An English Literature Extended Essay which received an A in the 2019 IB exams.
The essay studies two works - 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale - and analyses how are female leads in dystopia presented differently in both works and what are the impacts of those differences?
, Looking through a feminist lens, the female leads of George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) and
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) are two sides of the same coin. Julia and
Offred are victimized by the totalitarian state because of their gender, yet they share vastly
different characteristics and personalities. This paper aims to investigate the question: How are
female leads in dystopia presented differently in 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale, and what are
the impacts of these differences? Orwell, as a British male, has a different approach to the
presentation of Julia compared to Atwood’s Offred. After all, Atwood has been an active writer
since the 1960s, and Orwell since the 1930s. Best known for his works such as Animal Farm
(1945) and of course, 1984, Orwell is a master of political satire and dystopian literature, though
he writes other forms as well, like short stories and essays.1 Similarly, Atwood writes a spectrum
of genres, ranging from short stories to poetry. She established her reputation as a contemporary,
feminist writer in and outside of Canada’s literary scene.2 Even in The Handmaid’s Tale, through
careful characterization of the protagonist Offred, Atwood highlights female empowerment as a
strong message. The relationship between both texts can be traced back to the link between both
authors. Atwood read Orwell’s Animal Farm as a child, and 1984 when she was in high school.3
She pointed out that most dystopias feature female characters that are not well developed, and
are usually portrayed as “sexless objects or rebels that go against the regime’s sex rules.”4 In
fact, since 1984 was written in third person limited narrative, from a male point of view
1
Quinn, Edward. “Orwell, George.” Infobase Learning - Login, Bloom's Literature, 2009,
online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/12?articleId=16344&q=george orwell.
2
Werlock, Abby H. P. “Atwood, Margaret.” Infobase Learning - Login, Bloom's Literature,
2017, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/12?articleId=9081&q=margaret atwood.
3
Atwood, Margaret. “My Hero: George Orwell by Margaret Atwood.” The Guardian, Guardian
News and Media, 18 Jan. 2013,
www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/18/my-hero-george-orwell-atwood.
4
Ibid
2
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