The satirical novel, "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, focused on the two extremes of religion and feminism. The society attempted to do both right by God and right by women. The pious characters in this dystopian society were taught that women were not to be viewed or treated as objects. Items like pornography, prostitutes, and vanity that were degrading to God and women were eliminated. Sex was denounced as sin and to be performed only for reproduction and never for pleasure. Mirrors, cosmetics, and provocative clothing were taken away so that all women were equal in appearance. This novel took both religion and feminism to such extremes that the society was miserable and barely functional. Female characters were contemplating suicide and male characters altered the rules for their satisfaction.
"What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he's doing" (p 94). This quote describes how unpleasurable sex has become and how women are still being treated as objects. In the chapter where the quote is taken from, the two characters are involved in the Ceremony, in which the Commander must fertilize the Handmaid. Neither one of them want to perform this task, in fact both of them want it to be over as soon as possible. It is viewed as a job both of them must partake in for reproduction. Sex is no longer desirable but is now an unwanted duty.
In the quote, Offred says "the lower part of my body." She is detaching that part of her body from herself. By doing so, implies that her lower half is an object used for fertilization. Despite feministic attempts to obliterate the view of women as objects, women are still objects.
I did not enjoy reading "The Handmaid's Tale." This novel described every event in so much detail, that it was difficult to get through the chapters. The subject of the novel too, was controversial. Being a woman, I resented the treatment and little choice that women had. I also objected to how the men in the society had all the control and had the ability to twist the rules and create a "club" for their satisfaction. This novel was just awful, but I do applaud Margaret Atwood for her imagination to dream this dystopian society up. To push two major opinions like religion and feminism to such extremes and let it erupt onto the pages of her novel was just brilliant.
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2 comments:
I have to say that I disagree with you on the idea that the way Atwood gave every single detail of Offred's life was boring. I think that the way it was presented was very well done, with the drawn-out descriptions serving as a metaphor for the monotony and apparent uselessness that the handmaid's lives consisted of.
I do, however, agree with the fact that the way women were treated as objects did not sit very well with me. That was the way things were in the past, and things have come too far to have something like that equality between men and women in today's society; people stand up against things like that today.
I agree with your opinion that the novel was misogynistic, thus not enjoyable and difficult to get through. I agree the details of Offred’s life as a handmaid was lengthy and at times boring. The middle chapters almost made me fall asleep. Though I disagree with your opinion of Atwood I felt her use of vulgarity was distracting a prime example is the quote you chose. I would not choose to or continue to read a book that would be that crude.
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