The Handmaid's Tale

Maxime Leclair[pic 1]

Gestion de commerces

1st written exam

Travail Présenté à

 Hélène M. Prévost

Dans le cadre du cours

604-103-MQ Culture Anglaise et litterature

Gr. 003

Cegep de l’Outaouais

Campus Gabrielle-Roy

Vendredi 23 Octobre 2020

Rebellion's place in The Handmaids Tale

In the novel the Handmaid’s Tale, Gilead’s government uses fear to keep the population obedient and righteous. The novel shows many characteristics that are typic of a dystopian society such as the way independent thought and action in women are greatly restricted. Also, The government in Gilead can easily be seen as oppressive as it restricts access to food and local areas. The way the government controls society doesn’t please the population. Therefore some people start to rebel against this society’s strict rules. Serena Joy and Ofglen are some of those people although the way they rebel and the reason behind it is quite interesting.

First of all, every major character in the handmaid's tale is involved in some way in rebellious acts against this society. The two characters we are covering, Serena Joy and Ofglen are involved in two very different ways of rebellious acts. Serena Joy, in first-hand sets up Offred with Nick in an attempt for them to conceive a child and create a family, and this is against the rules. The two of them eventually catch feelings for one another as it can be seen in this quote from the book: “Later that night, Offred stares through her window and catches sight of Nick. She senses the charge of sexual desire in the glance they exchange before she pulls the curtains closed.”In second-hand, Ofglen is part of a resistance group named Mayday and therefore takes bigger actions such as pressuring Offred to break into the commander's office as is stated here: “Ofglen pressures Offred to break into the Commander’s office. She wants Offred to find out what he really does, what responsibilities he has. But Offred now tunes out Ofglen and spends her time thinking about Nick.” Though the two characters' actions are quite different they are none the less rebellious.

Second of all, the reasoning behind every character’s rebellious actions towards Gilead is similar but also a little different in their way. The primary reason for rebellion inside Gilead is the oppressive nature of the government. The way Gilead treats women is another reason for the rebellious origin of the population. Women in The Handmaid’s Tale are dehumanized as they have mainly three ways of living, the powerless wives, the servants, or the Handmaids wich their only purpose is to reproduce. The way Women are treated can be perceived from this quote from Offred: “There’s hardly any point in my thinking, is there? I say. What I think doesn’t matter.” Other than the way women are treated, the government controls everything from the food rations to the available local areas. This mix of dehumanization and control over society is the clear reason for the population taking action against the government. The population, therefore, creates rebellious organizations such as Mayday to bring people to safety and bring down Gilead from the inside.

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