Themes Flashcards
How is rape and sexual violence presented in THT?
Sexual violence and rape is prevelant in the giledean regime, the regime was founded in response to the growth in rape and porm, the regime claims that women are better protected in the regime, ironically, Gilead institutionalises sexual violence rather that removing it via the monthly ceremony and the use of jezebel’s by the nations male elite
How is religion and politics presented in the handmaids tale?
There is no distinction between religion and politics, even vocab incorporates religious terms and themes (‘blessed be the fruit’, ‘all flesh’), the political skullduggery that the regime has enaged in is disguised behinf their use of biblical terms
How is the theme of offred as a rebel presented?
Offred submits to the reeducation at the red centre whilst moira escapes, she is contrasted with ofglen who reveals herself to be a member of the resistence, offers a study of a non-heroic person’s response to severe oppression, she does offer up some passive rebellion in her memories and her raltionship with nick, her character argues that invisible acts of rebelion have their own value
How is the theme of womens bodies as a political instrument presented?
Entire goal of the state is reproduction, assume complete control over womens bodies, women cant vote, hold jobs or do anything that could potentially undermine the state, allusion of ‘pro-female rhetoric’ women are reduced to just thier fertility and reproductive system
How is the use of language as a tool of power presented in THT?
New vocab warps reality, stripping women of permenant individual names strips them of their individuality and sense of identity, specially created terms to describe the ritual in Gilead
How is the theme of complacency presented in THT?
The general message is that people will endure oppression willingly as long as they recieve a slight amount of power or freedom, women like serena joy like to excercise authority over other women in their households, aunt lydia and the other aunts act as agents of the state and agents of oppression by indoctrinating women with the ruling ideology.
What does Atwood condemn in terms of complacency?
Condemns women for their complacency but also suggests that even if they did try adn offer a form of resistence they wouldn’t really make any noticeable difference. Bleak message
How is the theme of complicity presented in THT?
Ordinary people become complicit in the appalling act of the totalitarian regime, women victims but also complicit to an extent as they choose it over rebellion, offred’s complicity is ambiguous and we are invited to explore where the line between passivity and complicity ends
How is seeing presented in the novel?
Offred constantly feels observed and threatned by eyes in various forms, the secret police in Gilead are the eyesalways following you with their eyes, offred thinks of these eyes as beign male
How is reproduction shown in the novel
Argues that controllign a womans reproductive freedom is morally and politically wrong, suffering is linked with the reproductive function of women,links to the political goals of the religious right in term sof abortion etc., womens reproductive system potentially a form of wealth due to its scarcity (is a “natural resource”), people in power always tempted to control women’s bodies (e.g., nazis and lebensborn, china’s one child policy)
