Feminism In The Handmaids Tale Essay -- Feminism Feminist Women Criti

Feminism In The Handmaids Tale Feminism as we cheat it began in the mid 1960s as the Womens Liberation Movement. Among its chief tenants is the idea of womens empowerment, the idea that women are capable of doing and should be allowed to do anything men can do. Feminists believe that uncomplete sex is naturally superior. They stand behind the idea that women are inherently just as strong and intelligent as the so-called stronger sex. Many writers concur taken up the cause of feminism in their work. One of the most well known writers to deal with feminist themes is Margaret Atwood. Her work is clearly influenced by the nominal head and many literary critics, as well as Atwood herself, have identified her as a feminist writer. However, one of Atwoods most successful books, The Handmaids Tale, stands in unforgiving contrast to the ideas of feminism. In fact, the female characters in the novel are portrayed in such a way that they directly conflict with the idea of wom ens empowerment. On the surface, The Handmaids Tale appears to be feminist in nature. The point-of-view character and narrator is a woman and thus we see the world through a womans eyes. Theres much more than to the story than that, though. Atwood doesnt show us our world. She shows us a newly created world in which women lack the freedoms that they currently take for granted. This dystopian society is completely controlled by men. Of course, the men have help from the Aunts, a crack team of brainwashers that run the reeducation centers and teach the handmaids how to be slaves. These characters really dont speak well for womankind for two reasons. First of all, its tricky to tell who their real life counterpart is, assuming that this... ...st writers. Its obvious that Atwood intentionally set herself apart from these writers with The Handmaids Tale. At times, she seems to disagree with them completely, such as when she shows pornography in a favorable manner. At othe r times, she portrays feminists themselves as the powerful women they would like to be seen as, but its always with full disclosure of their human frailty. Atwood never bashes feminism. Instead, she shows some(prenominal) sides of it. Like everything else in the novel, feminism is shown to have good and bad elements. Even in Atwoods brave new world, there is no black and white. Sources Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaids Tale. New York Fawcett Crest, 1985. Moore, Pamela, Atwood, Margaret The Handmaids Tale. Boston, MS Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Internet www.wsu.edu8000/brains/science_fiction/handmaid.html