Dystopian novels have an entrancing factor that allows them to captivate the American public like no other genre. The mass popularity gained by these novels can be seen dating all the way back to 1950’s with the publishing of George Orwell’s 1984, and through the present day with the publication of various dystopian novels such as Divergent, Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games. The main reason why these dystopian worlds resonate with so many people is because they address present day problems in outlandish, but conceivable ways, "whatever its artistic or philosophic qualities, a book about the future can interest us only if its prophecies look as though they might conceivably come true."(Beauchamp). While The Handmaid's Tale focus on a variety of issues, such as the mistreatment of women, it also realistically illustrates the mental deterioration that occurs during prolonged periods of isolation in captivity. Atwood clearly emphasizes this point through the inclusion of Offred's inner thoughts; which in turn, help to illuminate to the reader the process of this deterioration. Atwood also shows how the Republic of Gilead uses totalitarianism tactics, which parallel those used in North Korea, in order to remain in control. In The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel, Margaret Atwood uses imagery and allusion throughout the novel to illustrate how the republic of Gilead uses techniques to deteriorate one's mind in order to maintain their power; however, in order to combat these depriving notions, Atwood uses symbolism and monologue to establish the idea of persevering through adversity.
Throughout the dystopian country of the Republic of Gilead, fear and threat of violence is used to keep all members of society in check. In conjunction with the creation of this new government, various new social classes began to emerge; some of which include commanders, wives, aunts, marthas, handmaids and econowives. All of these subsequent classes are controlled by The Eyes, and are all treated as “captives” of this new government in their own respective ways. This captivity is vividly seen through the lower classes, due to the novel being told from the first person perspective of Offred, a handmaid. From the opening of the novel, the distress brought about by the Republic of Gilead can prominently be seen. When Offred begins to describe the room in which she resides for a majority of the novel, she makes note of how desolate the room is due to the lack of the furniture and materials to stimulate the mind, such as literature. In concordance with this we see Offred say, “I know why there is no glass, in front of the watercolor picture of blue irises, and why the window opens only partly and why the glass in it is shatter-proof. It isn't running away they're afraid of. We wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge” (Atwood). This shows the hellbent nature of the government to break down these “prisoners”; they all share a preconceived notion that escape is futile due to the immense power of the government, however, they are also planting seeds of despair inside their minds by allowing no conceivable way to escape the cruel grasp of the government. This idea is also evident in a quote from Atwood talking about the novel, it's noteworthy that my heroine's choices remain much the same at the end of the book as they are at the beginning: a career going nowhere, or marriage as an exit from it"(Biehl); here it is seen that there is no progression by the protagonist to improve their situation, she is solely trying to endure the atrocities of the government rather than combat them.
While Offred’s viewpoint makes it seem like only the lower social classes are subjected to torment; however, delving deeper into Atwood's writing contradicts this notion. The clearest example of captivity and oppression by the government on these upper social classes is seen through the actions of the commander's wife, Serena Joy. Serena was originally a catalyst behind the movement presented by The Republic of Gilead, and this can be seen when Atwood states, “Her speeches were about the sanctity of the home, about how women should stay home. Serena Joy didn't do this herself, she made speeches instead, but she presented this failure of hers as a sacrifice she was making for the good of all.”(Atwood). However, as the ideas that Serena advocated began to come to fruition, she began to see the error of her ways. When Atwood first introduces Serena to the audience, she is extremely jaded and has a lifeless desolate gaze. Initially, the audience is left to assume that there is no rational reason for this wicked persona; nonetheless, through the progression of the novel it becomes evident that Serena Joy is merely a product of her environment. Due to strict and inhumane laws put in place by The Republic of Gilead, the wives are no longer allowed to have intercourse with their partners, thus losing a close interpersonal connection with one another, and women were declined the ability to enhance their intellect through activities such as reading and writing. The implementation of these new rules and regulations led to Serena Joy longing for the past; due to the growing distance she feels between her and the commander. In order to reconcile this, Serena is constantly trying to get rid of her handmaid in order to reclaim the relationship she once possessed. These inner feelings of Serena Joy are on prominent display when she discovers that Offred had been visiting the commander behind her back; she states, “‘Behind my back,’ she says. ‘You could have left me something.’ Does she love him, after all?” (Atwood). This quote, while short, helps to unearth Serena's true feelings. When Serena states, “You could have left me something” she is referring to the commanders love and begins to wonder if she lost the only person she cared about. This example helps to enhance the thesis because it illuminates the true depravity of the Republic of Gilead. This is due to the government purposely implementing laws that tear away at their citizens by diminishing their freedoms and demolishing their interpersonal relations.
In order to quell the constant oppression of the government, Atwood implemented heavenly messages of perseverance through adversity. The most prominent use of these messages is through the phrase “Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum”, or in English “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”. Offred initially find this phrase etched into floor of her closet and it immediately becomes her escape from her nightmarish situation. The mere concept of just reading the phrase is punishable by death by the government; however, Offred is so entranced by of possibility of being able to retain an element of her past, that she begins to worship the phrase religiously. Even prior to Offred's knowledge of the true translation of the word, it provides her with immense hope and dedication to be reunited with her daughter and husband. The determination of Offred to persevere the cruel government and eventually go back to normal everyday life is prominently displayed throughout the novel. It can vividly be seen in Offred's inner monologue where she states, “If it's a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending… But if it's a story, even in my head, I must be telling it to someone. You don't tell a story only to yourself. There's always someone else. Even when there is no one.”(Atwood). This quote shows that Offred is doing whatever is necessary in order to keep herself from conforming over to a mindless member of this new society. With the inclusion of Offred's constant mental monologue, it allows for an in-depth look at just how vigorously she is working at to preserve a level head in order to find a way out.
Atwood not only presents her messages of preservierence through Offrends inner monologues, but also through the symbolism of nature throughout the novel. The most prominent use of this symbolism can be seen through the floral images present in Serena Joy's garden. This can be seen in a criticism by Deborah Hooker when she states:
“Offred's paean to the lush effusions of Serena Joy's garden and to the memories of gardens past that it resurrects is arguably the novel's most vivid and certainly most lyrical passage, a sensuous, synesthetic experience of language in marked contrast to the "toneless metallic" iterations of the computerized Soul Scrolls, for example. Despite Serena Joy's persistent presence in the garden, where she displaces her rage at her merely ceremonial part in Gilead's procreational design by ‘snipping off the seedpods’ of various flowers, Offred insists on the garden's splendor:”(Hooker)
It this quote it can be seen that Atwood gives nature give the characters an escape from the oppression present within society. The abundant presence of floral imagery also has a subconscious effect which helps provide the the oppressed women of society a sense of hope. This is evidenced through the analysis of the novel presented by Hooker when she says, “The abundant floral imagery in The Handmaid's Tale, in fact, constitutes an allusive metanarrative that comments not only on the novel's construction but also on what Marshall McLuhan calls the "unconscious effects" of the technologized word (6). With the flower as a constant in these allusions, Atwood's narrative traverses the history of such effects.”(Hooker).
“The artist doesn’t necessarily communicate. The artist evokes … [It] actually doesn’t matter what I feel. What matters is how the art makes you feel.”-Margaret Atwood. The main purpose behind the mere creation of The Handmaid’s Tale is to bring the purpose of present day problems to light and Atwood does a masterful job in putting the mistreatment of women front and center. In invoking dormant feelings in her readers, Atwood manages to start a conversation towards improving atrocities that prevailed throughout our society.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. New York, Anchor Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1998.
Beauchamp, Gorman. “The Politics of The Handmaid’s Tale.” The Midwest Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 1, 2009, p. 11+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A209400824/AONE?u=nysl_li_vsnhs&sid=AONE&xid=6ae5ccc5. Accessed 6 Feb. 2018.
Biehl, Kristen Sarah. "Governing through uncertainty: experiences of being a refugee in Turkey as a country for temporary asylum." Social Analysis, vol. 59, no. 1, 2015, p. 57+. Academic OneFile,
Hooker, Deborah. “(Fl)orality, gender, and the environmental ethos of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 52, no. 3, 2006, p. 275+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A162791533/AONE?u=nysl_li_vsnhs&sid=AONE&xid=1e891536. Accessed 6 Feb. 2018.