes historical instances where religious institutions have been used to legitimize oppressive practices. This includes situations in which religious leaders have sanctioned systemic abuse or discrimination, leaving individuals to grapple with the weight of their religion being manipulated to control and oppress them. The response of the other Handmaids, who shift the blame onto Janine during the Testifying event, underscores how the regime fosters a culture of victim-blaming.

This mirrors real-world contexts where victims of sexual assault, abuse, or any form of violence often face scrutiny and blame, contributing to a culture of silence and self-blame. The chanting of “Her fault, her fault” serves as an example of how societies perpetuate harmful stereotypes and narratives that perpetuate abuse and injustice. This offers a poignant commentary on the dangers of intertwining religious authority with oppressive rule. It serves as a stark reminder of how religious institutions, when co-opted by authoritarian powers, can be used to justify persecution and suffering, often at the expense of individual agency and truth. The passage also demonstrates how totalitarian societies can use psychological manipulation, victim-blaming, and religious authority to silence and control individuals who have experienced trauma. This psychological manipulation is a powerful tool for oppressive regimes, as it forces individuals to participate in their own subjugation.

In conclusion, the psychological toll of victim-blaming, as portrayed in “chapter 13” is not confined to the fictional world of Gilead. It reflects a grim reality in real-world historical, religious, and societal contexts, where individuals who have experienced trauma are pressured to internalize blame. The parallels between Janine’s experience and historical instances such as the Inquisition underscore the need to challenge oppressive systems that perpetuate harmful narratives and victimization. “The Handmaid’s Tale” offers compelling commentary on the complex interplay between power, control, and individual resilience in the face of adversity. It serves as a stark reminder of the profound impact of oppressive ideologies on the victims.

Reflecting on Female Body Image

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a complicated piece of literature. Atwood allows the plot of this story to flow nicely by narrating and using the perspective from Offred, the main character. Writing the novel through first person shows how much impact Offred has on the other women in Gilead. The Handmaid’s Tale focuses on the female gender. Offred has to obey the rules, do her duties, and continue to interact with other humans. There are activities like this I have to complete. I take my time in the shower washing my body, doing my laundry and folding my clothes, and participating in exercise to improve my body.

Throughout the novel, I noticed that Atwood often relies on short and choppy sentences that get right to the point. “ We are containers, it’s only the insides of our body that are important”(96). Ideas of feminism connect with me , as a young adult who identifies as a female. Young females struggle with healthy images of themselves. Often, girls pick on themselves affecting their emotional health. I have been meeting with a therapist. Though therapy is not a highlight of my life, I believe it should be more normalized to attend. I too have insecurities. I have struggled with being comfortable with my body.

smooth skin, delicate limbs, and curves around the body. the beauty standard that girls have been inspired from. Instagram models become popular followed by the public. This isn’t fair to people who are called fat, round, or thick. If the human body is healthy and functioning these variables should not matter.

Offred in Gilead often remembers things from the time before. In Gilead, the Handmaids’ purpose is to bear children: “I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation… I could use it to run, push buttons of one sort or another, make things happen. There were limits, but my body was nevertheless lithe, single, solid, one with me”(73). Actions of the handmaids should at all times be toward getting pregnant. Boobs are examined looking for tenderness, and they are questioned about appetite. I too have body parts that identify me as a woman. I have to go through the monthly process of having a menstruation cycle. I run for frisbee, I walk and take the bus to school, and type on my computer to complete assignments.

I have a sweet tooth. There is barely any candy I won’t eat quickly. I often give into the cravings, stuffing myself with fast food, ice cream, and chocolate. Calories travel to different parts of the body and make them look wider or enlarged—My thighs feel too thick, my chest bigger than others, and my arms dangle. My parents often remark, “Dinah, I’ve noticed you look skinnier recently. Have you been eating lunch?” There are times where school lunches aren’t good. I deny it, I eat outside of school, I look healthy. I want to feel proud , confident, and special in my body. It will come with time and support from my friends, family, and classmates.

-Shepherd of This Flock by JT Music

In the book, “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood we get introduced to Gilead, a very authoritative religious society. Like many authoritative societies, people are made into symbols. Those that don’t adhere to the social conditioning are executed and used as a symbol to all those who dare step out of line. This is no more apparent than on page 33, as our main character Offred stares at the bodies of the people deemed rebellious by the nation, “These men, we’ve been told, are like war criminals. It’s no excuse that what they did was legal at the time: their crimes are retroactive. They have committed atrocities and must be made into examples, for the rest. “ This idea of punishing sinners to wake up God’s children, is a main theme in the song, “Shepherd of This Flock” by JT Music. The song revolves around a cult religious group taking over a small town, and the chorus alludes to the group’s main ideology:

“The nonbelievers sowed their seeds and all they’ll reap is flames Judgment’s coming, and my God will set me free from chains Make your confessions, pay your penance, in my sweet embrace I’ll shake my people from their sleep, so they can see his grace”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRhjMcjg7vQ

-Time in a bottle by Jim Croce

As we know, living in Gilead can be oppressive to the mind. People are no longer people, but ranks and cogs in a larger machine. Offred mentions this numerous times throughout the book, on how she doesn’t feel as much as she used to, the keyword is ‘used to ‘. She keeps herself sane by living out her past life and romance with Luke in the chambers of her mind. On page 97 we see her hunger for his love, “I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not;” By remembering him, she can once again feel human. Time in a bottle connects back to reminiscing past love, and wishing for life to have been different. She uses these memories as a way of escaping, thinking of something that is entirely human:

“If I could make days last forever If words could make wishes come true I’d save every day like a treasure, and then Again, I would spend them with you”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h1davKgBYM

-Digital Silence by Peter McPoland

The news plays an important role in Gilead. It’s a glimpse into the outside world, even if fabricated or completely false, it’s a refreshing sight. Unsurprisingly, the news is used as another propaganda tool by the higher ups in the government. The news anchor tries deluding the people watching that everything is under control, on page 83, “What he’s telling us, his level smile implies, is for our own good.”- “You must go to sleep, like good children.” They are trying to delude the people into believing their brand of truth. In the song the lyrics are trying to wake the masses up to show them that the media is not their friend. That you are being tricked into believing the lies you’ve been fed.

“Why don’t you get it? Can’t you get it? Understand They’re gonna execute the mother to elevate the man They’re gonna propagate the killer, eliminate the youth”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8CYUW7HpoE

-Cherry Bomb by The Runaways

A major theme in the book is complacency in the system. Many of the women in Gilead no longer fight back on the gender roles and situations they are put into. Gilead was successful in making women too scared to even think about escaping, all except Moira. Ever since we were introduced to her at the red center, we know there’s something different about her. She wears a lot of punk rock clothes and had seemingly escaped the first round of capture. After that she continues to openly defy the Aunts. This results in beatings like on page 91 “Afterwards she could not walk for a week, her feet would not fit into her shoes, they were too swollen.” This all culminated to her escaping the society. The song Cherry Bomb, encaptures her defiance of the expectations laid out by the system. In this, she is one if not the only woman, who escapes the machine.

“Hello, daddy, hello, mom I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb Hello world I’m your wild girl I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ws6vMFF3c

-My War by Shinsei Kamattechan

This whole book is based on real life events, and thinking through the lens of ‘what if?’ We find out that Gilead is a future version of America on page 4, “and army-issue blankets, old ones that still said U.S.” In real life there’s a real fear in the religious right, and that fear is not unfounded. There are certain policies and overturnings such as Roe V Wade, that could be explained by the growing influence of Christian Conservatism in American politics. However in this book it turned over into an actual war. The rights of the public are stripped away, and children, especially poc children such as on page 83, “Resettlement of the Children of Ham is continuing on schedule,” are being taken and segregated. This relates to the song’s pre-chorus, which talks about angels or people who are supposed to be righteous subjecting the people with devilish intent. The christian conservatives see themselves as in the right but are not doing the people right. As a result the children and the future of the generation are suffering the consequences of war:

“Angels playing disguised with devil’s faces Children cling to their coins squeezing out their wisdom Angels planning disguised with devil’s faces Children cling on to their very last coins”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK8PKIiAbrM

You sit at home; relaxing and watching the television, or something of the such, but then you hear a knock on the door. You stand up and walk to the door and peer through the peephole and see two men. They are well dressed in a white short-sleeved button up with a small black name tag with golden lettering, in their hands are a black leather-bound book which also has golden letters debossed into it. You sigh and open the door slightly ajar and one of the men steps forward; with a grin on his face he says, “Would you like to hear about our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ?” This is a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as the Mormon Church.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a fringe sect of Christianity bordering on a cult, it has around 17 million members world-wide, with 6 million members in the US alone. To a majority of people Mormons are just the butt of jokes, be it in performances like the Book of Mormon, or in the many episodes of TV shows that poke fun at them. And much of the Mormon ‘religion’ can be quite humorous from the outside but beneath the strange exterior and the kind-hearted missionaries is a much darker reality. A reality that those who have lived, and are living through know very well. One of the most important things to Mormons is family, to Momons having a family is a status symbol. In Mormon culture the mere act of having a child is pious and ‘saintly,’ to have a family is righteous, the children themselves and how they are treated come second. This view of family further bleeds into the view of women themselves in Mormonism. WIthin the church a lot of people view women as just potential wives/mothers and nothing more, this has also led to women view themselves in this light.

Within The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood the society of Gilead views on family and women in a way very akin to Mormonism. Within the dystopian society of Gilead many women are viewed as nothing more than just a vessel to have children; objects to be used. This is particularly true for the handmaids as their primary usage in Gilead is to be surrogate mothers. Throughout the book a particular quote from the Bible is repeated and is used as almost a motto for the handmaids, “Give me children, or else I die.” To the handmaids this passage is far more true than one would expect. If a handmaid can’t have children they are sent to the elusive colonies; on page 61 Offred states, “He could fake the tests, report me for cancer, for infertility, have me shipped off to the Colonies.” Both the reader and Offred know very little about these Colonies but for all intents and purposes and in the eyes of the handmaid’s it is like dying and you are sent there if you cannot have children. While this is a more extreme viewpoint then most Mormons there are Fundamentalist Mormons where this perspective on the role of women is more close to their own.

As stated before, bearing a child is somewhat of a status symbol in Mormon culture. If you have children or if you or your spouse is pregnant you are treated with more respect and dignity. If you do not or are not planning on having children, especially if you are a younger person (18-25), church members will tend to think lower of you and will most definitely talk behind your back. In Gilead it is much the same, though as per usual in a much more extreme manner. Women who are pregnant tend to be looked upon in a better light or even with jealousy by other handmaids. On page 26 it says, “One of them is vastly pregnant; […]. There is a shifting in the room, a murmur, an escape of breath; despite ourselves we turn our heads, blatantly, to see better; […]. She’s a magic presence to us, an object of envy and desire, we covet her. She’s a flag on a hilltop,” Because she was pregnant she was deemed as better and a symbol of what could be done. Having children in this world is the most important thing she can do, it is the primary function of women in the eyes of Gilead.

From the outside the Mormon religion and church is a kind of mysterious yet funny group of people. They seem innocent and kind enough, but dig a little deeper and there is a more grim truth. If you look online you’ll see many stories of how and why people have left the church. The fundamental beliefs of Mormonism are based around sexist and misogynistic ideas. It is okay to laugh at the funny aspects of Mormonism but it is also important to remember that there are people suffering within it. The Handmaid’s Tale is a cautionary tale of what absolute religious power could bring and I am confident if the LDS Church was in that position it would be not too dissimilar to Gilead.

In Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the term “Red Center” refers to a facility where women are trained and indoctrinated to become Handmaids in the Republic of Gilead. Gilead is a society in which a regime has overthrown the United States government. The regime is based on a strict interpretation of religious texts and enforces an overall rule where women have very limited rights and are assigned specific roles. We can see this in the first chapter of the book when the women are limited to talking to one another and will do anything to break the system. I drew this drawing since I wanted to capture the overall aspect of being trapped in a loop and the setting that I drew consists of the gym the reader gets introduced to and all the beds that take up the space. This space was once a gym for students and since the beds take up the space it no longer looks like a gym but more like a prison. The eye on the wall symbolizes the overall people in power that are above the handmaids that watch over them.The red dots leading away from the bed are footsteps of the main character trying to be different and leaving this so called loop. When I drew this I wanted to get the whole setting in the final aspect so i used shading by my hands and also other paper. This shading aspect makes the room look dark and sucludede which the reader can find out about early on in the book that the gym is dark and gloomy. When drawing the red dots I wanted to make the whole art piece black and white so that the eye and the red dots(footprints) stood out towards the people who saw it. The place in the book is a training facility for the Handmaids, women who are valued only for their fertility. Women are subjected to intense indoctrination, both physical and psychological. They are trained to accept their roles as Handmaids, stripped of their previous identities, names, and personal possessions. This ideal form the book is shown in my art since everyone has the same bed and is stuck in the same room that could be called a prison.This place symbolizes the systematic dehumanization and control of women in the society of Gilead. It illustrates the harsh methods the regime employs to suppress any form of dissent and maintain control over women’s bodies and reproductive capabilities. The experiences that these handmaids go through serve as a traumatic foundation for them, shaping their submission and compliance with the oppressive regime.

The wall of Gilead serves many purposes. When you are alive, it keeps you inside the republic. When you are dead, you hang on the wall. And it symbolizes the new civilization they live in. I chose to make a visual representation of Offred in her handmade outfit, staring at the wall that keeps her enclosed. It shows bodies on the wall (not drawn too graphically), and the quote from Aunt Lydia saying “This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary”. This piece resembles the enclosure of the republic where Offred is stripped of her rights and treated as no human being ever should be. Obviously the rules in the republic of Gilead are very strict, and the bodies on the wall are basically a message from the leaders, the message being that if the rules are bent, that’s where you’ll end up. And the rules are bent many a time, meaning many feel the wrath of the wall. Offred herself realizes herself how much these salvagings are happening by saying she “didn’t hear the bells. Perhaps I’ve become used to them” (Atwood 32). The wall, as though some might look at it as a pile of bricks, others might look at it as a symbol. A symbol of civilization moving backwards. The wall restricts the people in a modern world where everyone should have freedom in their everyday lives. The possibilities should be endless, however the wall puts restrictions on said possibilities. The bodies on the wall almost seem like a strategy from the higher ups, as if to show the people who defied the rules, the people who wanted nothing more than to be past the boundaries, past the tens of feet of brick. They hang them exactly on that brick, as if to convince the others that if they try to get past this wall, they will be up there next. Especially since there are unoccupied hooks next to the occupied ones, and according to Offred the hooks symbolize “appliances for the armless. Or steel question marks, upside-down and sideways” (Atwood 32). The people on the wall always have a symbol near them, showing why they have been punished. This is an attempt to show the people what exactly they are NOT to do. But at this point in Gilead, it’s not about what you cannot do, it’s about what you are actually allowed to do, because that’s a much shorter list. The blood released from the prisoners symbolizes the inhumanity of the leaders, and the lengths they go just to try and prove a point to the citizens. Lydia’s quote in the bottom right is said on page 32, where Offred describes the features of the wall. And she is making it clear that these bodies hanging on the wall is just the beginning, that this is almost definitely going to be a common occurrence from now on.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, By. Margaret Atwood. Atwood explores a lot of different real-world issues. The way she perceives body image and the way she shows it through her characters is what initially caught my attention because she does it uniquely. I was also able to connect this back to myself, the things that I have experienced, and the things that I see happening in my community. Not just affecting me but how it also affects the people around me.

Body Image is an issue that presents itself in The Handmaid’s Tale as well as in my own life. We are first introduced to this topic in chapter 13 of the book. The main character Offred is self-reflecting on her own life, while she has some “alone” time in the bathroom while she is taking a bath. She begins to carefully examine her body, studying the little imperfections and even remembering what her body has previously looked like in the past. This quote, I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will” (pg.95) interests me a lot. Considering the circumstances that she is facing and what has become her reality. As we know a Handmaid’s only job is to carry the child and then give birth. Nothing more and nothing less. She uses the word “used” referring to the fact that she thought that the only reason for her body was to be used, to be used as an instrument. Her body has been used not for herself but for others at a cost, the cost of love and lust. She doesn’t know anything other than using her body to get what she wants or just to make other people happy, and sadly, this has become her reality in the “new” life that she is now living.

People’s perception of your physical appearance affects some drastically while others aren’t as affected by it so much. In my own life and the things that I have seen in my community the type of body you have is heavily based on how others view you or how you want others to view you. A lot of the normal body imperfections are looked as if they shouldn’t be there and if your body has them your are not ‘perfect’ and there is something wrong. I have once struggled with the idea that my body needs to be perfect to feel pretty or accepted. It took some time for me to learn that there is no ‘perfect’ body and that in fact, my body is perfect just the way it is. This journey was not short at all, learning and getting to know your body for what it is and loving it for the way it is takes some time. As a little girl that was something hard for me to understand, knowing that it is okay to be a little chunky and have a little bit of stretch marks on my body because it’s normal. Everyone is not the same, therefore they aren’t gonna look the same. Learning not to worry about what others think learning not to want to look like them and being content with the way I looked and appear to others. Social media also plays a role in what “you should” look like and what “you shouldn’t” look like. It paints a false reality of what is deemed perfect and what is not, therefore influencing younger girls or just anyone in general to “fix” something that doesn’t need fixing. Atwood does it again with this quote, “Now the flesh rearranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object.” She conveys the idea of how a woman’s body changes from its original shape as a result of childbirth. “Flesh rearranges itself” meaning her body, the flesh has taken another form as the result of childbirth. It makes sense because Offred’s body is used to bear children and as we know she has already had a child, a child with Luke. This sense of a “mommy body” is also pretty relevant in the real world, it’s pretty evident that once you give birth your body is changed forever and it’s never gonna go back to its original state. This idea then leads some moms to go and get their bodies done to achieve something that was there that isn’t now. Some of them do it for themselves to make themselves feel a little bit better about their appearance while very few just leave their bodies as is, and they just grow to love their new body.

Quotes:

CH #17 PG #99 Nick says. “He wants to see you in his office.” … “Tomorrow,” he says

CH #23 PG #136 After that, reclassification. I could become an Un-Woman. But to refuse to see him could be worse. There’s no doubt about who holds the real power. But there must be something he wants from me. To want is to have a weakness.

CH #23 PG #139 “Thank you,” he says. “For the game.” Then he says, “I want you to kiss me.”

CH #23 PG #140 He draws away, looks down at me. There’s the smile again, the sheepish one. Such candor. “Not like that.” he says. “As if you meant it.” He was so sad.

CH #24 PG #144 I can ask for something. Possibly not much; but something. Men are sex machines, said Aunt Lydia, and not much more. They only want one thing. You must learn to manipulate them, for your own good.

This entire situation is extremely weird and makes me very uncomfortable not to mention living through it. We have an understanding of the secrecy surrounding the ordeal starting on page 99. Offred is sneaking around outside of her room after dark and accidentally runs into NIck however for Nick this is no accident, “Nick says. “He wants to see you in his office.” … “Tomorrow,” he says.” Originally this prompts a world of uncertainty for Offred and in turn the readers. There is no way of telling why the Commander would want to see her aside from assumptions. Regardless, Offred knows she is left with no choice as we see on page 136 “After that, reclassification. I could become an Un-Woman. But to refuse to see him could be worse. There’s no doubt about who holds the real power. But there must be something he wants from me. To want is to have a weakness.”. Even in the reality of her powerlessness and his control of her and the situation she can use this to her advantage. “To want is to have a weakness.” The quote clears all of the mystery surrounding the meeting. It no longer matters what the Commander wants, the situation has been put into perspective, the commander has a want and that is a weakness to be taken advantage of. Page 144 “I can ask for something. Possibly not much; but something. Men are sex machines, said Aunt Lydia, and not much more. They only want one thing. You must learn to manipulate them, for your own good.”

We eventually get to the meeting where we finally learn the commander’s intent, it turns out to not be as we assumed. As they played scramble and talked (the commander talked) I got the sense that the commander was looking for a sense of companionship. This would make sense as even in the relationship with his wife there seems to be a lot of formality. The titles husband and wife appear more so to be more job titles than symbols of their bond. By the end of their meeting I was questioning how much of his intent was companionship and how much of it was out of romantic interest. I don’t mean romantic interest as in a sexual connection but more so a true partner. Page 139 “Thank you,” he says. “For the game.” Then he says, “I want you to kiss me.” As he said this I wondered if he was trying to create an illusion of that partnership he desires, maybe this meeting is how he imagines a date. Page 140 “He draws away, looks down at me. There’s the smile again, the sheepish one. Such candor. “Not like that.” he says. “As if you meant it.” He was so sad.” To me this confirmed my assumptions. He is trying to have Offer act out his ideal romantic relationship. I say this because of the line “Not like that.” he says. “As if you meant it.” He was so sad.” This quote for me symbolizes him realizing the reality of the situation where offered is just a stranger and she doesn’t see him the same as he does her, or share his interests. The line also reassures the idea of the commander imagining how things should ideally be happening as this entire interaction is very formulated and staged out to create this illusion for him.

In “The Handmaid’s Tale”, the women of Gilead don’t control what happens to their bodies. Their only purpose is to bear children for the commander’s so that they can get promoted. Men run essentially everything in Gilead. They are the guards that watch over the women, they lead them into the towns, and they are the ones in charge. The society is also built on very religious christian beliefs.

In chapter 19, it is mentioned that women are not given anesthetics anymore for child birth as it is better for the baby. They use the bible quote “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children” to justify it. When a woman is pregnant, she is seen as lucky and the other women are envious of her. The way that women conceive is called the ceremony where the commander attempts to impregnate them. In chapter 21, Janine is giving birth to her child and the women around her are feeling very intense emotions. “It’s coming, it’s coming, like a bugle, a call to arms, like a wall falling, we can feel it like a heavy stone moving down, pulled down inside us, we think we will burst. We grip each other’s hands, we are no longer single”.

When reading these chapters about Janine, it sounds like a religious cult. The way women are brainwashed into believing that something regular like being pregnant is lucky. It reminds me of the Christian Rights movement in the 1980s. This movement tried to limit access to the medication that women needed for childbirth. They also fought against abortion. They were trying to take away the rights of a woman’s body to control them. The belief is that women really are not important past their reproductive abilities.

The society of Gilead is also a patriarchal society in which the men run everything, as I stated before. The patriarchy is a belief that man should be the gender running everything. The women should have no power at all and only exist to serve the men. They should be more traditional. The man in charge of the “household” is the commander. What is really interesting is that he actually has no real clue about what the women are going through. In chapter 25, he mentions that he had no idea they check the handmaid’s rooms to see if they are hiding anything. It is very ironic that in this patriarchal society, the man in charge has no clue what is happening in his own household.

Another side of the patriarchy is believing that women shouldn’t just not have power, but they should only exist to serve the men. They shouldn’t have jobs, they shouldn’t have a source of income, and they should only be there for the men. They should have dinner when the man gets home, they should be there when the man is feeling sad, and they should have as many kids as the man wants. They must also alway look presentable and pretty. The house should always be clean and nice. The children should also always be looked after by the wife because the man is too busy to care for them. This is called being traditional. They also go against the LGBTQ community. It is very misogynistic and goes against the freedom of women.

In “The Handmaid’s Tale”, the character Moira exists to be the direct opposite of these views. She goes against the patriarchy and misogyny. She exists as the embodiment of freedom for women. Chapter 22 focuses on the escape of Moira and how she got out of the red center. At the point of writing this it is unclear if she actually is free or if she is dead but she did escape. On page 133 they mention the women were afraid of her. They are afraid because she got out. “She is now a loose woman”. The society of Gilead has essentially brainwashed them into these traditional views that anything outside of that is terrifying to them. They are scared to be themselves and who they were in the time before.

Another important part to mention is that for some of these women, this is not their first time having kids. On page 125, it reads “It’s her second baby, she had another child, once”. This is referring to Janine. Offred also had a child before this. The patriarchal society has truly changed these women so much that the time before is almost like it doesn’t exist. They get so excited to see childbirth that they forget how common it was.

In conclusion, Gilead is a society built on extremely misogynistic, traditional views mixed in with religion. It creates a society that goes against women, believes they don’t deserve rights, and that they only exist to serve the men and have their children.

The gloomy book ¨The Handmaid’s Tale¨ by Margaret Atwood´s explore themes of rule, control, and resistance in a society personal freedom are heavily restricted. Despite, it being a fiction, the story make important comparisons to the historical background of slavery in the United States. Both stories examine how people are degraded, how their power as individuals are undermined, and how resilience develops in the face of oppressive regimes. I will explore the comparison of a single passage from “The Handmaid’s Tale” with the background of slavery in historical times, showing how both versions reveal the relationships of power and resistance.

In “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Gilead’s society cruelly devalues its people, treating them as nothing more than objects for reproduction. Offred, the main character of the book, struggles with her identity after understanding that the government only sees her as a “I am a national resource” (Atwood, 65). This direct statement explains how the government views women as little more than machines for reproducing, a belief that oddly echoes a dark period in American history.

During the era of slavery in the United States, a similar dehumanization process took place. People who were in slavery were treated like property, had their identities eventually taken away from them, and were then made into products that could be purchased and sold. They were denied basic human rights and treated as mere “slaves,” much like the women of Gilead, who are only valued as reproductive organs.

The author also effectively examines how language and storytelling may be used as instruments of tyranny. The government effectively censors any challenge by limiting words and thoughts that throw doubt on its authority. The phrase “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” (Atwood, 92), which can be translated as “Don’t let the bastards grind you down,” is used by Offred as a representation of resistance in language.

Similar to today, those who were oppressed throughout the time of slavery came up with creative strategies to fight back and claim their humanity. To speak secretly and away from the ears of their masters, they frequently invented their own languages, such as Gullah or Creole. In Frederick Douglass’s autobiographies, they used the power of storytelling to expose lies about slavery that were spread by those in power.

As Offred and other characters in “The Handmaid’s Tale” discovered means to resist, historical examples of enslaved people also displayed incredible strength and resistance. In order to express their humanity and autonomy, they staged revolts, studied reading and writing secretly, and passed down their culture and traditions. This resistance can be seen by the words of escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who said the following: “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.”

In both cases, I see the idea of names and identity is a significant issue. In “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the Handmaids are given new names as a representation of their identity loss and submission to the state. Their lack of uniqueness is made much more clear by the removal of their real names. This idea is demonstrated by Offred’s quote: ¨My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter. I keep the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I’ll come back to dig up, one day. I think of this name as buried.¨ Similar identity loss occurred in the context of historical slavery. Names and cultural identities were forcibly taken away from enslaved people. Their new names, given by their owners, served as a reminder of their objectification and transformation into property.

There are significant similarities between “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the history of slavery in how they portray oppression, resistance, and the tenacity of people. We have examined the dehumanization of people, the control of reproduction and familial separation, the theme of resistance, the manipulation of language, and the fight for autonomy through close reading and direct takes from the book. Both stories act as humbling examples of the dangers of unequal authority and the spirit of people who fight for freedom and choice against the most terrible of systems. By establishing these comparisons, we are better able to grasp the common experiences that persons who stood up to oppressive systems and sought to regain control of their lives have had.