The Female Body

Themes - The Female Body

"I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will."

Erosion of women's rights

Atwood uses The Handmaid's Tale to show what might happen if the erosion of women's rights - which accelerated in the 1980s because of the New Right - was taken to the extreme in the Western World, just like it had already been in places like Iran or Romania.
Because the female body can create life, it becomes like a battleground for ideology, violence and control in the novel.

"Prize pig" and Ceremony

Offred says she feels like a "prize pig" after being prepared for the Ceremony.
During the Ceremony, Offred disassociates herself with the rest of her body for survival.
- She says: "What he is fucking is the lower part of my body".

Offred's abjection to her body

Women are made to feel shame for their bodies. But their bodies are also considered precious because of what they can do for the hierarchy of Gilead.
Offred avoids looking at her body when bathing. This implies she cannot face the fact that her whole identity is defined by her fertility:
- "I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it's shameful or immodest but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely."

Themes - Objectification of Women

The Handmaids are totally objectified. This reinforced by the false sisterhood of the Aunts. Their survival relies upon the successful pregnancies of the Handmaids.

Chremamorphism

Atwood uses chremamorphism (giving humans the characteristics of objects) to symbolise the total eradication of the Handmaids' identities as they are only required for their wombs:
- "She said, think of yourselves as seeds…let's pretend we're trees”.

Treatment of Moira

After Moira first escapes and is captured, she is tortured by having her feet beaten with metal cables by the Aunts.
The reader is told that the punishment for a repeat offence is the hands being beaten. Aunt Lydia sadistically reminds the Handmaids that "For our purposes, your feet and your hands are not essential".

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

Jump to other topics