HMT - motifs

Question 1

Rape and sexual violence?

Answer 1

• prevalence of rape + pornography in pre-Gilead world justified founders establishment of new order
• Commanders + aunts claim women are better protected, treated with respect + kept safe
• Sentence for rape is horrible i.e. one scene Handmaids tear apart support rapist (actually member of resistance)
• claims to suppress, but actually institutionalises sexual violence e.g. Jezebels club that provides commanders with prostitutes + ceremony’s compel handmaids have sex with commanders.

Question 2

Religious terms used for political purposes?

Answer 2

• Gilead theocracy (gov of state and religion)
• Domestic servants called ‘marthas’ in reference to domestic character in New Testament, local police ‘guardians of the faith’, soldiers ‘angels’ and Commanders ‘commanders of the faithful’
• Shops have biblical names and even cars e.g. chariot
• reminder rounders insist they act on authority of bible itself
• Politics and religion sleep in the same bed Im Gilead, slogan ‘God is a National recourse’ predominates.

Question 3

Similarities between reactionary and feminist ideologies?

Answer 3

• Gilead and feminists such as mother have same ways of restricting free speech to accomplish goal e.g. Offred recalls mother and friends burning porn magazines
• Gentle criticism of feminist left, but really target religious right