Links to Dystopian Fiction

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Links to Dystopian Fiction

Atwood claims that The Handmaid's Tale is a work of "speculative fiction".

Parallels to Orwell

Atwood was quoted as saying that Science Fiction was all "monsters and spaceships" whereas speculative fiction, like The Handmaid's Tale, "could really happen".
The Handmaid's Tale is part of a long literary tradition of dystopian fiction.
It shares many parallels one of the most iconic dystopian novels of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell.

Dystopian fiction

Dystopian fiction is literature which presents a sense of warning or danger to the reader.
Authors set their stories in worlds similar to our own or in nightmarish visions of the future.
Dystopian fiction is often satirical and aims to criticise the world as the author sees it by showing what might happen in the future if we don't change problems in society.

Nineteen Eighty Four

Nineteen Eighty Four was written in 1949,
The novel is about the everyman protagonist Winston Smith, who tries to survive in the totalitarian society of Oceania. Everyone is constantly watched by Big Brother, the omnipotent faceless authority that rules all.

Parallels with Nineteen Eighty Four

Parallels between The Handmaid's Tale and Nineteen Eighty Four are:

The use of neologisms (new words)

Atwood: Compucheck/Particicutions/Unwomen.
Orwell: Newspeak/Doublethink/Facecrime.

Constant threat of surveillance

Atwood: Under his Eye.
Orwell: Big Brother is watching you.

Political context

Atwood: rise of New Right and Fundamentalist Christianity in 1980s.
Orwell: post World War 2, Cold war setting and rise of Stalin/Communism.

Use of violence for control

Use of violence as a way of controlling the masses and deflecting the focus away from those in charge:
- Atwood: Salvaging and Particicutions.
- Orwell: Two Minutes Hate ritual.

Protagonists

Both protagonists are beaten down by the totalitarian regime and willing to say anything or incriminate anyone to surivie:
- Atwood: "I'll say anything they like. I'll incriminate anyone. It's true, the first scream, whimper even, and I'll turn to jelly, I'll confess to any crime, I'll end up hanging from a hook on the Wall"
- Orwell: "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!"

1Author Background

1.1Margaret Atwood

1.1.1Margaret Atwood

2Chapter Summaries

2.1Chapter 1: Night I

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II

2.2.1Chapter 2

2.2.2Chapter 3

2.2.3Chapter 4

2.2.4Chapter 5

2.2.5Chapter 6

2.3Chapter 7: Night II

2.3.1Chapter 7

2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV

2.4.1Chapter 8

2.4.2Chapter 9

2.4.3Chapter 10

2.4.4Chapter 11

2.4.5Chapter 12

2.5Chapter 13: Nap V

2.5.1Chapter 13

2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI

2.6.1Chapter 14

2.6.2Chapter 15

2.6.3Chapter 16

2.6.4Chapter 17

2.7Chapter 18: Night VII

2.7.1Chapter 18

2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII

2.8.1Chapter 19

2.8.2Chapter 20

2.8.3Chapter 21

2.8.4Chapter 22

2.8.5Chapter 23

2.9Chapter 24: Night IX

2.9.1Chapter 24

2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X

2.10.1Chapter 25

2.10.2Chapter 26

2.10.3Chapter 27

2.10.4Chapter 28

2.10.5Chapter 29

2.11Chapter 30: Night XI

2.11.1Chapter 30

2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII

2.12.1Chapter 31

2.12.2Chapter 32

2.12.3Chapter 33

2.12.4Chapter 34

2.12.5Chapter 35

2.12.6Chapter 36

2.12.7Chapter 37

2.12.8Chapter 38

2.12.9Chapter 39

2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII

2.13.1Chapter 40

2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV

2.14.1Chapter 41

2.14.2Chapter 42

2.14.3Chapter 43

2.14.4Chapter 44

2.14.5Chapter 45

2.15Chapter 46: Night XV

2.15.1Chapter 46

2.16Historical Notes

2.16.1Historical Notes

3Dedications & Epigraph

3.1Dedications & Epigraph

3.1.1Dedications

3.1.2Epigraph

4Context

4.1Setting

4.1.1Setting

4.2Literary Context & Genre

4.2.1The Canterbury Tales & The Scarlet Letter

4.2.2Links to Dystopian Fiction

4.3Political Context

4.3.1Berlin & Iran

4.3.2The New Right in America

4.4Historical Context

4.4.1Puritan New England

4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead

4.5.1The Underground Femaleroad

4.5.2Children of Ham & Soul Scrolls

4.5.3Offred's Tattoo, Salvaging & Illegal Abortions

4.5.4Unwomen, Colonies & Giving Away Offred's Daughter

4.6Religious Context

4.6.1Religious Context

5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques

5.1Narrative Structure

5.1.1Narrative Structure

5.2Literary Techniques

5.2.1Literary Techniques

5.2.2Colour Symbolism

6Themes & Imagery

6.1Themes

6.1.1Survival & Language

6.1.2The Female Body

6.2Imagery

6.2.1The Garden & Doubles

7Characters

7.1Female Characters

7.1.1Offred & Moira

7.1.2Offred's Mother, Ofglen & Ofwarren

7.1.3Serena Joy & Aunt Lydia

7.2Male Characters

7.2.1The Commander

7.2.2Nick & Luke

8Readings

8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale

8.1.1Eco-Criticism

8.1.2Complacency

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