When Ronald Reagan was the president of the United States, Margaret Atwood wrote the novel. (1981-1989). Politico-religious fundamentalism increased during this period. The main theme of the novel is how the state of Gilead imposes a form of dictatorship through the use of religious extremism. It is marked by severe penalties and warnings that God is constantly keeping an eye on them to prevent sin. The primary objective, however, is to silence the populace and keep them from speaking out against injustices. (Bloom, 2009).
Religious fanaticism is one of the book's central topics. The book describes the repercussions of using extreme religious practices when solving problems in the society. The main groups which suffered as a result of this were women and gay men. Most of the conservatives sought to recriminalize abortion. In the book, doctors who practised abortion, even when it was legal, were hanged on the wall by religious extremists. There was also this notion that all women should be housewives and take care of their families. They were also not allowed to own property or money. Gay men were accused of gender treachery and hanged. The uniforms worn by the handmaid also covered most of their bodies, only leaving a small portion of the face bare (Bloom, 2009).
Literary Devices
This theme these can further be explained using literary devices as shown below.
Figurative language
The society in Gilead is one that utilizes religion in almost every aspect of life by quoting the bible and use of biblical terms. For instance, in order to refer to ranks held by men they use the term ‘angels’ and ‘the eye of God’. This shows that men are held in very high esteem and are compared to heavenly beings. Prayers (soul scrolls) are also used to show devotion to the regime and God and are also utilized to survey and control the people.
In Gilead there is rampant theocracy because the Church and the state are one and the same. This is shown as positions of authority are given Biblical names. “The Angels stood outside [what] with their backs to us, but of something else as well. If only they would look. If only we could talk to them. Something could be exchanged.” This emphasises on the fact that the soldiers (angels) are so exemplary that they should be obeyed and followed. This further helps in the development of an oppressive system (Balfour, 2012)
Religion is also used in the book as a tool of oppressing women. The grocery stores are also given biblical names so as to assert the role of women in that society. When Offren and Ofglen go to the grocery shop, Offren says, “Our first stop is at a store with another wooden sign: three eggs, a bee, a cow. Milk and Honey” (Atwood 28). The name ‘Milk and Honey’ is from the way Israel’s fertility is depicted in the book of Exodus. Only handmaids were allowed to enter this shop, thus indicating their function in the society as bearing children.
In the book, Offred indicates that men only view women as mere sexual objects in the Gilead society. “This is the kind of touch they like: folk art, archaic, made by women, in their spare time, from things that have no further use. A return of traditional values. Waste not want not.” Offred insinuates that she and her fellow handmaids are nothing but mere decorative pieces and pointless leftovers who are exploited by men.
Imagery
In Gilead, the government has decided to take certain quotes from the bible and made them the law of the land. There is also an obvious reference to the book of Genesis 30:1-3 which has the phrase, “Give me children or else I die. This is used in the Gilead society to bring a handmaid into a marriage with no children so that she can give the family heirs. Handmaids also shop at stores which possess only biblical names such as Milk and Honey, Loaves and Fishes, Lilies, All Flesh. Places where prostitutes stayed were called Jezebels, this signified their wickedness in the Gilead society (Tolan, 2005).
There is also the mention of ‘the eyes of God’ in the novel. It symbolizes nonstop watchfulness by God and the government. When we look deeper into it, this is used to describe the secret police in Gilead that spy on the people.
There is also the game of scrabble which Offred plays with her commander. The game is supposed to be fun but it is used to gauge and individual’s intelligence. It is based on creation of words and the skilful one is the winner. The catch is where the words used in the game were Biblical words. This indicated that in the Gilead society, an individual’s intelligence is measured by how well they know the Bible. This depicts how language and religion can be used to oppress the society.
Irony
In Gilead, they use the idea in Genesis 30:1-3 that masters can sire children with their servants if their wives are barren. In the Bible, Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah but impregnates both of them and their handmaids. However, the two sisters do not are not jealous of one another and do not treat each other unfairly. However, Offred is merely viewed as an individual who bears children for his master and his wife. Once the handmaids finish lactating the child, they are forbidden from ever interacting with their children. This indicates misinterpretation of the Bible in order to keep the handmaids away from their children (Tolan, 2005).
According to the Bible, both adultery and divorce should be crimes in Gilead. Homosexuality is also punishable by death. However, the same society which uses the Bible as its guide forces the fertile women whose families are not rich to become handmaids and engage in adulterous acts. It goes a step further when women are given names based on their commanders such as Offred as her master’s name was Red.
At the Red Center, the Aunts teach women about sexual purity and moral behaviour. Aunt Lydia stated that Gilead offered protection for women against sexual violence and pornography. However, in the same society there is Jezebel’s. This is where the powerful men in Gilead went for entertainment. This is just a brothel where women who did not want to be sent to Colonies (death camps) were sent.
The state of Gilead is governed by laws based on the Bible. Shops are named after the Bible (e.g. Milk and Honey). The Aunts who taught morality to ladies also quoted the Bible but left out some words. For instance, in Offred’s room there was the word ‘faith’ yet ‘hope’ and ‘love’ were left out on purpose (Snodgrass, 2007). In Genesis 31:32, Gilead is the mountain where an oath was taken so that God is the judge in human conflicts. However, there is no democracy in the state and there is use of harsh punishments in the state such as hanging.
Conclusion
From this book, it is evident that some regimes are fond of using religious duty as a way of suppressing the people and instilling fear in them. They do so by quoting the verses which favour their agenda and leaving out the parts which question their rule. It is therefore important that religion is a choice and not something forced on individuals. If a state is run on religion, it should use the entire text in the Holy Book and not just the portions which favour them.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. The Handmaid's Tale. Infobase Publishing, 2009.
Balfour, Ian. "Paradox and Provocation in the Writing and Teaching of Northrop Frye." university of toronto quarterly 81.1 (2012): 50-59.
Tolan, Fiona. "Feminist utopias and questions of liberty: Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale as critique of second wave feminism." Women: a cultural review 16.1 (2005): 18-32.
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. CliffsNotes on Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.
