(N.B. Don't skip the "Historical Notes" at the end of the book: this section is an essential part of the book!)
Allusion: an incidental mention of something, a passing or casual reference, either directly or by implication: an allusion to the Holocaust; an allusion to the myth of Pandora's Box.
Intertextuality: the relationship that exists between different texts, especially literary texts, or the reference in one text to another text or texts. So if a modern writer writes "Good night, honest Harry!" we could see that as an intertextual reference to Shakespeare's Othello ("Good night, honest Iago"), and because we know that Iago is NOT honest, we would instantly know that the modern author probably wants us to think about whether Harry really is honest.
There are numerous examples of allusions and intertextuality in The Handmaid's Tale. Find one or two examples and reflect on why Atwood uses them; what purpose do they serve?
Alternatively, consider this quotation from the interview with Atwood (at the back of some editions of the book):
"The thing to remember is that there is nothing new about the society depicted in The Handmaid's Tale except the time and place. All of the things I have written about have - as noted in the "Historical Notes" at the end - been done before, more than once."
Can you follow Atwood's historical references? Draw a parallel between an event or situation in the book and the same kind of event or situation in history.
Trivia questions:
The book is dedicated to two people. What did each of them do to merit the dedication?
Not all editions of the book have these dedications. In case yours doesn't, here's another trivia question: What is the main intertextual basis of Margaret Atwood's most recent novel, published in 2016?
36 comments:
Marieke van Lith - DENS3A
When reading the story, it is clear that some drastic measures have to be taken in order to reach the point Atwood describes. It is not a story that describes women having a tough time or being treated unequally. It’s a story of total destruction and elimination of free will and power amongst women. It's not that women have come from nothing and are slowly gaining more rights. Even in Mesopotamia, women could buy, own and sell property, as well as appear in court as witnesses. Also in ancient Egypt, women had more rights than Atwood describes in The Handmaid’s Tale. Women in ancient Egypt could buy, sell, be a partner in legal contracts, be executor in wills and witness to legal documents, bring court action, and adopt children. It wasn’t until the renaissance that women were set back. In this time, a woman was mostly defined by their marital status. All property a woman owned was automatically property of her husband at the time of marriage. Including children. Rape was even legal within a marriage. It was around this time the men started to take ownership of women. In a way, we can compare a Handmaid being put into a form of marriage where their commander pleases to do with her as he wishes.
Of course none of this is equal to the lives Atwood describes but today, Trump's administration is using it's power to strip women of their rights. For instance their reproductive rights. A group of male politicians decide whether women have the right to choose to be pregnant or not. In forms of funding birth control or legalizing adoption.
Noor Gudden DENS3A
Atwood has written a book which makes us look at our society from an interesting point of view. She stimulates us to take a look at repeating patterns in history and make links to the world we live in now. It is a bit scary to look at our world this way and to see what all could go wrong. Dangerous persons and their networks can gain power quickly and by influencing us in multiple sly ways. I do see what Atwood means by referencing to different points in history in the book.
For instance, the hanging of people and their public display was already done in the middle ages and is still being carried out by extremists in the Middle East today. By displaying the corpses a message is sent to stick to the law or the rules that are enforced by the so called leaders in that area. History repeats itself in different ways similar ideas are behind it. Through the ages many leaders and dictators have suppressed people by finding a scapegoat and creating fear, tension and hysteria.
Loïs Berghout
VENS3C
In the book, the handmaidens are portrayed as possessions, they are more seen as things that have to get pregnant and give birth. Handmaidens, in the book, are different, they don’t have any power, they have to do as told, they don’t have any choices, they just follow.
If we look at this century, this era, women, in some countries, still don’t have a lot power. They are not allowed to vote, not allowed to say no, not allowed to go against a man.
Women have rights, just like men. Women are smart, powerful and can achieve whatever they want but when their rights are stripped away, they have nothing and this is not right.
Men and women are equal and in the book, this is not the case and in some places in the world, this is also not the case.
Women should have the power over their bodies. Not one man should have the power to say to a woman that she cannot have an abortion because she had fallen pregnant after she got raped. Not one government, consisting of only men, should be allowed to change a law to legalize birth control without any research or having heard women talk and explain.
In addition to a large dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale is a concealed portrait of the United States. In the book, the realm of evil is called Gilead which refers to a fertile, plentiful region in Palestine mentioned in the Bible. Atwood uses this name to make the restrictive society seem, to the citizens, like a better place than it actually is.
"This is the heart of Gilead, where the war cannot intrude except on television. Where the edges are we aren't sure, they vary, according to the attacks and counterattacks; but this is the center, where nothing moves. The Republic of Gilead, said Aunt Lydia, knows no bounds. Gilead is within you" (23).
Atwood sketches a near future in which a large part of mankind has become infertile. An extremely Christian theocracy is established in the United States after a coup, the land Gilead is a kind of caliphate based on biblical texts. As frequently in the novel, the regime deliberately confuses a spiritual idea with a political doctrine. Free will is no option in this totalitarian state, since the Eyes (the secret police of the Republic of Gilead) are watching the citizens. The Eyes symbolize at the same time also the perpetual watchfulness of God.
Dalina Mahmood VENS3C
Handmaid tale is a speculative fiction which means that, some aspects of what we read about in the book really happened at some point in human history or somewhere in the world. It can also be a waring for humankind that in a split second the world can change. There are a lot of historical aspects in Handmaids tale.
There are of course plenty of historical aspects that can relate to handmaids tale, but I will just give four example for now.
First, Atwood was inspired by the 17the century Puritan New England. Her writing was influenced by the rise of the religion rights back then, that is why in Gilead a theocratic regime comes to power. She compares the attitudes to women right to those of 17the century. Also worth noting, is the Salem witch trials of 1692. This links somehow to the handmaid tale. Back then those who were found guilty of witchcraft were publicly executed. We learn about The Wall that Offred describes where the criminals as priests, doctors and scientists were hanged. The public executions were a way to control and remind the people of what could happen if they fail to follow law and orders. These public executions are still happening in certain countries. In Syria where ISIS is in control this still happens.
Second, Germany in connection to handmaid tale’s Gilead. Atwood has written her book from Berlin, While the wall still stood there. The Cold War shows the military structure, and the secret police which we know as the Eyes in Gilead linked to the S.S in Nazi Germany. Dress code policy to eliminating individuality, identity and social status. The Jews had to wear the star of David so they could be identified, in handmaid tale there was a specific dress code for women to only identify their status. The racism against the Jews as a scapegoat, while in Gilead there is a brutal treatment of LGBTQs
Third, stolen generation could be similar practice which links to Handmaid tale.
While in Australia the indigenous children were lawfully stolen from their homes and placed in foster white families, so that they can be more educated, cultured etc. We see this in handmaid’s tale as well. By taking the handmaids children, so they can be raises by those consider more decent and worthy.
Lastly, the practice of female genital mutilation which was found in Africa is another similar practice to the one in handmaid tale. The purpose is to control women’s bodies whether that is to preserving virginity or prevent sexual pleasure. We see this when Aunt Lydia use this as a punishment for traitorous behavior of an unwomen.
Conclusion, Atwood uses human history in her novel this way her novel looks and sounds more realistic. This gives the reader the idea that a society as Gilead could happen and is not far from impossible.
Bart Neven VENS3C
"The thing to remember is that there is nothing new about the society depicted in The Handmaid's Tale except the time and place. All of the things I have written about have - as noted in the "Historical Notes" at the end - been done before, more than once."
Where do we begin?
In the first accounts of history, there is already a great distinction between the roles of men and women. The first thing that comes to mind is the story of Abraham. There is an ongoing debate if this is even accurate, however, the bible is one of the first scriptures humanity has had. The story goes that Abraham couldn't have children with his wife Sarah, so Sarah suggested that Abraham should sleep with a slave so that he would get children. The credibility of this story can be questioned, of course, however it gives us an indication of the position of women had in the year 1800 BC. Women had to make children and make sure the bloodline did not die out, while the men were hunting, farming, bashing each other's skulls in. The position of women would also not change until after the second world war. (generally speaking, there are some exceptions in history)
However, the thing that is probably most scary in the story, in my opinion, is the fact that church and the state are not separated in the story. This is probably hard to imagine for us, but it is the cause of all the problems in the story and also caused a lot of problems for humanity in the past. (pogroms, discrimination, witch hunts, etc.) And this is the case for every major religion in history.
I could go on giving examples, however, I think it is clear to everyone that the events in the book are nothing new. An autocrasy, which uses religion/ideals to suppress the populace. Pick any moment in history and you will find plenty examples.
Babette Sutter
VENS3C
In Atwood’s book, women are treated as possessions and objects, rather than equal human beings. While in this case, it’s quite an extreme example, there are still many places in the world where girls and women are not treated equally. They aren’t allowed to get an education or pick their own husband at an acceptable age to marry, but are instead forced to start working or marry at a very young age. There are still countries where women can’t get an abortion, even if they have been raped/are underage (or even worse: both).
It’s not even that long ago that women became (mostly) equal to men in western countries according to the law. Making something unlawful does not immediately erase certain behaviour, though. There are still a lot of men and women in western countries who have old fashioned views on a woman’s place in the world.
But women are strong and resilient, and the fight for equality continues to grow. Look at Afghanistan, where girls aren’t officially allowed to play sports. So, what do they do? They learned how to use a skateboard, since that isn’t an officially recognised sport in that country. In India, groups of women are fighting and scaring off rapists, forcing the government to recognise the issues.
There will always be people who think we deserve less than we actually do, but in 20 years, everyone will laugh at them like we laugh nowadays at people who didn’t think black people deserved equality a few centuries ago.
Lisa Aalmers VENS3C
Atwood uses a lot of allusions and intertextuality in The Handmaid's Tale. Through these stylistic devises she creates a lot of biblical and historical references, but she also refers to art, literature, and pop music.
Atwood uses these references to construct the world in which this story takes place, Gilead. This way readers understand and even recognise parts of the world she created. An example of this is when she refers to the women of World War II whose heads were shaved for consorting with the enemy. “Where did I see that film, about women, kneeling in the town square, hands holding them, their hair falling in clumps? What had they done? It must have been a long time ago, because I can’t remember.”(chapter 12) As reader, you know immediately what she is talking about. You understand the seriousness of the situation and the feeling that comes along with it.
Also, it makes you feel closer to the narrator because you both have a history in which the WWII had a big impact. So, these stylistic devises also construct the narrator of this story, Offred, because these references make it easier for readers to understand and relate to her. It makes Offred seem real because she refers to things the reader knows, understands and or has another kind of connection with. An example of this is the song ‘Amazing Grace’(chapter 10) which Offred secretly sings to herself. Singing is forbidden and because these songs are not played in public anymore she is not sure if the words are right. Just imagine, to lose the freedom to sing and listen to music, something that we take for granted. This gives us a good idea of the kind of life Offred is living.
Debbie vens3c
One of the allusions that stood out most to me is already found in chapter two 'they've removed everything you could tie a rope to.' an almost casual reference to suicide, which hits all the harder than just saying 'they don't want us to commit suicide.' which is what it basically says.
I believe Atwood uses allusions throughout the story because our narrator also doesn't want to literally say what is going on, the mind of the reader capable to fill in the gaps. Due to the allusions and intriguing descriptions the book sometimes almost reads like poetry.
In chapter 38 Moira tells about her escape and mentions she was shown a film of the Colonies. She describes three kinds of ways the women and men that are send their have to live. One of them is that they have to burn the bodies of deceased people, this made me think of the way most concentrations camps got rid of the bodies. The second kind of Colony Moira mentioned she had seen was where people had to clean up while being exposed with toxic spills or radiation. Both these situations made me think about concentration camps too since the people cleaning up where send there because the Government needed to get rid of them but still wanted to exploit them before they ended their lives. Perhaps this is not a very clear parallel, but it made me think more about the Mayday operations as I saw a link between those and the resistance operations that took place during World War II.
Zeynep Cabuk 0912821
vens3c
The Handmaid's tale is a warning to society. And maybe even a warning for the upcoming generation. Especially after the election of Donald Trump, the novel came in a wave of interest. In an interview Atwood mentioned her having disturbing thoughts. Thoughts fearing the worse, that the book might become a forecast, rather than being a warning.
Several allusions have been used by Atwood. Atwood made sure that every detail of the story happened already and didn't include made up things. As Atwood said: "So, think of it as a cake in which I made the cake, but all of the raisins and chocolate chips are real."
Thus Atwood used a lot of sources and one of them is the Bible. I found one quotation in which Atwood referred to Genesis 29:31-30:24.
"He is stroking my body now, from stem as they say to stern, cat stroke along the left flank, down the left leg. ... It means ownership" (p.254)
The Bible portrays the story of Rachel and her sister Leah who use their maids to have children since they could not have one of their own. (Genesis 29:31-30:24
Another quotation referres to a historical event during the second world war. The holocaust, the extermination of Jews with the aim of creating a perfect race.
"The one I remember.. was with a woman who had been the mistress of a man who has supervised one of the camps where they put the Jews.." (p.145)
Clearly, the narrator was describing the holocaust.
The use of these allusions gives validity to the story and that we have to take into account that these things happened and might happen again. History repeats itself.
The stolen generation between 1910-1970 is an example which relates to handmaid’s tale.
the indigenous children were removed from their families. Children were forced to adopt the white culture. They were forbidden to speak their language and their names were even changed. In the handmaid’s Tale everyone’s everyone lost their identity. As it happened in Australia they couldn’t complain that their children were taken away. To survive, they had to do what they wanted and had to take new names.
"My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter."
Meryem Öztürk
0913990
VENS3C
Tamara Salem - 0920243 - VENS3C
One of the allusions I want to talk about is: '"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, Give me Children, or else I die. he said, who hath with held thoe the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bibah, go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her."
I think the writer wants to show the reader that in that time period when a woman couldn't give birth to a child, she was useless. That's why she envies her sister so much.
Personally, I think that's sad. A woman isn't supposed to feel worthless because of something she can't control.
Yessica van der Veere, VENS3C, 0893804
In a way, the religious way of living in The Handmaid’s Tale reminds me of the Puritans who settled in “The New World” at the end of the seventeenth century and the start of the eighteenth century. The Puritans were described in Chapter six when the handmaidens walked past the church on their way home. The society in The Handmaid’s Tale has the same modesty and in both their religious opinions and the Puritans religious opinions women were less than men.
One of the first few questions women get when they have been sexually harassed, assaulted or raped is: “What were you wearing when it happened?”
This is alluded in The Handmaid’s Tale every time we get to read about Offred’s time with the aunts. It shows us how women in this day and age are seen by some people. It shows us the way of thought in rape culture: Everything is the woman’s fault; She was wearing clothes that weren’t modest enough, she provoked the men.
VENS3C - Besha Mahmood
The handmaid’s tale has many events that are related to history, but also to events that are happening in the world every day.
Firstly, the handmaid’s are forced to bear children for the families they are ‘owned’ by. Every handmaid who can bear children is owned by a family. When the babies are born they are raised by the wives. They have to give up the baby and once they are done, and they have to go to a other family. This is related to the historical event that happened in Australia, when the indigenous children were lawfully removed from their families and placed in religious fosters.
Secondly, the handmaids were forced to wear red outfits which identify their roles and rights in the society. This is very similar to the Jews during the world war who had to wear a yellow band around their arm, and the yellow star that indicated that they were Jewish. Also, Hitler would steal children and turn them into Germans. He preferred blond and blue eyes children.
Lastly, even now with everything that is going on in America with Donald Trump’s recent stance on abortion, women’s health and feminism.
In conclusion, the book challenges us to look at our society and see but also speak against the people who seem to be keen on stripping away human rights in order to make the world a better place.
Quote: “Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse for some”.
I think the fact that women are considered less than men, is still an ongoing issue. In some countries, it is still a women’s duty to stay in the kitchen, watch the kids and are women used to conceive children. This is also one of the recurring themes in the handmaid’s tale. Women are being brainwashed to think that they serve one purpose, to have babies for commanders and their wives who cannot conceive on their own.
The republic of Gilead is a state where other opinions are not allowed. How many dictatorships are known today where the people have no freedom of speech. Look at how Hitler came to power and made sure that the papers only discussed what he wanted it to discuss.
History repeats itself constantly.
Melisa Maria
VENS3C
Most literary visions of the future, benign or otherwise, tend to be rooted in the aughor’s perspective of their environment. The state of society in these works is often a reflection of our own; in The Handmaid’s Tale, it serves as a warning for our future and commentary on the past.
The cautionary message regarding Western civilization is not easy to miss, and is as relevant now as it was in ‘85. Women’s reproductive rights, among others, have been a back-and-forth battle going for decades, in part due to regressive legislation. The Handmaid’s Tale warns against a world where this specific erosion of rights is taken to its logical extreme. Going on Atwood’s quote from the interview mentioned above, however, this criticism is not rooted in speculation, but in our own history.
Consider, for example, what is hinted at by the term “Underground Femaleroad.” The allusion to the Underground Railroad in the 19th century is immediately obvious, placing the colonialist powers of that time on the same axis as the oppressive regime depicted in the book. Other historical connections are made explicit in the Historical Notes section, and of course our own historical knowledge can be applied to look for societies restricting the rights of certain minorities.
The ultimate message of The Handmaid’s Tale is not that we must beware of becoming the Sons of Jacob ourselves; we must take care to not become them again.
Cornelis vd Klooster - VENS 2B
The biggest culprit in this story is the coalition of church and state. Whenever religion and state are not separated from one another, free will goes out the window.
In this story church and state pretty much depend on each other and thus the aforementioned happened. Up until Henry the 8th's separation from the church, the described story was decently close to being a medieval reality.
"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, Give me Children, or else I die. he said, who hath with held thoe the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bibah, go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her."
This could be an example of an allusion, as it refers to a woman envying her sister for being able to conceive children while she hersel could not.
Looking at history, a woman being unable to conceive was seen as a disgrace whereas now it is regarded as something pitiful. It shows the difference in era and the difference in position that a woman had back then compared to her position now.
Zenab Zamil, 0909703, VENS3C
Bedra Mohamud 0908880 VENS3C
In the Handmaid’s tale, there are plenty of examples of allusions and intertextuality. I believe that Atwood used allusions to get a point across without directly specifying it.
Page. 254: “He’s stroking my body now, from stem as they say to stern, cat stroke along the left flank, down the left leg. He stops at the foot, his fingers encircling the ankle, briefly, like a bracelet, where the tattoo is, a Braille he can read, a cattle brand. It means ownership”.
(Genesis 29:31) In the bible, Rachel and her sister Leah used their servants to bear children when they couldn’t have kids of their own. The servants were considered property, meaning their offspring are considered the owners.
Julia Karreman dens3a
In chapter twenty Atwood describes a scene where the young Handmaids watch a film censored by the Commanders is suppose. In the film the main character sees her own mother protesting with sings as ‘Take back the night’ ‘Freedom to choose’ ‘Do you believe a woman’s place is on the kitchen table?’ This made me think of the 1960 when women were fighting for access to better jobs and salary inequality. The freedom to attend professional schooling in medicine, law and engineering for example.
In the book the Handmaid is stripped from all her bank accounts and credit cards. In the 1960 women could only get credit cards or their own bank account if they were married and their husbands gave permission. You could say that a woman in that time (and it isn’t that long ago) a woman was merely here to be someone’s keeper, her husbands or her children’s.
There are a lot of examples of allusion, the one that stood out the most to me was the reference to the Bible. Atwood used certain sentences from the Bible and adapted them to slogans the Aunts used, to let the Handmaids recite three times a day.
‘From each, according to her ability; to each according to his needs’.
Intertextuality and allusions are fairly easy to find in this book. Intertextuality refers to the biblical quotes. However, in the Handmaid's Tale these quotes are taken completely out of context and twisted in such a way that they are interpreted as the fundamental beliefs that justify the practices of the regime. This is an example of how intertextuality can strengthen one's authority, even if the referent text's intended purpose is not adhered to.
The allusions within Handmaid's Tale also seem to come from the Bible. For example the name "Gilead", "Jezebel", "Milk and Honey".Even the cars have biblical names (“Behemoth”).
The title itself is an allusion to Geoffrey Chaucer's book, "The Canterbury Tales". The uniforms that the handmaids have to wear are allusions to nun's habit, which is actually ironic because the reason handmaids are valued is because of their fertility, whereas nuns are usually abstinent...
Ymke Went
DENS3/4A
Dagmar Dubois DENS3A
I found The Handmaid’s Tale somewhat unsettling to read at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, yet several aspects of the dystopian world in which the story plays out in seemed rather probable, despite it being 2018. Women are forced to uphold strict roles in the novel and are never encouraged nor allowed to venture outside the boundaries the patriarchic society has set for them. This is not only a recurring theme in the book, but more importantly has been an important issue throughout history time and time again. I think Atwood’s several allusions to history and how she ties them into the book show a form of criticism she has on these historical events. She ties them into the novel so well, prompting the reader to reflect on these situations. I think this novel is timeless as even though there has been major progress for women in society since the book was published, women’s rights are STILL an issue today and will not be righted in the near future, unfortunately. There are some stark similarities between the story and political decisions made in the US just last year, for example, when it comes to a woman’s right to choose to do what she wants with her own body. I believe this discussion will never be resolved as long as church and state aren’t actually separated.
Claudia Crenshaw DENS3A
Margaret Atwood researched historical and socio-cultural events in her preparation for writing The Handmaid’s Tale. The significance in this is that Gilead may actually be more realistic than we as readers would like to believe. Atwood followed her scientific sensibilities in gathering and studying newspaper clippings, and then utilized her literary prowess to craft the Republic of Gilead. This world of Eyes, Commanders, Handmaids, colonies and Red Centers is a logical extrapolation of what Atwood observed at the time of writing the novel. Typically speaking dystopian novels are written to criticize or satirize governments, socio-political currents, and in this regard, The Handmaid’s Tale is no exception. At the time of writing the novel the world was witnessing the Iranian Revolution, countless environmental disasters, and the ongoing Cold War. Finally, a wave of feminism in the 1970s that lead to contraceptive and sexual freedom for women was met by a rise of the Moral Majority in the United States. This fundamentalist strain of Christian groups headed by Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham became a powerful political force, and served to reverse many gains made by women’s groups. The rise of the Moral Majority underscored the continuing influence of Puritanism in American socio-political leanings.
The handmaid’s tale has many events that are related to history, but also to events that are happening in the world every day.
The women in this story are seen as possessions. They don’t have any power nor influence. All they have to do is to listen because they don’t have any choices. When we have a closer look at this century, women still do not have much freedom in some parts of the world. For example in some countries women are not allowed to divorce, drive or travell by themselves.
In conclusion, the book challenges us to look at our society and see but also speak against the people who seem to be keen on stripping away human rights in order to make the world a better place.
Bea Viergever DENS3A
I believe that what Atwood tries to say is that society is prone to make incredible changes that benefit one side and supresses the other side. Religion and a strong believe of reasoning behind disappointing events has changed several societies for hundreds of years in favour of those who could benefit from it.
Take for example the reformation of the Catholic Church to the Church of England which made the king of England in a way the new ‘pope’. However, before this decision was made several things occurred to him which he wanted to change and even though religion, the pope and the church was of great value once it all disappeared when the king had to get his way, a marriage annulled and a new wife in return. Consequently followers of the catholic faith became heretics and were punished for their beliefs which were only to change for one man’s desires. The women who followed the first wife were there for only one purpose which was to give him a son and their wishes and dreams and hopes were not mentioned in the history books or just in the form of ‘power’.
In the novel the changes in society occur when it is claimed that a STI epidemic is the cause for extremely low numbers in birth-rates. Women’s promiscuity in society is judged and changes are made form a religious perspective in which the role of woman should be adjusted to societies needs, baring children. In a way the women in Atwood’s dystopian novel have as little to say about their life’s purpose as the women at court of King Henry VIII of England.
“big flakes of paper came loose, sailed into the air, still on fire, parts of women’s bodies, turning to black ash, in the air, before my eyes.”
I really loved the part of the book where the books or novels were burnt. It became clear that this was a metaphor to tell about the parts of history where woman were oppressed by men and could even be burned when they didn’t act the way they had to.
In some parts of the world woman were (and still are) burnt for showing their naked bodies or sleeping with another man (or woman). I think this part of the book was metaphorical perfect (because of the woman in the magazines) and I really saw the parallel with history.
I think one of the strengths of this powerful novel is the fact that it is replete with intertextualitiy and allusions,that most of the time, serve as a reference to both historical and present religious or political oppressivenesses. It makes us as a reader reflect on our personal lives and the society we live in, with the unsettling consequence that we discover similarities.
The way the dystopian society of Gilead is organized and the way its citizens are dressed reminds us of patriarchic religious sects like the Quakers or the Mormons. In fact it caries similarities with many fundamentalistic religious groups
The horrors that take place are references to all the genocides that took place up to now. It shows the absurdity of the abhorrent things powerful people do to the harmful, in the name of an alleged justice or truth.
Additionally the novel refers to how we are failing to take care of our planet, and to the disastrous consequences this may imply.
No wonder a group of American political activists took the name of ‘The Handmaid Coalition to fight for things like equal rights for all minorities, which unfortunately is very necessary because we are still living in patriarchic times…
This book outlines the role of women in society. It shows the lack of power and influence of women. Although the book is a historical piece, nowadays there are still places in this world where men and women are not being treated equally.
For me, the biggest issue in the book was the lack of freedom for these women. They were bound to mens' needs and desires and there was no choice.
Einstein is rumored to have said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. This is something that really came to mind when I was reading this book.
I loved the way she referenced historical events illustrating the aforementioned quote. It also frustrated me and hurt my hopes for a better society, as I’m a bit of an idealist. But I think that this was her intention, to confront the reader with the fact that we keep repeating our mistakes. We package them differently, but the content is the same.
After reading the book some questions still spook in my mind. Are we, humans beings, capable to really grow as a collective? Or do we only envelop ourselves in something new but keep doing the same? I do believe we can grow as individuals, or even as a small collective. But somewhere, somehow society as a whole keeps falling back on older patterns.
Andrea Moreira Santos
0765744
Ercan Yilmaz DENS3A
Reading a HMT is also a different way of looking at our society in the past and our society now. The changes and development and in some cases history still repeating itself. The allusions within the HMT seem to be from the bible. The names Gilead and Jezebel are from the Bible and even the names of the cars are based on the Bible. Atwood criticizes events which happened in the past and still go on in her book. Such as dressing according to your status and when it’s visible what your position is within our society. Atwood continues to argue that all of the scenarios offered in HMT have actually occurred in real life.
“Women are categorized hierarchically according to class status and reproductive capacity" as well as metonymically color-coded according to their function and their labor"
Source of quote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale
Martin Steegmans – Dens2A
Atwood uses a lot of obvious allusions. Of course, the name of the dystopian republic: Gilead. I wondered what it meant and it is mentioned in the Bible as a city. Apparently it is derived from the Hebrew ‘hill’ and ‘testimony’ which is interesting, because it can be argued the book is the testimony of Offred, used by historians some time later. Furthermore, the names of the different organs of the Republic are derived from the Bible: the secret service is called the ‘Eyes of God’; the local police is called the ‘Guardians of the Faith’; soldiers are called ‘Angels’; and the official name for the Commanders is ‘Commanders of the Faithful’. Technically these allusions could also be seen as intertextuality with the Bible.
The book is steeped in allusions such as these. Atwood uses these to make clear that a lot of suppression by ominous organizations was endorsed under the flag of religion.
Trivia question: the book is dedicated to Mary Webster a supposed ancestor of Atwood who was wrongfully and unsuccessfully hanged for Witchcraft in Hadley in 1685. The book is also dedicated to Perry Miller, under whom Atwood studied Early American History, specifically the history of the Puritans.
"The one I remember.. was with a woman who had been the mistress of a man who has supervised one of the camps where they put the Jews.."
Concentration camps
"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, Give me Children, or else I die. he said, who hath with held thoe the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bibah, go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her."
The basic function of a woman in history, giving birth to children.
Allusions:
World War II/Concentration camps/Holocaust.
She talks about a woman who used to have a physical relation with a man who was a guard or supervisor in one of the concentration camps.
This reference was made to compare the concentrations camps with the Red Centre.
Biblical references:
the mention of the Behemoth which is a biblical type of supernatural beast. There is also a reference to Jezebel another biblical figure.
In this case the references are about women's freedoms and rights
Intertextuality:
There are a lot of references made with the bible in mind.Especially when it come sto themes like feminism, sexuality, morality.
Hamilton Sousa Pires.
Hamilton Sousa Pires
Throughout the novel, it has been clearly described how men have custody over women, how they are more possessions of the men. Women cannot vote, nor can they hold property, have a job or do anything else that might allow them to become independent because they could undermined their husbands. Women are being kept clueless and naïve, being brainwashed in to thinking that they serve only for one purpose and that is to serve the man. I never knew women were such a threat to men. The author challenges us to take a closer look at our own world because this is still an ongoing issue.
S. Ballah
DENS3A
0860327
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