Explore how Atwood presents an unsettling dystopian world in ‘The Handmaid’s
Tale’
The novel presents itself to the reader as a dysfunctional future society and
therefore is set in a dystopian world meaning the antithesis of utopia. The unsettling
dystopian nature of the novel can be observed by firstly the historical parallels for
the way Gilead is organised and its citizens are controlled. The statement Atwood
made in an interview saying ‘every single one of the practices described in the novel
is drawn from the historical record’ can support this factor. Furthermore, the loss of
freedom expressed in again depicts a dystopian world and the sexual repression
present can be compared to Orwell’s 1984 which explains the influence of religious
fundamentalism on the rise of misogyny. Social hierarchy is another significant factor
giving a set role and function to each group in society and denying people individual
identity.
The use of social hierarchy enables Atwood to present an unsettling dystopian world
as Gilead has a strict hierarchy consisting of Angels, Commanders, Aunts, Wives,
Daughters, Marthas, Guardians, Handmaids and Unwomen who have to behave
according to their role and status. This hierarchy is created by indoctrination, which
for example is portrayed by the idea of the red centre, which is a nickname for ‘the
Rachel and Leah Re-education Centre’, used to indoctrinate the handmaids in the
ideology of Gilead. The hierarchy is significant in keeping the citizens of such a
society in a state of constant fear and therefore under control. The phrase ‘She puts
the veil to go outside, but nobody much cares who sees the face of a Martha’
portrays how invisible the Marthas are as they lack the one thing that is the centre of
the regime which is the ability to reproduce. Another example of how the social
hierarchy creates a dystopian world is the Aunts who can be argued to be the perfect
product of the totalitarian theocracy. They never question the Government, and they
firmly believe in the Gilead system of values, however misogynistic it is. Through the
use of indoctrination and fear they…
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