Symbolism and Loss of Identity in The Handmaids Tale by...

Symbolism and Loss of Identity in The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood In Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale, Offred recounts the story of her life and that of others in Gilead, but she does not do so alone. The symbolic meanings found in the dress code of the women, the names/titles of characters, the absence of the mirror, and the smell and hunger imagery aid her in telling of the repugnant conditions in the Republic of Gilead. The symbols speak with a voice of their own and in decibels louder than Offred can ever dare to use. They convey the social structure of Gileadean society and carry the theme of the individuals loss of identity. All the women in Gilead wear color-coded uniforms. The colors parade their social status†¦show more content†¦First, it is symbolized by the handmaids patronymic names. Their names are formed with the possessive preposition, of, and the first name of the Commander for whom they are to bear children (for instance: Of-Fred). The handmaids are moved to a new posting after three attempts to bear child for the Commander and his wife; at each new location, they drop their former name and adopt their new Commanders name. Thus, while the narrators name is currently Offred, she may later become Ofglen, Ofwaren, or some other such patronym. Like their names, the handmaids have no personal identity and they lack stability; like their names, they are interchangeable and replaceable with each other (LeBihan 102). It isnt just handmaids, or even only women that have forfeited their personal identity; men have lost theirs as well. Their loss of individualism is symbolized by their generic titles. There are three classes of men in Gilead: the Commanders, the Doctors, and the Eyes. Like the color-coded uniforms of the women, the generic titles of the men announce their function. The Commanders are supposed to fertilize the handmaids; the Doctors examine the handmaids monthly to check for possible problems with their reproductive organs; the Eyes are the spy network of Gilead and are responsible for enforcing discipline. Also like the womens color coded-uniforms, the mens generic titles deprive them of their individuality and reduce them to mere task objects.Show MoreRelatedFeminism Lost in Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale Essay1527 Words   |  7 PagesIn Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, the human spirit has evolved to such a point that it cannot be subdued by complacency. Atwood shows Gilead as an extremist state with strong religious connotations. We see the outcome of the reversal of women’s rights and a totalitarian government which is based on reproduction. Not only is the government oppressive, but we see the female roles support and enable the oppression of other female characters. â€Å"This is an open ended text,†¦conscious of the possibilitiesRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale By Margaret Atwood1684 Words   |  7 Pagespatriarchal. The novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood tells the story of a totalitarian government that consists strictly of men who dominate women based on Christian ideologies. The government uses fertile women called â€Å"handmaids† for breeding purposes because of a decrease in birth rate. The nation of the Republic of Gilead is a dystopian society in which women have limited freedom and are restrained by the male authorities in their lives. Freedom is a term by which the iden tity of a person or nationRead MoreLiterary Analysis of the Handmaids Tale1863 Words   |  8 PagesDystopias A genuine identity and individuality is not possible in an oppressive environment especially when one’s daily life, actions, and thoughts are dictated by domineering societal expectations. Oppressive environments such as regimes controlled by a dictatorship and that run off a totalitarian government system strip an individual of their civil rights as a human being in order to gain ultimate control over its citizens. A government such as the Republic of Gilead in Margaret Atwood’s work, TheRead More`` The Road `` By Cormac Mccarthy2000 Words   |  8 Pagesbook The Handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood warns of the instability in our patriarchal society, likewise Cormac McCarthy in his acclaimed book The Road also gives a warning; that of the fragility of human nature. Using the setting of hostile, post-apocalyptic America these authors explore what happens to both individuals and the wider society when rights and basic human necessities are taken away. Atwood creates the pa triarchal dystopia, Gilead, which strips women of their identity and through her protagonist