Oppression in The Handmaids Tale and Nineteen Eighty-four
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Pearson Edexcel English Literature A-level Coursework answering the question:
Compare the way the theme of oppression is presented in both ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ by George Orwell and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood.
Compare the way the theme of oppression presented in both ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ by
George Orwell and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood?
Both novels depict a futuristic society where a totalitarian government is present and
all too powerful, serving as warnings about the possibly dangerous society that we might be
heading towards. This danger is stressed by both authors through the oppression the
characters face under their respective governments and regimes. Oppression is defined as
prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority1, which can be argued to be the
underlying plot of both novels. In both novels oppression is explored through constant
surveillance, repression and control of sexuality and manipulation of language.
‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ is set in London, Oceania or ‘Airstrip One’ in the year
identified in the novels title. In Orwell’s imagined futuristic society, Britain is under a
totalitarian government run by ‘Big Brother’, which aims to control the lives, thoughts and
beliefs of its citizens through constant surveillance and propaganda. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’,
published in 1985, and set in near-future England, its story takes place in the imagined
Republic of Gilead which had been overthrown by the Sons of Jacob and was then operating
as a totalitarian theocracy. The sons of Jacob used military force to overthrow the liberal
democratic government and organised a new society based on patriarchy and reproduction.
Both governments oppressed their citizens in a variety of ways, but most similarly,
through curtailing freedom with the constant and militant surveillance of the watchful eye of
‘Big Brother’ in ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, and the secret police called ‘They Eyes’ in ‘The
Handmaid’s Tale’. Both novels explore the oppressive nature of totalitarian governments and
contrast it, through flashbacks of what life was like for Offred and Winston before the
societal shifts, highlighting the true and sudden danger that could possibly threaten our
society today. Orwell is writing about the dangers of communism whereas Atwood is writing
about the dangers of an increasingly right-wing religious fundamentalism and patriarchy. As
Margaret Atwood claims “There’s not a single detail in the book that does not have a
corresponding reality, either in contemporary conditions or historical fact”.2
Firstly, both novels explore the theme of oppression through the surveillance of
citizens from the government as it is used as a form of social control. In ‘The Handmaid’s
Tale’ the ‘Eyes’ are a network of secret police that constantly keep watch on the citizens of
Gilead to maintain the control of the Sons of Jacob. The symbol of the ‘eye’ is a reoccurring
one throughout the novel. In chapter four, Nick winks at Offred and it alarms her, she is
confused and wonders if “perhaps he is an Eye”3, the speed at which Offred became
suspicious and jumped to conclusions demonstrates the paranoia and fear that the Gileadean
government has created through this surveillance. It also shows how Gilead has begun to
invade Offred’s mind as she begins to police herself. The idea of the ‘eye’ came from
philosopher Jeremy Bentham who created the concept of ‘Panopticon’ which in Greek means
‘all-seeing eye’4 it is still used in relation to surveillance, linking to the symbol of ‘the eyes’
which represent the relentless watchfulness of God and the totalitarian state. This symbol can
1
Lexico, Oxford. ‘Definition of oppression’. 2020
2
Judith McCombs. ‘Critical Essays on Margaret Atwood’. 1988
3
Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, 24
4
Briskin. Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, 77
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