The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, tells the story of Gilead, a dictatorial society that has replaced the United States. The theocratic government has divided the citizens by status, such as the Eyes, the Angels, Commanders, Wives, Handmaid’s, Martha’s, etc. Because Gilead suffers from low birth rates, the government has taken complete control of reproduction, and now Handmaid’s are assigned to high-ranking couples (Commanders and Wives) that are unable to conceive. Basically, Handmaid’s are youthful women with the fertile ability necessary for reproduction. They are subjected to have intercourse with their assigned Commander in order to produce offspring to help Gilead’s slumping fertility rates. Clothing is used to distinguish the citizens’ ranks, and Handmaid’s are made to dress in red, a color that is a frequent symbol throughout this novel.
Atwood uses the color red to symbolize many aspects, one of which being fertility. The basic interpretation of red is blood, and in this book, the color is used to represent the menstrual cycle and also the blood that flows for the new life of a human being. At a certain point during a Handmaid’s menstrual cycle, the Commander must have sex with her in order for her to have a higher chance of conceiving. Of all the households in Gilead, there is only one pregnancy that occurs, which shows the weakness of this government’s oppression.
Outside of Gilead, there is a war going on, which further implies the color red for blood. The fact that there is a war suggests that Gilead’s government is not the supreme ruler of the world, and it’s theocracy is conflicted by other countries. This gives the citizens of Gilead hope, which also shows how red symbolizes a new life.
This hope is only a dream out of reach for Gilead, though, and so red also symbolizes death, in this case, it is the death of the Handmaid’s moral and ethical rights and choices. The government of Gilead claims that this new way of life is safer for women because no one is allowed to roam the streets without a reason to, and there is no chance a woman could be attacked and raped, for example. But the irony in this belief is that Handmaid’s technically undergo forced sex since they are ultimately, unwilling. Although religious aspects are clearly shown throughout this book, (names such as Angels, Gilead, etc.) what should be a wholesome marriage between one woman and one man, the “theocratic” government of Gilead has destroyed this purity with its use of Handmaid’s.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Okay, I read basically and I shuttered. I don't know why but eh. I understand what you're typing about here! At first I was like, do I really need all of this background but I see how it worked in. Lovely Kell. :D
ReplyDeleteRed is a powerful color, and I liked how you emphasized that about your essay. I have never heard of your book before, so I truly appreciated the introduction in the beginning of your essay.
ReplyDeleteOverall your essay is strong but I get lost at the last sentence of the last paragraph. The "religious aspects" part of the sentence came out of left field. Take the "although religious ... (Gilead, etc.)" part out and you have a strong conclusion to fit your essay.
Kell,
ReplyDeleteThat was good that you gave a sort of brief synopsis of what your book is about without just summarizing the entire thing. It helped you flow into your thesis statement about the color red and its symbolic meaning. Very smooth transitions!
I never knew red could mean so many things. I like your insights. And I like the irony part at the end. It made me sad though :/.
Kelli :) I really enjoyed reading this. Although it was sad, i liked the way you wrote your essay, your explainations were really clear and your transitions were also smooth and easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteI like how you helped us to understand what the book was about and not just explaining the symbol and what it meant because then we would all definetly be lost.
Its sad to see that ruined the connection between a man and a women because of their need to control everything.
Good job though!
I thought your essay was really interesting, and the plot summary was interesting as well; it reminded me a little about the government the book I'm reading right now, Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I thought the essay flowed nicely and it was very easy to understand your thought progression. The only thing I would recommend changing is the end about religion because that element didn't really fit into the other the aspects illuminated by the rest of your essay. Other than that, it was super good :)
Kell,
ReplyDeleteI really liked it! I thought reading these essays about symbolism in a book would be really boring and I'd have to force myself to read it but your entry proved me wrong(:
I really liked how you made the connection of red to the blood that flows through humans as well as the menstrual cycle. I'm not sure I would have spotted that if I read the book.
You make the book sound really interesting(: Maybe I'll read it next! haha.
Great job Kell! :] I really liked the mini synopsis at the beginning of your essay. It was really helpful in helping me understand the symbol that you chose in your essay!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of a color being a symbol was pretty creative and I'm pretty sure I would not have been able to pick up on that. Great word choice and flow for your essay :]
Ahhh this book sounds crazy!!! :o
ReplyDeleteThat was cool how you found all the different symbolisms for red. That means you looked very deep in the book, hahah thats awesome!
Some explanations need further explanation beyond saying what the red symbolizes in that instance (i.e., why does it symbolize it?). Also, it looks like two small symbol paragraphs sandwiched by plot details. Stay focused on the objective, remove filler, and elaborate on what's necessary to make it stronger.
ReplyDelete'Kay, so I think the intro was fine. The second paragraph was going well too, but it seemed like it ended too quickly. Like, what was the importance of the menstrual cycle in relation to the big picture?
ReplyDeleteThe ending of the second paragraph and the start of the third threw me off. Red = blood = war = other countries = life = hope? Not really -- not if there's war.
There were some other interesting ideas in here too (the irony about rape, for example), but they didn't have much to do with symbolism or the color red. I think if you just readjust the way you go about dissecting red, and staying focused on it, you'll have a more cohesive argument.
Kellie-Ann, I liked this essay. You used specific things to discuss the color read. I would have liked you to have a conclusion that tied it all together. Keep going!
ReplyDelete