The Handmaid s Tale By Margret Atwood - 1275 Words

In the novel, â€Å"The Handmaid s Tale†, the author Margret Atwood introduces a dystopian America where everything that once was is no more. In this society there is a change in the state s entire structure, it has returned to its traditional ways or in other words a religious trap; both women and men are sorted into categories, and each plays their part. Men can be Angles, Commanders or Guardians. Angles are unknown but they are the ones who run society, commanders are slightly lower in rank with wives, and the guardians are guards of the city and make sure the woman do not step out of line. The woman can either be Wives of commanders, Martha’s, who are domestic workers, and Handmaids who are the most fertile of women. In this developing†¦show more content†¦In the first chapter we are introduced to our narrator, Offred, along with her situation. She is a handmaid who will go to different homes trying to conceive a child. But before she is put into a home, sh e is trained on how to be a proper handmaid. She is conditioned to believe in what the government deems acceptable and is punished with an electric cattle prod when she steps out of line. She does not have a say in what happens to her and as a women who experienced life before this traditional reform, she longs for her old lifestyle. She wishes for an escape though she knows that could not happen with the Angels guarding the fence that surrounds the building. With that knowledge, she thinks about making a deal with the Angles. She does not have money, a position of power in society, or goods to exchange, but she does have her body. This is where the idea of the body becoming control stems from. As long as she has her body, she has something to bargain with, a tool to use to get her what she wants most. Her body is an object of power to her because it arouses men and it is something they want, so in order for her to get something from them, she must give her body in exchange. The fir st chapter is crucial when discussing the theme because it is constantly brought up throughout the novel. The narrator’s body will get her what she wants, whether it is revenge, freedom, or even a