4.3.2
The New Right in America
Political Context - America and the New Right
Political Context - America and the New Right
One of the strongest political links between the novel and real life is the growth of the New Right in America in the 1980s.
Right-wing religious groups
Right-wing religious groups
- Atwood collected clippings from newspapers to inspire her creation of Gilead.
- A lot of her research focused on the increasing political strength of right-wing religious fundamentalist groups, especially their support for President Ronald Reagan, who was part of the Republican party.
- Reagan promoted traditional family values, conservative beliefs and a strong, evangelical Christian faith.
- He was voted in as President from 1981 to 1989.
Reagan's rhetoric
Reagan's rhetoric
- Reagan’s rhetoric appealed to the Bible belt of America and warned against the perceived sins of homosexuality, abortion and divorce.
- Reagan was quoted as saying: "within the covers of the Bible are all the answers for all the problems men face".
- This is very like the rhetoric of characters like Aunt Lydia, Serena Joy and The Commander.
Borrowing from Puritan beliefs
Borrowing from Puritan beliefs
- The New Right’s ideologies borrowed from Puritan beliefs, especially the ideas of women being primarily for procreation and seen as inferior to men in marriage.
Falling fertility rates
Falling fertility rates
- Fears grew in America in the 1980s as a result of falling fertility rates (known as the ‘Birth Dearth’).
- The New Right used this as an opportunity to promote traditional heterosexual family values and promote the role of women as ‘procreators’ in order to save society from the ills of homosexuality, falling birth rates and AIDS.
- Atwood extrapolates this fear and creates a world where women’s only use is as walking "wombs" or to assist the sexual or domestic needs of men.
1Author Background
1.1Margaret Atwood
2Chapter Summaries
2.1Chapter 1: Night I
2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II
2.3Chapter 7: Night II
2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV
2.5Chapter 13: Nap V
2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI
2.7Chapter 18: Night VII
2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII
2.9Chapter 24: Night IX
2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X
2.11Chapter 30: Night XI
2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII
2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII
2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV
2.15Chapter 46: Night XV
2.16Historical Notes
3Dedications & Epigraph
3.1Dedications & Epigraph
4Context
4.1Setting
4.2Literary Context & Genre
4.3Political Context
4.4Historical Context
4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead
4.6Religious Context
5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques
5.1Narrative Structure
5.2Literary Techniques
6Themes & Imagery
6.2Imagery
7Characters
7.1Female Characters
7.2Male Characters
8Readings
8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale
Jump to other topics
1Author Background
1.1Margaret Atwood
2Chapter Summaries
2.1Chapter 1: Night I
2.2Chapters 2-6: Shopping II
2.3Chapter 7: Night II
2.4Chapters 8-12: Waiting Room IV
2.5Chapter 13: Nap V
2.6Chapters 14-17: Household VI
2.7Chapter 18: Night VII
2.8Chapters 19-23: Birth Day VIII
2.9Chapter 24: Night IX
2.10Chapters 25-29: Soul Scrolls X
2.11Chapter 30: Night XI
2.12Chapters 31-39: Jezebel's XII
2.13Chapter 40: Night XIII
2.14Chapters 41-45: Salvaging XIV
2.15Chapter 46: Night XV
2.16Historical Notes
3Dedications & Epigraph
3.1Dedications & Epigraph
4Context
4.1Setting
4.2Literary Context & Genre
4.3Political Context
4.4Historical Context
4.5Parallels: Read World & Gilead
4.6Religious Context
5Narrative Structure & Literary Techniques
5.1Narrative Structure
5.2Literary Techniques
6Themes & Imagery
6.2Imagery
7Characters
7.1Female Characters
7.2Male Characters
8Readings
8.1Readings of The Handmaid's Tale
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