A document compiled over 2 years detailing the use of narrative style, epigraphs, language and allusions - with categorised quotes and themes. Perfect for essay planning and understanding the novel
Handmaid’s Tale Ultimate Condensed Notes
Basic Notes
Atwood presents a unique dystopia where the focus is female identity,
body, and psyche and how these are restricted under the regime.
Atwood only writes about technology that already exists or is likely to
happen to enable belief that this could easily happen in America.
Atwood only features things that have already happened to women in
the past, in multiple societies.
Context:
Nods to Orwell’s 1984 and criticises the lack of women in the dystopian genre.
Shift to the right globally in late 70s and early 80s- Canada (Brian Mulroney),
England (Thatcher) and America (Reagan). Specifically, Reagan’s reversal of
social policies and support from extreme Christian groups such as the Moral
Majority who formed political ideology on abortion and ‘school prayer.’
Atwood explained that the shift to the right was an integral part of the
introduction of Gilead into American society.
Inspiration from Puritanism- the more simplified and God centred version of
Christianity. Atwood’s ancestor Mary Webster who was tried as a witch and
survived a hanging was also a Puritan and Atwood dedicated the novel and a
poem to her.
Education and Harvard- Atwood sets the red centre (Rachel and Leah centre) in
Harvard university, and also dedicates the book to a fellow Harvard scholar.
Atwood presents the importance of education and knowledge in governments
but also the restriction of it under dictatorship and theocracy.
Second wave feminism- Atwood was inspired by second wave feminism in the
late 70s and early 80s which strived for more liberating laws and more equality
between men and women. Atwood uses empowered female characters to
present the different waves of feminism for example Offred’s mother and
Moira.
Ceausescu the Romanian dictator who forced women to take pregnancy tests
monthly and passed a law that said women must have four babies.
, Nazi Germany- the control and scape-goating elements of their regime.
Similarly, their opinions on women and their roles in society (children, church,
home), mother’s medals. Additionally, the breeding aspect of a ‘pure’ race.
Literary inspiration and context links
Atwood’s the Female Body essay- satirical extracts of her writing about the
female body which refers to the body as ‘it’ and ‘topic’ which reflects the
common dehumanisation and objectification of women and their bodies and
reflects on the disconnect between female mind, personality and psyche, and the
female body. A quote from the essay that strongly links to Handmaid’s is ‘she’s
a natural resource’ which mirrors the opinion in Gilead that the Handmaid’s are
a resource that can be used for the benefit of upper-class men and women, but
ultimately the regime itself.
Helene Cixous’ ‘The Laugh of the Medusa’- shows the importance of women
writing about women and how the lack of female authors is dangerous as it
allows men to create representations of women in books that are untrue, or
furthermore just lead to a lack of representation of women in literature. It shows
the hypocrisy of society’s expectations of women and how literature and real
stories can combat that as ‘writing is the very possibility of change’.
George Orwell and Atwood – subverts the idea of male narration in the
dystopian genre – the objectification of man rather than women – Offred's
female perspective - ‘big brother is watching you’ and ‘under his eye’
Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales – social satire – church, nobility, corruption
and morality
Epigraphs + Allusions
‘Give me children or else I die’- Genesis, Rachel and Leah, reflects on the need
for children in the futuristic regime and the detrimental effects the lack of
children would have on society and the human race. Also mirrors how the
Handmaid’s give the Commander’s wives children instead of keeping the
children for themselves.
‘A Modest Proposal’ by Jonathan Swift- proposes and establishes the idea that
Handmaid’s Tale is satirical, alike this epigraph.
‘In the desert there is no sign that says, thou shalt not eat stones’, the Sufi
proverb- reflects the metaphorical ‘desert’ that is Gileadean society as they have
lost the ability to reproduce. Also reflects the means of comfort that people will
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