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Madison Ryan

Mann

AP Lit & CompBlock 4

23 October 2017

Power to All by Power to None

A classic is a work of literature that represents humanity and challenges the socially

ingrained parts of ourselves. Huckleberry Finn challenged racial stereotypes and Americas

approach to slavery. Brave New World challenged humanitys relationship with technology and

morals. Grapes of Wrath challenged government treatment of the poor. All such works and their

similar counterparts among the literature in the Canon break down the most base parts of life and

comment on them directly, all culminating into a grand message about what it is to be human and

how to preserve those qualities. The setting a patriarchal theocracy that echoes those similar to it

in our real world, and corresponding themes regarding the behavior of people when faced with

adversity and turmoil, Atwoods Handmaids Tale is an examination of human society that

transcends time and culture. This thirty year old novel continuously impacts society by reflecting

it to its core; its accuracy in representing the nightmarish possibilities every woman lives under

and using them to enunciate every strength and flaw in human nature earns this novel a place in

the literary canon.

The setting of The Handmaids Tale, Gilead, is a set warning on the inherent patriarchal

nature of society and the dangers that could arise from it. In the 80s, when Atwood first began

writing her novel, conditions had been gradually improving for women. Specifically, more were

gaining access to abortions, work, and education to enrich their lives. However, the ease of

which such improvements could disintegrate was still a huge concern for Atwood. She even went
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so far as to keep a notebook of all the advances and all wrongdoings to women globally; when

Iranian women were forced out of their jobs and education, her characters were given the same

treatment, when Romanian women were monitored for pregnancy and their wages dependent on

their bearing children, the lives of handmaids in Gilead were tied to their fertility (Neuman).

Atwood weaves these real events into a confluence that reflected the general dilemma women

faced as the sole bearers of the population. Handmaids, if they screwed up their three chances

would lose all their worth, thrown away to be replaced by another (Atwood 248). However, if

they succeed, [theyll] never be sent to the Colonies, [theyll] never be declared Unwoman,

meaning that they will be safe from being discarded and thus killed (Atwood 127). But whether

they receive the death sentence or receive redemption is not up to them. There is nothing they

can do help themselves, and in an interview with TIME magazine, Atwood expanded on her

perception of such conditions:

At the same time, youre going to force women to have babies by making it so they cant

get abortions. Thats like being drafted into the army. Except at least in the army, you get

three square meals a day and a place to sleep. Youre not left out on the street. If youre

going to take away womens choice and not give them an adequate wage or healthcare,

what would you call that? Id call it a bad deal.

And so the women of The Handmaids Tale have been dealt a bad deal by the government that

took forceful rule over them. They have lost their value and their rights, and when that occurs in

real life, none of the victims ever receive support in their survival due to that. Being forced to

reproduce against their will is destructive in two tiers - it destroys a womans rights as a human

being and dooms them so that they may never get a chance at stability, let alone prosperity. Yet

these events have all occurred, and occurred under poor conditions, such as war and poverty.
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However, these are all it takes for the power structure to implode on itself and regress back to

dictatorship over women, in the novel and in real life. So when The Handmaids Tale Americans

re-embraced the destructive Puritanistic lifestyle of their forefathers, Atwood points out how

society teeters very easily to leaning towards this relapse, fundamentally built to collapse and

harm the weak, whether they be gay, black, or in this case, women. Societys disturbing ability

to become so ruinous is a powerful observation made by The Handmaids Tale that, in its

modern and historical application, gives the novel considerable merit.

But making the necessary drastic change to a long existing institution will only cause

conflict, heightened in the case of adversity. Tales protagonist Offred represents this eternal

struggle between fear and pragmatism. As Professor Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor described in her

essay about The Handmaids Tale, For all the risk taking with Ofglen, and later with Nick,

Offred is continuously afraid of making any choices...Even worse, she is flooded with relief

when the first Ofglen kills herself, because it means that no one will learn of her own

disobediences and indirect affiliation with Mayday. It is this exact passiveness, this active

choice to be inactive, of Offred that reflects society caught in turmoil; even though there are

several methods of helping herself, she actively chooses not to. Philosopher and sociologist

Theodor Adornos has a theory that culture has been standardized and desensitized, looking for

easy outlets of emotion rather than true development. Offred is Adornos theory in action. When

she sees weapons, she briefly considers her desire to take them, but never does. The

Commanders wife is careless with her sharp objects, leaving the knitting...on the floor by the

chair, the needles stuck through it despite a handmaid reportedly dying by knitting needle just

pages earlier (Atwood 14). Even when given a match by her commanders wife, she refuses to

use it, even though it is an admitted escape, quick and narrow (Atwood 209). Offred never
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follows through with these possibilities because she is too afraid to do anything radical, even if it

will save her pain later on. Only when its too late and the pain is at her door does she ever regret

not taking action, mourning that the world is full of weapons if youre looking for them. [She]

should have been paying attention(Atwood 293). Similar behavior is observed in modern

society. The arrival of consequences marks the start of when the majority starts to care, and

according to scholar Hans-Joachim Backe in his scholarly article The Literary Canon in the Age

of New Media, one of the most noted characteristics of a classic (at least in Western culture) is

its effectiveness as representation of a people, time period, and/or ideology. Because The

Handmaids Tales protagonist is the manifest form of societys inner turmoil, she represents all

political criticism and commentary that Atwood makes. Offred is accurate, too - she always

seeks immediate reassurance and satisfaction rather than thinking ahead on how to improve her

life. Whether such is done by forcing death upon herself or by strategizing her relationships with

the Commander and his Wife doesnt matter because she takes an utter lack of decisive action.

This is a scathing remark on the inherent laziness of people when faced with the probability of

suffering. The Western Canon is highly politicized and any work with themes as heavy and

relevant as Tales often finds its way into scholarly recognition as a classic, as well as the

publics reverence.

The combined presentation and interaction these two elements serves as a reminder of the

constants in the unceasing movement of time and politics. Beyond the basic scholarly

approaches, Tale is a testament to the impermanence of each political event and turmoil,

spanning from the past, to the possible future. From the fact that The control of women and

babies has been a part of every repressive regime in history as stated by Atwood in TIMEs

On The Urgency of The Handmaids Tale, to the probability of Gilead becoming an

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underappreciated though devastatingly horrific blip in mankinds history like in the Historical

Notes portion of the novel, the progression of time illustrated by Atwood unsettled audiences

because of its validity. Because certain periods of history quickly become, both for other

societies and those that follow them, the stuff of not especially edifying legend and the occasion

for a good deal of hypocritical self-congratulation, travesties often go without justice, swept

under the rug of public consciousness as another bad thing not only in Atwoods world but in

ours (Atwood 302). This true-to-life writing alerts the reader to the likelihood of the premise and

conclusion of the Tale ringing true for us as well. A brief excerpt of the program Weekend

Edition Sunday published by NPR consisted of a discussion regarding The Handmaids Tale that

led into each womans opinion on the possibility of the fruition of an actual Gilead. One of the

participants, Lynn Neary, remarked that she was stunned by how easily she could see it

happening. The sudden freezing of her accounts that would bloom into violent theocracy was

eerily plausible, and those in power could turn against her with little consequence. Though

extraordinarily relevant, this topic about the fragility of female independence does not get as

talked about as it should. But because The Handmaids Tale has become relevant, the topic has

become so as well, encouraging more progressive action towards the resolution of the problems

Atwood examines. The duty of a classic is to garner public attention to something important, and

what is more important than the quiet brutal strength of those in charge of how our world is run?

The pieces commentary about the nature of power, which has rung true of every

leadership in history, further accentuates the fundamental realness of the novel that can be tied

to any culture or time period. The basis of the male hold on the female population in Tale roots

itself in purity. Only during sacred times may the Commander use a Handmaid, and never for

pleasure. However, Offreds Commander takes her to a special club - a place dedicated to
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unholy pleasures such as promiscuity and drugs. I thought this sort of thing was strictly

forbidden,Offred remarks to her Commander. Well, officially, he says. But everyones

human, after all...Nature demands variety for men...Women know that instinctively(Atwood

237). Hence revealing that there is nothing moral or sacred in the subjugation of women. Like all

patriarchies of the past, the control is, in actuality, just men wanting power over those who

satisfy their needs for pleasure and superiority. And, as Atwood disclosed to TIME, everything

that happened in Tale has happened Somewhere at some time. [She] made nothing up. Overall,

this suggests that the nature of power, particularly patriarchy, is exceedingly real, and has ruled

and shaped humankind for centuries. Because canon creates culture, is a force within culture,

and serves as an instrument of cultural power all at once, this content indicates further merit as a

work of literature. It accentuates whats real to our world and what threatens it, challenging

culture by putting it in the limelight.

The pieces physical impact on modern society because of its thoroughness regarding

human nature takes the merit beyond simply a comment on the human condition to a challenge

and a warning to all those who read it. We witness that the events of The Handmaids Tale have

no real weight in the grand scheme of time, as noted in Historical Notes. Although the discussion

takes place in a location named as a pun for how none of the events of Gilead will be denied,

Denay, Nunavit, they are belittled. They will never be truly honored. Scholars of the future will

hesitate to use the word document to validate them, instead passing them off as something less

than reliable (Atwood 301). As the events ignored by such people horrify the modern people of

our world, it is expected that the audience will wish to take action to avoid such an outcome. By

recognizing that Tale is not just a story about males oppressing females, which is, of course, old

news and not valuable literature, Its also full of warnings about the danger that comes from
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failing to recognize that such oppression is categorical, and gendered...an ironic expression of the

old fear that if women were given power over men, theyd subjugate them, castrate them,

humiliate them (Schwartz). So its key to understand when reading The Handmaids Tale that

its not about one gender over another, but a mutual unity that must be met for humanity to

survive and improve rather than getting stuck in a cycle of self harm to the species. Atwood does

not focus on a single issue alone with her novel, nor a specific sex; Both men and women come

in for attack in The Handmaid's Tale. But Atwood's concern is not with the destruction of either

sex; it is with their mutual survival (Ketterer). The arguing between the sexes must stop, peace

must be met, Atwood declares with Tale. By being such a thorough warning and entreaty to the

human race, the novels purpose clearly goes beyond simple entertainment. Like Canonized

novels, it calls out to people to be active and make change in their lives and in the world. It

illuminates the troublesome parts of ourselves so that we may work on them more easily, rather

than only focusing its plot to distract readers from the real world.

And so, The Handmaids Tale is a work that has quantified everything that can and has

gone wrong in our society and what exactly may happen to it if we continue on like this. From

noting the behavior of popular majority to the events that could lead to senseless rule like

Gileads, it all accumulates to a grand statement that inspires all audiences through scaring them

by highlighting their weaknesses. The natural vagueness in the specificity of the events of The

Handmaids Tale are a unique call to action to readers of any sex, culture, religion, or time

period. Because of this, the novel is universal, and uses that status to warn humanity for its

survival. The consequences that come from Offreds, societys lack of initiative and the

Gileadean, patriarchal power structure affect all people equally. This will culminate into a cycle

of harm and doom for the species that will repeat, stagnating human progress and development.
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It is by recognizing these risks and issues presented in the novel that mankind can go about

solving them, rather than arguing about their validity and bias. Its realism makes The

Handmaids Tale a classic; its timelessness an example of the unification necessary to make

reality less harmful.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaids Tale. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1986.

Backe, Hans-Joachim. The Literary Canon in the Age of New Media. Poetics Today,

vol. 36, no. 1-2, 2015, pp. 1-31, https://pure.itu.dk/ws/files/81825700/backe2015.pdf.

Accessed 19 Oct. 2017.

Dockterman, Eliana. On the Urgency of the Handmaids Tale. Time Magazine, 7 Sept.

2017, http://time.com/collection-post/4925657/margaret-atwood-and-elisabeth-moss/.

Accessed 19 Oct. 2017.

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Ketterer, David. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale: A Contextual Dystopia.

Science Fiction Studies, vol. 16, no. 2, 1989, pp. 209-217,

http://stage.centerforthehumanities.org/sites/default/files/media/Ketterer_Contextual%20

Dystopia.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 2017.

Neuman, Shirley. 'Just a Backlash': Margaret Atwood, Feminism, and The Handmaid's

Tale." University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 246, no. 75.3, 2006, pp. 857-868,

http://mpenglish.pbworks.com/f/HT+-+Historical.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 2017.

Wagner-Lawlor, Jennifer A. From Irony to Affiliation in Margaret Atwoods The

Handmaids Tale. Studies in Contemporary Literature, vol. 45, no. 1, 2003, pp. 83-96,

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jennifer_Wagner-

Lawlor/publication/240538490_From_Irony_to_Affiliation_in_Margaret_Atwood's_The

_Handmaid's_Tale/links/581f337008ae40da2cb2110e.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct. 2017.

Schwartz, Alexandra. Yes, The Handmaids Tale is Feminist. The New Yorker, 27

Apr. 2017, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/yes-the-handmaids-

tale-is-feminist. Accessed 19 Oct. 2017.

The Handmaids Tale Is Among A Resurgence of Dystopian Literature. Weekend

Edition Sunday, NPR, 23 April 2017, http://www.npr.org/2017/04/23/525310257/the-

handmaids-tale-is-among-a-resurgence-of-dystopian-literature. Accessed 19 Oct. 2017.

Theodor Adorno. Theory.org.uk, http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-ador.htm. Accessed 29

October 2017.